Deep-Emboss the Floral Bouquet Heart by Jean Okimoto

Dies are great for embossing but they sometimes need a little extra help.  Add extra dimension to your embossed designs with some behind-the-scenes washi tape and a diecut .  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a few techniques, delayed by many hours of internet connection challenges.

Two special steps in the embossing process create smooth details and minimize splitting and cracking of the cardstock.  First - attach wide washi tape behind the bright pink 80# (or heavier) cardstock to stabilize it and keep it from tearing.  It's on the backside and won't be seen.  Cut it with the largest Double Stitch Happy Heart Cut Out.

Next, cut a scrap of cardboard with the Floral Bouquet Heart - use a metal shim for a smooth, complete cut.  Place the die over the pink heart as usual.  Place the cardboard diecut behind the pink heart so it functions like the bottom layer of an embossing folder. Tape the stack to the embossing mat so it won't shift.  Pressure-emboss it using the rubber embossing mat and plates required for your machine.  

Cut Sprinkle Heart Collage from pink cardstock and trim the edges.  Place a strip of the white sheet from the Frosted Glitter Pad behind the cutouts.

Cut BIG Hugs Posh Script from light gray and bright pink cardstock and assemble the double-layered greeting.Attach everything to a light gray slimline card (8-½" x 3-⅝").  Add  ¼" dots punched from the silver sheet in the Holiday Glitter Pad.

Embossing adds interest to any project - let your Memory Box dies create focal points and backgrounds to complement your design without overwhelming it.  

Thanks for visiting - have a great weekend!

Supplies

 

94368 Floral Bouquet Heart

94361 Double Stitch Happy Heart Cut Out

94528 Big Hugs Posh Script craft die

94548 Sprinkle Heart Collage craft die

WT302 Flurries Wide Washi Tape

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

GP1004 Frosted Glitter Pad

Add Color to a Washi Tape Background by Jean Okimoto

A Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape heart - layered over the new Woodgrain Heart - creates a quick Valentine  or friendship card.  Add a layered BIG Hugs Posh Script greeting and strips of gold glittered cardstock to balance the bold hearts - and that's it!

Hi there, Jean Okimoto here with an easy way to add interest and a watercolor-y look to the beautiful floral wide washi tape.  The tape is 4-½" wide - perfect for layering over the 4-½" wide Open Studio Watercolor Paper.

Sponge or brush overlapping layers of picked raspberry, squeezed lemonade and carved pumpkin Distress Oxides onto the smoother side of Open Studio Watercolor Paper.  Move the colors around with a large damp round paintbrush, the heat-set the inks.  It looks scary-bright here but it'll be softened and muted when the tape is applied!

Attach Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape to the watercolor paper.  Place it between 2 layers of printer paper and run it through a diecut machine between the plates used for cutting.  The machine's pressure smooths small wrinkles and reduces some of the frostiness.

Cut the taped/colored paper with the second-largest Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out die.  Cut pale peach cardstock with Woodgrain Heart.

Cut the solid Big Hugs Posh Script from slightly darker peach cardstock.  Cut the delicate BIG Hugs from a gold sheet in the Polished Foil Pad - leave the diecut in the die.  Attach strips of Diecut 'n Bond doublestick tape to the diecut and run it through the machine again to cut the adhesive.  Remove the officuts and bits of tape liner.  Press the diecut (still in the die) firmly onto the peach background diecut and carefully remove the die.

Cut 2 narrow strips of the gold glitter sheet in the Holiday Glitter Pad and trim the ends.

Attach everything to a cream A-6 card (4-½" x 6-¼") - use foamtape for the greeting.

Pick your favorite colors and create multicolored backgrounds for Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape.  I cut 4 additional smaller hearts from the washi tape-covered watercolor paper and I'm saving them for another project to share with you.

