Creating Cards with Coordinating Layered Stencils & Embossing Folders

Hello friends and happy new year! Welcome back to another blog post! It's been a while and my goal of two videos per month has fallen to more like one per month. Someone remind me how I found the time to create more videos than I do now when I had two young children. *wink* I guess the 'ol 9-5 job really does take up a lot of my time. And at the end of the day, I don't have the same energy that I used to when I would hit the craft room and stay up until midnight. That person is much older and far more tired now. LOL!

Anyway, I'm super excited about my latest project, which features just one product...a layered stencil and 3D embossing folder set from Altenew. I am a huge fan of all things mushrooms and when I saw this set, I had to get it! I had a great time creating four different cards using just the set, some inks, markers, and embossing power. I would classify these as clean and simple - even though some of the coloring is a little time consuming - and are primarily one layer cards. Check out the video below to see how I created each card and for tips and tricks you can follow to create your own. The video discusses, Copic marker coloring, using blending tools and ink, a fun embossing technique, and creating a spotlight card. 

Once you're finished with the video, go grab yourself some supplies and start creating! Also, be sure to visit my Etsy shop, where I sell lots of gently used stamps and dies for low, low prices. Nearly 100 items in the shop - more to be added - and most are between $5-10! Enjoy! 

Supplies:

Altenew Woodland Path Stencil & Embossing Folder Set

Concord & 9^th Mix & Match Everyday Sentiments Stamp Set 

Concord & 9th Mix & Match Everyday Sentiments Die

Avery Elle Loads of Hello Stamp Set

Avery Elle Loads of Hello Die Set

Pretty Pink Posh Encouraging Greetings

Honey Bee Stamps Metallic Mix Pearl Stickers

Jen Hadfield The Avenue Puffy Heart Stickers

Distress Oxide Inks

Altenew Ink Cubes

Blending Tools

Hero Arts White Pigment Ink

VersaMark Ink

VersaMark Ink Pen

Altenew Rose Gold Embossing Powder

Altenew Metallic Watercolor Set (alternative option)

Wendy Vecchi Make Art Station

Sakura White Gel Pen

Copic Markers

Markers from Hobby Lobby also used

What's Perking

I had some time to play with some new products a few night's ago.  One major benefit of owning a store is having the opportunity to work with new products!  WooHoo!!  One of those products is stencils.  Many years ago I used to use the metal stencils and a stipple brush to create my name image (who remembers those?).  However, The Crafter's Workshop stencils are much larger (come in a variety of sizess) and are plastic.  Since this is a new product for me, I wanted to get my hands on a few and spend an evening just playing!

I grabbed my Distress Inks (new Summer colors), paint daubers, Glimmer Mist (Dylusions sprays would work as well), Distress Stains, a bunch of cardstock, and my blending tool.  (The kids even decided to play with me...love that!)  Then we got to work trying out different products to see what worked the best.  The conclusion...everything works with stencils!  My preference ended up being the Distress Inks because the color was rich and I could mix colors (that sample coming up next week).  The sprays worked great as well, either on their own or as an accent over the Distress Inks.  The stains blend a little bit but that can create a fun vintage look.  I also really liked the paint daubers and can see using this type of method on altered projects.

I decided to use my sample as designer paper on a card, 'cause cards are my favorite go-to craft!  I paired my stenciled paper with designer paper from Authentique (ohh...perhaps a product sneak peek), and stamps from Hero Arts, from the What's Perking set. 

I had a great time using stencils and can see bringing them into my studio for use on a regular basis!  eP has a great selection of stencils, paints, mists, and inks available...why not check out some of these great products this weekend!

Enjoy!

Supplies:
Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry)
The Crafters Workshop Stencils - Mini Fish Scales used on this card

Blending Tool

Glad There is You

Hi there!  Hey, guess what?  I'm glad there is you!  I'm glad that I have a few of you out there who are still reading my blog...after...maybe six years.  Goodness, I can't believe it's been that long!  And I'm not even that funny or interesting! LOL!  And I'm glad that I have an opportunity to share what I create with a great group of crafting ladies (and a few men...hello Tim, you fabulous crafter you) and an opportunity to help promote amazing companies!  Humm...I'm feeling pretty darn grateful tonight.

