Embossing with Dies

The Group of Seven Cardmakers has changed its name to the Group of Cardmakers.  We're still doing the same thing - trying different techniques and products.  This month we're embossing with dies.  

My first two cards use the embossed die cut as a background pattern or almost a shadow for the actual die cut.

For this one I smooshed the actual die cut in green ink and then slightly offset it over the embossed die, making the embossed one appear to be a shadow.  I used red liquid pearls to create the berries and added a matching green sentiment.  The shape of the die made it ideal for a mini slimline card.

 

 

I went with a white-on-white look for this second one.  I trimmed the embossed die panel with a deckle die and added a sentiment in grey.  I die cut the mistletoe twice and glued them together for more dimension.  Then glued it over the background with it very much offset from the embossed pattern.  I finished off with using white liquid pearls for the berries.

 

This third card uses an embossed die to frame the image.  This is a great use for dies - I must remember to do it more often.

 

I stamped and coloured (with coloured pencils) the dog, then fussy cut it.  On my focal panel, I embossed with a postage stamp die and glued the dog's feet onto it and popped up his body and head with dimensionals.   I sketched a few lines under him to ground him.

 

Head over to Group of Cardmakers for some more ideas on embossing with dies and get more out of your supplies!

 

I'm linking up the third card with Sweet Stampin' "Animals" and Simply Clean and Simple "Cute Animals"

   
 

 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Make an Impression sentiment
Ink - Distress Bundled Sage
Paper - white cs
Size - 6x3.25"
Accessories - unknown berry die, red liquid pearls

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Smokey Grey
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - unknown mistletoe die, Spellbinders deckle edge die, white liquid pearls

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. (Anita Jeram)
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, PB postage stamp die, dimensionals, tiny sentiment label die

Ombre Sky, Trees, and Stars

This month the Group of Seven Cardmakers is showcasing Ombre as our Design Element.  For my first example, I used ink blending to create a blue sky.  This is the method I've typically used when I think of creating an ombre effect.

I blended various blue Distress inks from light up to dark on coated cs (easier to get a nice blend than on regular cs).  When dry, I stamped the image in archival ink, then coloured the berries with a white gel pen.  I did a little bit of splattering with a white Posca paint pen to give the effect of a few lazy snowflakes drifting down on a cold winter day.  I added a sentiment die cut with an oval die.

On our Group of Seven website we have a couple of videos showing different ways of doing ombre.  I followed the technique in this video for my next card.

I die cut the trees from three shades of green cs and layered them over a dry embossed background, using bits of foam tape to raise each layer off the previous layer.  Then I added a black die cut Santa and sleigh and a black border.

I made one more using the stacked die cuts ombre method.

For this one I used three shades of copper glitter cs and die cut stars out of it and stacked them on top of each other, and then on top of a star embossed background.  In hindsight, I wish I'd cut each word out of a different shade of the cs - but too late!

I'm adding this third card to My Time to Craft's "New" challenge (one of the options is a New Year's card).

Please check out the cards by the rest of the Group of Seven Design Team.  We'd love to have you link up cards using an ombre technique.  It's not a challenge but we all love seeing your ideas or interpretations.  

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black
Ink - Archival Jet Black, Distress Tattered Glass, Broken China, Stormy Sky, Salty Ocean
Paper - white cs, coated cs
Size - A2
Accessories - white gel pen, white Posca paint pen

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SSS sentiment
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - white, black, 3 shades of green cs
Size - A2
Accessories - CuttleBug snowfall embossing folder, Frantic Stamper Santa / sleigh die, unknown trees die, foam tape

Supplies for card 3:
Paper - white cs, 3 shades of copper glitter cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - star embossing folder, Spellbinders star dies, Tattered Lace sentiment die

Torn Edge Masking

This month the Group of Seven Cardmakers have been playing with Torn Edges.  There are a couple of ways to use torn edges, but I chose to only use them for masking on this post.  My first card follows the later technique in this video (it starts at the 10:25 mark on the video).

I tore the edges on some scraps of cs, placed them over my focal panel, and sponged in the remaining open area with three colours of Distress inks.  Unlike the video where he leaves the masks in place, I removed them and then stamped so that my branch extends beyond the sponging in a couple of places.  The branch and sentiment are stamped in very dark blue ink and the focal panel is bordered with navy cs.

For my second card, I followed this video which includes stencilling within the open area created by the torn edge masks.

Once again I tore the edges of some scraps of cs, used them as masks, went over the open area with light blue ink, then laid down my snowflake stencil, and sponged with two darker shades of blue.  I trimmed the panel, popped it up on the card base on fun foam, and added three snowflakes and a sentiment die cut once from glitter cs and once from scrap white cs and glued together for dimension.