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

Supplies

 

94552 Woodgrain Heart craft die

94528 Big Hugs Posh Script craft die

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

FP1001 Polished Foil Pad pack

WP101 Watercolor Paper

94359 Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out

WT502 Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape

Scatter Snowspeckles on a Watercolored Background by Jean Okimoto

'Twas the week before Christmas...time to make some simple cards for holiday thank you notes.   Hi, Jean Okimoto combining Memory Box Wide Washi Tape and Open Studio Watercolor Paper on quick cards.

Paint the smoother side of the watercolor paper with watery, overlapping layers of green, blue and yellow dye ink refills or Distress Oxides.  Let the colors blend and air-dry for a few minutes, then heat-set it.  

Attach Watercolor Forest Greenery Wide Washi Tape to the painted watercolor paper.  For a softer, frosty look, add a layer of Poppystamps Snowspeckle Wide Washi Tape.  Cut it with the 2" x 3-¼" Rectangle Basics die.  

Cut ¾" x 4" and ¾" x 4-½" accent strips of green cardstock for the vertical cards.

 Cut ¾" x 3-¾" and ¾" x3-¼" strips for the horizontal card.

Punch ¼" circles of the gold and bright green Holiday 6x6 glittered cardstock.  Attach the diecuts to a white A-2 cards. 

Thanks for visiting - see you again this weekend!

 

 

Supplies

 

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

WT301 Snowspeckle Wide Washi Tape

WT500 Watercolor Forest Greenery Wide Washi Tape

WP101 Watercolor Paper

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

Quick Backgrounds for Holiday Cards by Angie Cimbalo

Hello and welcome!  Today I have 2 quick cards using some fast background techniques, 1) wide washi tape and 2) scoring.  For both my Christmas cards I used the brand newly released "Large Vintage Sled" the previously released "Special Merry Christmas" die. Here's a look at some of my die cutting and card making prep:

For the slimline card, I took "Watercolor Forest Greenery" wide washi tape and adhered it to a 3.5" by 8.5" piece of white card stock. Next on the washi tape background, I sponged Distress Ink in "Cracking Campfire" to the outside edges, added white paint pen to highlight some spots and to create some snow dots. After die cutting the sled dies and sentiment from white, kraft and red card stock, I stacked them slightly offset from each other for dimension. I added my washi tape background panel to a slimline card base which was 8.5" by 3.5". I adhered the sentiment directly to the washi tape and popped the sled up on foam tape at an angle. Lastly I used "Dragonfly Fairy Sugar Glitter Glue" to simulate sparkling snow on the background and the sled.  Here's a closer look at my slimline card where you can see the white highlights, inking and glitter glue.

For my second card I took my scoreboard and scoring tool and scored lines down a white piece of card stock measuring 4" by 5.25" every 1/2" and then added "Tea Dye" Distress Ink direct to paper to create a faux woodgrain look. I adhered that panel to a piece of plaid paper from the "Christmas Plaid" paper pack and the to the card base. Next it was time to add the sled and sentiment dies. On the sled die cuts this time, I didn't offset the kraft on the red but put it directly on top. I think I like that look better because you can see more of the red showing through the bottom of the sled. Either way, it's a gorgeous die and I had so much fun playing with it to create these cards! Here's one more look at my A2 size sled card:

And here is one last look at both cards side by side:

I hope I have inspired you to create some quick background for cards today. Using wide washi tape and the faux wood look with scoring and ink direct to paper, you can come up with so many quick and easy background to showcase your dies and stamps!
Thanks so much for stopping by and see you next time!

 

I hope I have inspired you to create some quick background for cards today. Using wide washi tape and the faux wood look with scoring and ink direct to paper, you can come up with so many quick and easy background to show case your dies and stamps! Thanks so much for stopping by and see you next time!

 

Supplies

 

94499 Special Merry Christmas craft die

94496 Large Vintage Sled craft die

PP1009 Christmas Plaid 6x6 pack

WT500 Watercolor Forest Greenery Wide Washi Tape

40105 Dragonfly glitter glue

Build the New Charming Snowman by Jean Okimoto

Diecut a Pinpoint Snowflake Plate and construct the new Charming Snowman Collage, complete with paper-pieced glittery accents.  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with two of our newest holiday designs.  It feels like we skipped fall and went directly from summer to winter...so let's build a snowman today.