So would you like to hear me stop gushing and start talking about today's card?  This is a card that I created for a recent Wholly Scrap! class where we created with the new Distress Markers (have to share that I'm loving them).  I kept the layout of this card simple, only using a few pieces of designer paper, so we could focus on coloring this beautiful floral image from Hero Arts.  For this technique, we used the markers to scribble on a craft sheet and then used a watercolor brush to pick up the color and fill in the image.  I started with a lighter color and added darker (sometimes using a heat gun to dry the paper in between).  I did use watercolor paper with this technique as it holds up better then regular cardstock.  And then there's the darling sentiment, from the Together Silhouettes set from Sweet 'n Sassy.

Enjoy!

WooHooooo

As you can tell from my odd centered formatting, I'm still getting used to the Blogger changes....grrrr....I'm not really partial to centered text, I'm a left justified kind of girl! **giggle**

But today's card is so much fun that I can't stay cranky for too long!  This is a card featuring totally fun images from Paper Smooches!  I love Paper Smooches!  Kim has designed some of the sweetest little creatures and all kinds of sentiments that are perfect for any occasion!  My card features a darling bird from the My Peeps set and sentiment from the Chubby Chums set.  My card was made especially for a dear friend of mine who is embarking on a personal journey to make some positive changes and I wanted to send her a little card to encourage her.





The base of my card was stamped with a background image from Hero Arts and then I just gently sponged the edges of the entire card 'cause I just can't help myself!  Then I added just a few layers of cardstock in red and yellow polka dots.  The red cardstock was cut with a scalloped die from My Favorite Things.  Then I used a branch die, from Tim Holtz, to create the branches and a cloud die from The Cat's Pajamas for the..umm...clouds.  (The clouds are in felt)  My sweet birdie was colored with Copics and I even stamped, colored, and cut out a second wing for a wee bit of dimension.  And now I'm off to get this in the mail with hopes that it will bring a smile to the face of my dear friend.

Enjoy!!

Glad There is You

Hey there! Happy Monday! I'm trying to think of it as "happy"...it is Monday after all! However, the sun is shining bright and all is well so that is a good reason to enjoy even a Monday!

Today's card is one that I submitted for the first round of the CAS design team call on Splitcoast. I didn't make it to the second round (sniff, sniff) but I was still darn happy with this card and it inspired me to keep it simple more frequently! (I confess that keeping it simple is hard for me...oh how I love layers and bling!)

This beautiful image is from Hero Arts (Delicate Blossoms) and the sentiment is from the Together Silhouettes stamp set from Sweet 'n Sassy...love the sentiments in that set! Enjoy and...be happy!

Let's Go For a Ride

First things first!! A HUGE thank you to everyone who commented during the SCS Fall Fun Blog Hop! I love reading everyone's thoughts!! And next, the winner of the stamping grab bag is...

Joan Ervin said... This is sooo cute...love the little bear standing in all the grass and the background papers are beautiful!!!!

Joan, please contact me at ksdm@comcast.net with your shipping address!!

My last card from the Acetate Card Class, which featured stamps from Hero Arts! I love this set, Let's Go for a Ride, that contains lots of fun bicycle images and coordinating sentiments!

For my card I created a little scene using paper from Momenta. The hill was free hand cut, the sun was cut using a 1 1/4" punch, which I colored yellow, and the cloud is from The Cat's Pajamas (the cloud border die). The bicycle was stamped on white cardstock, cut out and attached with foam tape. I added a few rhinestones because I can't seem to create a card without rhinestones anymore! Oh yeah...I started by stamping bicycle images all over my acetate card, using Staz-On black ink. The look on the inside of the card is pretty cool too!

Enjoy! And be sure to check back on 9/9 for the Tiffany Doodles blog hop!!!

Keep it Simple Sunday

Oh the glare! But late at night it was the only way to capture the fun embossed swirls on my acetate card. *smile*

This was a card I created for a Wholly Scrap! class, where we used acetate as our card bases. This was a 4.25" square card that was embossed with an embossing folder. Then all I had to add was a bit of designer paper and this darling monster from Hero Arts. Isn't he a cutie! I also paper-pieced Sir Monster and the balloon. For my faux googly eye (oh how I wish I had some in my stash!) I stamped the eye on white and then used Glossy Accents for a little shine. It's not a googly eye...but it's close!

Be sure to check back in tomorrow for the Fall Fun Blog Hop! Lots of eye candy and prizes in store!