There is a third torn edge technique but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.  Please head over to Group of Seven to see it and to see all the examples made by the group.  You're welcome to link up a card if you try one of the techniques but just be aware it's not a challenge - it's for inspiration only!

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Impression Obsession branch, Great Impressions sentiment
Ink - Distress Tumbled Glass, Weathered Wood, and Victorian Velvet; Versafine Clair Twilight
Paper - white and navy cs
Size - 5" square
Accessories - Spellbinders square dies

Supplies for card 2:
Ink - Distress Speckled Egg, Faded Jeans, and Chipped Sapphire
Paper - white cs, white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Echo Park snowflake dies, SSS snow die

Two Colour Challenges

Two recent colour challenges inspired my most recent Christmas cards.

First for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Kraft, Black, and White" and also for Cardz 4 Guyz "A Winter Scene":

I die cut the birch trees out of white cs and layered them over black shimmer cs.  I added a few snowflakes cut from white glitter cs.  The deer are cut twice from kraft cs, glued together, and sponged a little bit with Distress Brushed Corduroy.  Their legs are glued to the white ground and their upper bodies popped up on the black background.  

Then a very traditional colour challenge from The Paper Players - "Red, Green, and Gold":

I put the berry branch stamp in my MISTI and inked it up with red and green markers, spritzed lightly with water, and stamped on watercolour paper.  Repeated until I was happy with the results.  I trimmed the panel with a pierced dot rectangle die, and layered it over a gold shimmer card base.  I die cut the sentiment twice out of the same gold cs, glued them together, and added to the card.

   

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Simon Says Stamp sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Distress Brushed Corduroy
Paper - black shimmer cs, white and kraft cs, white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - deer dies, birch tree die, small snowflake die, pop dots

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black
Paper - watercolour paper, gold shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - red and green markers, Spellbinders pierced dot rectangle die, Penny Black Be Merry die

Ornaments and a Watering Can

It's time for a new Peace on Earth challenge.  You can either be inspired by the mood board (see below) or enter an "anything Christmas" card.  I was somewhat inspired by the bottom left image - lots of red and a gift.  Here's my card:

I stamped the image on a very light kraft cs and coloured it with alcohol markers. I die cut the image into a square and added a sentiment.   My card base is the same light kraft cs as used for the image. I added a layer of polka dot textured paper to it and then popped the image up on fun foam, and finished off with putting Glossy Accents on the baubles.

Here's the mood board for this challenge should you be inspired by it:

There's lots of inspiration from the rest of the Peace on Earth Design Team so be sure to check it out!

Supplies:
Stamps - Power Poppy watering can, Simon Says Stamp sentiment
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - light kraft cs, Bazzill polka dot red paper
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - alcohol markers, Glossy Accents, fun foam

Using Up Scraps

It's always good to use up some of my scraps (instead of tossing them in recycling).  And that's exactly what Snippets Pixie Playground and 52 Christmas Card Throwdown want us to do.  My Time to Craft Christmas wants branches or greenery.  And I'm using a new die so it's going to the NBUS Challenge.

The tag was in my leftovers box - I'd cut it out to test out a new die.  It has raised ridges that you can rub over with ink (red, in my case) and then when you die cut it, the colour transfers to the cs and makes the coloured border on the tag.

Then I die cut some greenery from leftovers.  One piece is die cut from a piece of coated cs coloured with green alcohol inks and the other pieces are cut from scraps of two shades of green shimmer cs. The sentiment is stamped in green and a scrap of red ribbon is added to the tag.

The background is a bit of leftover dry embossed cs (embossed with the Sizzix pine branch embossing folder).

      

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Rubber Soul Joy
Ink - Distress Fired Brick, Archival Library Green
Paper - white cs, two shades of green shimmer cs, coated cs
Size - 7.25x3.75"
Accessories - TH tag and greenery dies, Sizzix embossing folder, red ribbon, green alcohol inks

Slimline Branches and Shiny Trees

The Christmas Kickstart Challenge wants a mini slimline card.  And it's Rudolph Days - anything Christmas goes.  I pulled out a Penny Black stamp I haven't used for a couple of years.

I put the stamp in my MISTI and inked it up with Tombow markers, spritzing lightly, and re-inking as needed.  I pressed some Distress Iced Spruce onto my kraft mat and diluted it with water and carefully painted it around the bottom of the image.  I stamped the image in brown, trimmed the panel, and ran a brown marker around the edge of the panel to give it some definition on the card base.  I added a bit of glue and glitter to the white parts of the pine cone and branches, very lightly splattered some watered down white acrylic paint, and added glossy accents to the berries.

And a second card for today, this one is for Christmas Crafts All Year Round "Tree and / or Gifts", Christmas Craft Creations "Two Colours" (I used blue and green), and Day of the Month Card Club "Love a Tree Day".