Cut Pinpoint Snowflake Plate and the mid-sized Stylish Rectangle from smooth white cardstock.  Cut Charming Snowman Collage from the rectangle offcut.  

Attach black and orange cardstock scraps for the head, eyes, nose and buttons.  The buttons are actually partially-cut, but I used a skewer to push the cardstock back and form squarish circles, like lumps of coal.

Cut the scarf from the green 6x6 Holiday Glitter Pad sheet. A tip - turn the glittered cardstock over and trim the scarf from the white side if the glitter and shiny blade make it hard to see what you're trimming. Cut the twiggy arms from dark kraft cardstock - including the sections that extend from the arm over to the edge of the snowman.  Place pieces of tape across backside of the collage where the scarf and arms will be inserted and press the diecuts onto the exposed adhesive.

Attach the Poppystamps Flurries Wide Washi Tape to black cardstock.  Another tip - run the tape-covered cardstock through your diecut machine with the cutting plate(s) to firmly compress the tape. Attach the tape-covered cardstock behind the snowman to fill the outlines. 

Cut Resting Birds from the red Holiday Glitter Pad sheet.

Attach the diecuts to a top-folded textured dark gray A-2 card.

Cut smooth white cardstock with the smallest Stylish Rectangle die.  Stamp the greeting - from the Christmas Tiles Clear Stamp Set - with Tulip Red VersaFine Clair.  Add a Resting Bird.

Here's a link to view our latest release - including some beautiful designs from Birch Press Designs too.  It's a very contemporary collection of favorite holiday icons.  Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting...see you next week!

 

 

94498 Charming Snowman Collage craft die

94513 Pinpoint Snowflake Plate craft die

94416 Stylish Rectangle Trio

CL5263 Christmas Tiles clear stamp set

98527 Resting Birds

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

WT302 Flurries Wide Washi Tape

Snowy Stitched Tree and Sparkly Red Resting Birds by Jean Okimoto

 

There are many ways to sew a Stitched Tree - here's a simple design in crisp white.  A border of Poppystamps Flurries Wide Washi Tape adds a frosty look, glittered Resting Birds and a star make it merry.  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a stitched holiday design for you.  

Cut green cardstock with the 3" x 4-¼" Rectangle Basics Die.  Rub scrunched waxed paper briskly over the new Stitched Tree die to prep it to help release all of the tiny dots.  Cut the rectangle with the Stitched Tree.  

Cut a 9' piece of white floss.  The 9' is a generous length to make it easier.  Pierce a hole about ½" below the center of the bottom row of stitch-dots.  Use a toothpick or skewer to enlarge the hole for the needle.  Attach one end of the floss to the reverse side of the rectangle with Scotch Tape and stitch the horizontal rows beginning at the bottom right corner.  Stitch diagonally - using every other hole - from top to bottom.  Stitch both sides.

Stitch the vertical line - bypass the bottom row of the tree and go through the punched hole.  Tape the thread on the back and trim off the excess.

Diecut Resting Birds from the red Holiday Glitter Pad sheet twice to get 5 of the "sitting" birds.  Save the extras for another project.  Diecut the large Starlit Breeze star from the gold Holiday Glitter Pad sheet.

Stamp the greeting - from the new Berry Wreath Clear Stamps and Dies Set - on white cardstock with Tulip Red VersaFine Clair.  Dry the ink and cut it with the smallest Rectangle Basics die.  Trim the short ends.

Attach Poppystamps Flurries Wide Washi Tape to green cardstock and cut a 1" x 5-¼" accent strip. Attach everything to a white A6 (4-½" x 6-¼") card - use foam dots for the greeting.

Create unique Stitched Tree designs with the wide range of threads and yarns available. Variegated, ombre, metallic and silky fibers in beautiful colors provide so many options.  Stitching is oddly relaxing.  I'm not a stitcher or a sewer - if I can do this, you can too!