Keep it Simple Sunday

Happy Sunday! I'm pre-posting on Saturday night just in case we're without power and ***gasp*** Internet access today! And believe it or not I'm back with a Keep it Simple card to share! This is a sweet card layout that I CASE'd from Tammy Hershberger. (Hi Tammy!!) Tammy demonstrated stamping on acetate at our OH Stamping Around event and I loved her sweet cards so much that I had to create my own! I used the Just Saying Hi stamp set from Hero Arts to create my card...love those old-fashioned phone images! The inside of the card contains the plain yellow cardstock and the blue plaid designer paper (from Graphic 45). The outside of the card contains the kraft scalloped piece and the heart paper, also from Graphic 45 (the Wizard of Oz collection). I then simply added the phone image, the sentiment (both stamped in black Staz-On), three rhinestones, and the black ribbon. Easy peasy! Enjoy!

Take Time for a Friend

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm sharing a fun card that I created for a Wholly Scrap! class last week. Our class focused on stamping on acetate and we all had a great time playing! (You can see one of my other class cards, using the same stamp set, here)

This card features a background stamp from SU!, which I stamped in white Staz-On ink. The inside of the card is just plain gray cardstock, which has been folded in half and attached to only the back of the acetate card. The pink band was created with a Spellbinders die. This was the first time I've used a decorate edge die and I love it! Great way to add a fun embellishment to cards! My center white piece of cardstock was cut out using a Nestibilities die and then run through the Big Shot with an embossing folder for added texture. The images are from a Hero Arts stamp set, What's Perking. Isn't the toast image a blast! Love it! I simply colored the images with Copics, cut them out and popped the up with foam tape. I also added a fun pink ribbon, from American Crafts, to the bottom of the sign. And PS - Adore the pink/grey color combo!!

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy today's card!

What's Perking?

Today's card is in celebration of Hero Arts stamps! Love them!! I picked up far too many sets when I was in Ohio at the Stamping Around event (Toyrifix sells a good selection of Hero Arts stamp sets...and they ship!)

When I was in OH, I was also inspired by Tammy Hershberger's acetate card class and decided that I'd love to offer the same type of class at Wholly Scrap! This is the first card I created for the class.

I used the What's Perking stamp set for this card 'cause I love all things coffee! I stamped the images on kraft and opted to not color (shocking!) but I love the look of the plain black lines on the craft cardstock. The designer paper is from GCD Studios, the pre-folded acetate cards are from Hero Arts (I purchased mine from Toyrifix). The gold ribbon is from Papertreyink and the gingham is from SU! And since we're playing with acetate it makes perfect sense to also decorate the inside of the card, which is where my fun sentiment is located!

Enjoy and have yourself a big 'ol cup of coffee today!!

So Sweet from Hero Arts

I've been a long time stalker of the Hero Arts blog; the artwork found on their blog is always beautiful. The design team and other stampers that they highlight on the blog always come up with the most interesting designs that are generally CAS (clean and simple) in design. Since our store carries Hero Arts, it's fun to go to the blog to see what has been created with the images that we carry and I'm never disappointed! I'm usually amazed at what they create!

A few weeks ago I found a blog post that talked about a monthly contest that they hold and this month I decided to participate; using a sketch that they posted as part of the challenge. Since I only own a few Hero Arts stamps, I had to be creative! The leaf image is from an older stamp set, the name of which I no longer have (sorry!), although in checking out their new catalog they do have a number of leaf stamps that are very similar in style.

I created a green shade of paper by using Distress Ink and then I stamped the leaf image three times in VersaMark ink on the green paper. I then embossed the images with gold embossing powder. I then just followed the sketch to create the card. The designer paper at the bottom is from Jillibean Soup, the button is from Tim Holtz, and the sentiment is from Sweet 'n Sassy.

If you're interested in the Hero Arts contest, you can check out the details here.

Enjoy!

Keep it Simple Sunday

Nothing makes me crankier than to finish an entire blog post and have it disappear upon hitting the publish button...sigh...So folks, this is the abbreviated version! :-) This is a card that I'm going to be demonstrating this week at a coloring class I'll be teaching at Wholly Scrap. We'll create cards using Copic markers, watercolor crayons, pencils, and chalks. This is a lovely flower from Hero Arts, the Blossoms set, that was colored with Copics. The background was created by stamping a solid image, in dark brown ink, onto kraft cardstock. I then used a blending tool and distress ink to add more depth around the edges. I really like the way the bright color of the flower contrasts with the dark background. A simple hello, stamped on twill, finished off my card! Enjoy!! PS - It was my "baby's" sixth birthday this weekend...how in the world did six years go by so quickly?? And how did he get so darn cute?? See his little friend next to him? She was born just two weeks before he was...closer to his due date than hers! My dear friend, her mom, and I were pregnant at the same time, for both of our children so now our kid's birthdays are just weeks apart. Love that...