Thanks for visiting...see you again tomorrow!

 
Supplies

 

94405 Stitched Tree

30094 Wrapped Stitch Rectangles

98527 Resting Birds

99398 Starlit Breeze

WT302 Flurries Wide Washi Tape

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

Evergreen Sky Collage on a Snowspeckled Background by Jean Okimoto

Build a frosty winter scene with the new Evergreen Sky Collage and Garland 6x6 poinsettia print, glittery birds and a majestic pine from last year's holiday collection.   Hi, Jean Okimoto here mixing classic favorites with designs from our 2020 Christmas Collection.  

Cut Everygreen Sky Collage from the Garland 6x6 poinsettia corner print.  Trim the paper to a 5-½" square. Cut the Delicate Pine Frame tree from the collage offcut and attach it behind the collage.  

Attach a large piece  of the Poppystamps Snowspeckle Wide Washi Tape to a side-folded 5-½" square green card.  The blue piece below the washi tape is a strip of plastic cut from a dollar-store kitchen cutting board.  It keeps the tape's torn edge from sticking back onto the roll, helps tear the tape and keeps the tape from rolling away.  All of that from a skinny little piece of plastic!

Cut the birds -from the Delicate Pine Frame set - from the red glitter cardstock in the Holiday Glitter Pad.  

Stamp the greeting - from the new Spirit of Christmas Clear Stamps and Die Set - on a scrap of the 6x6 print with VersaFine Clair Tulip Red.   Heat-emboss it with detail clear powder.  Diecut it with the matching oval die from the set.  Cut red glitter cardstock with the oval die and layer the pieces.  

Shake the new Open Studio Sunlight Gold Glitter Glue vigorously, then squirt a big drop of it onto scrap paper.  Use a toothpick or skewer to add dots of it to the berry clusters.  Set it aside to dry.

Thanks for visiting - hope you'll look for ways to combine old favorites with new designs to greet the season.  See you again this weekend!  

 

 

 

Supplies

 

94500 Evergreen Sky Collage craft die

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

PP1010 Garland 6x6 pack

40127 Sunlit Gold glitter glue

94031 Delicate Pine Frame

WT301 Snowspeckle Wide Washi Tape

A Special Merry Christmas with a Small Pine Tree Collage by Jean Okimoto

Cool winter wishes continue with more great new designs from our 2020 Holiday Collection.  It's the perfect mix of classic, contemporary, glittery, shimmery and artsy elements for Christmas crafting.  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a little bit of everything from our latest release.

Cut the corner berries and greenery print from the new Garland 6x6 with the largest Wrapped Stitch Rectangles die.  Prep the Small Pine Tree Collage die by rubbing it briskly with a piece of scrunched waxed paper - to make it easier to remove the cardstock after diecutting.  Cut the collage.  Instead of pulling the diecut away from the offcuts - gently wiggle the offcuts away from the diecut.

Attach a piece of Poppystamps' Snowspeckle Wide Washi Tape to a top-folded green A-2 card - position it to fill the oval cutout.  Attach the diecut rectangle.

Prep the Special Merry Christmas die with waxed paper and cut the lighter red glitter cardstock from the new Holiday Glitter Pad.  Attach it with tiny dots of Aleene's Original Tacky Glue. 

Punch ¼" circles of the gold Holiday Glitter Pad cardstock.

Shake the new Ruby Crystal Glitter Glue to blend the contents, then squeeze a large drop onto scrap paper.  Use a skewer to add dots of Ruby Crystal to several leaf clusters.  Set the card aside to dry the glue.

It's a week of celebrations here with our holiday release  - and the 33rd birthday of Impress Cards and Crafts.  Join the party and shop the Impress online store for a special 20% savings (excluding class kits, custom stamps and items on sale)  on July 30 and 31.  It's a great time to stock up on papercrafting supplies for your holiday and year-round projects.  Here's the sale promo code - happy33.

Thanks for visiting - see you again this weekend with another holiday idea!

Supplies

 

94503 Small Pine Tree Collage craft die

94499 Special Merry Christmas craft die

PP1010 Garland 6x6 pack

30094 Wrapped Stitch Rectangles

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

WT301 Snowspeckle Wide Washi Tape

40126 Ruby Crystal glitter glue

Build a Birthday Cake with Snowglobe Bases by Jean Okimoto

 

 

One of my favorite classes to teach at Impress is BEYOND THE BOX.  We take ideas from my blog posts then tweak them, using Memory Box products in unexpected and unintended ways.  For example, build a 4-layer birthday cake with the popular Snowglobe Bases and Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape.

Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a card that could have two reactions -  #1-OK, maybe it's a birthday cake - or #2-what was she thinking?    It all begins with Snowglobe Bases - 

Attach Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape to pink cardstock and cut various sections of it with Snowglobe Bases.

Stack the layers and tape them together.  Cut three of the Tall Birthday Candles from the pink Delicate Pastels 6x6 glitter cardstock.  Color the flame sections with a Sharpie, Zebra Mildliner or Copic Marker.  Attach the candles behind the top layer.  Trim the left edge of the two bottom layers.

Attach peachy-pink cardstock to adhesive label paper or a sticker sheet and cut Birthday Cursive Script Circle.  Leave the tiny dot over the "i" in the die until you're ready to attach it.  Attach the diecut to a side-folded white A2 card.  Add the tiny dot.

Stamp "wishes" - from the Cherry Blossom Wreath Clear Stamp and Die Set - on the same cardstock with Shady Lane VersaFine Clair.  Quickly emboss it with detail clear powder.  Trim it and attach it to the card with foam tape.

Cut three butterflies from the Birch Press Design Butterfly Cluster set from the pale pink Delicate Pastel glitter cardstock.  Color them with a peach marker, dry the ink, and attach them to the card.

Enjoy experimenting and creating different looks with dies, stamps and papers from your Memory Box stash.  I think you'll be surprised and happy to discover so many ways to use Dave's great designs!

Thanks for visiting - see you again this weekend...

 

 

Supplies

 

30066 Snowglobe Bases

GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

94396 Birthday Cursive Script Circle

CL5256-D Cherry Blossom Wreath clear stamp set

94395 Tall Birthday Candles

WT502 Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape

57084 Butterfly Cluster

Foiled Ornament Christmas by Trina Pham

Happy Fri-YAY everyone.  Continuing with the Christmas in July theme, I have another Christmas card to share today featuring foiling with stencils.  I love the look of foiling on cards, but am not a fan of having to use a laminator.  So when the Deco Foil Transfer Gel Duo came out earlier this year giving the option of foiling without heat, I was all for it. 

Using a circle die from Circle Basics, a circle stencil was created from Cornelia Variegated Wide washi tape and adhered to a Bristol panel.

Placed the Ring Tile stencil from Birch Press Designs on top and applied the transfer gel duo with a palette knife over it.  Set it aside to dry and become tacky to the touch.  Once ready, removed the washi tape and added the foil with shiny side facing up.

Slipped it into a folded piece of copy paper (to protect the foil from my scratched up plates), and ran it through my Big Shot resulting in this.

To complete the card, the Vintage Varsity letters were die cut from silver foil and black cardstock and offset for a shadow. 

Created the attachment piece (between the ribbon and bauble) by die cutting a square from silver foil cardstock with the smallest die from Square Basics, then die cutting with the same circle die used in creating the stencil.  The pine branches were die cut from Bristol paper twice and stacked for dimension.  Assembled the card then matte it on silver foil cardstock before mounting to a white card base to finish.

I really like the no-heat option for foiling so while all supplies were out, I made a second card following the same process and design... just changed up the foil.

And that’s it for today.  Thank you for joining me.  Have a wonderful weekend.

 

 

Supplies

 

42030 Ring Tike Stencil

30087 Circle Basics Set

30088 Square Basics Set

94337 Antique Pine Label

WT504 Cornelia Variegated Wide Washi Tape