I created by trees by covering some scrap cs with double sided tape and green foil and then die cut the two trees from it.  Then I grabbed a piece of leftover smooshed background from my UFO box, tore some scraps of white cs for the snowy hills, stamped the sentiment on the bottom one, assembled everything and popped it up on fun foam.

Christmas Kickstart Challenge "Mini Slimline"

 

Rudolph Days

Christmas Crafts All Year Round "Tree and / or Gifts"

Day of the Month Card Club

 

Christmas Craft Creations

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black branches, Paper Smooches sentiment
Ink - Distress Iced Spruce, Versafine Clair Fallen Leaves
Paper - watercolour paint, cream cs
Size - 7x3.5"
Accessories - Tombow markers, glossy accents, glitter, white acrylic paint

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Rosie's Roadshow sentiment
Ink - Broken China Tumbled Glass
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Impression Obsession tree dies, green foil, fun foam

One for Christmas, One for Easter

Another twofer from me.  First up, one for Christmas for the 52 Christmas Card Challenge "Blue, White, and Silver":

Out of silver shimmer cs, I die cut the branches and the bird.  I then sponged blue inks on the bird.  I stamped the sentiment in blue ink and heat embossed with sparkly embossing powder, then die cut it with a label die.  I assembled it all on a panel die cut with a stitched rectangle, popping up the bird on foam tape.  The panel is mounted on fun foam on the card base.

Then I moved on to making an Easter card for the Double D "anything Easter" challenge.

I followed an Eileen Godwin video for the background (sorry, I can't find the video again).  I masked the circle and stencilled around it.  Then changed over and masked over the stencilling so that I could sponge a bit of blue and purple inside the circle.  Then with no masking in place, I stamped the berry wreath around the circle, coloured in the berries and added a sentiment.  I die cut the little bunny three times and glued them together and sat him on the berry wreath.

52 Christmas Card Throwdown
 

Double D Challenge "Easter" 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU sentiment
Ink - Distress Chipped Sapphire
Paper - silver and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - TH greenery dies, Memory Box bird die, clear sparkling embossing powder, Spellbinders label die, Lil Inkers stitched rectangle die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU sentiment
Ink - various Distress inks, Ranger Archival Jet Black
Paper - white cs
Size - 4.75" square card
Accessories - Lavinia stencil, blue marker, Charlie & Paulchen rabbit die

Smooshed Oxide Ink Background

A peace-themed Christmas card that will go into the stash for my fundraiser - my best friend always wants 10 different peace / dove themed cards so I make them throughout the year so that I have enough.

I created a smooshed background with a few grey and blue Distress Oxide inks.  When dry, I stamped the berry branches and sentiment on it.  I added two die cut silver glitter cs doves (stacked twice for some dimension), popped the panel up on fun foam, and used a white pearl pen on the berries.

I'm linking it up with: 

Just Us Girls "Inked or Sprayed Background"

We Love Stamping "Anything Stamped with Option of Wings"

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black Berry Berry stamp, unknown sentiment
Ink - various blue and grey Distress Oxide inks, Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - mixed media cs, silver glitter and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box dove dies, Viva Decor white pearl pen, fun foam

White Bird, White Branches

A card for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge and the Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge:

I have a lot of scraps (aka snippets) of festive cardstock leftover at this time of year!  I die cut the branches from scraps of glittery white cs and the bird from a scrap of white shimmer cs. I die cut two extra birds from scrap cs and glued them together for more dimension. I sponged a tiny bit of grey ink onto the bird as it looked very blah and flat.  Then stamped a sentiment on my focal panel and arranged the branches and bird. The bird's feet are glued down but his body is popped up with foam tape. The whole panel is on fun foam for more dimension to the card.

Tic Tac Toe Challenge - I chose the right hand vertical row - Die Cuts, Christmas, White on White.

 

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Rubber Soul sentiment
Ink - Distress Hickory Smoke
Paper - white cs, white glitter cs, white shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Stamplorations bird die, TH greenery dies, fun foam, foam tape

Stencil Monoprint with Berries

A very last minute card for CAS Mix Up - I really wanted to get one done as I like the stencil monoprint technique.

I used a never-before-used stencil.  I swiped three green Distress inks over it, spritzed with water, and flipped it onto watercolour paper.  I pressed down gently with a rag and then lifted the stencil off.

I trimmed out the part I liked best, framed it with a pierced rectangle frame die cut, and with dark red shimmer cs, I punched out tiny circles to add to the berries and die cut "joy".

In hindsight, I wish I'd used a brighter, lighter red, but too late now!

CAS Mix Up

NBUS Challenge

Supplies:
Ink - Distress Rustic Wilderness, Mowed Lawn, Crushed Olive
Paper - watercolour paper, cream cs, dark red shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Simon Says Stamp "berries and leaves" stencil, single hole punch, TH joy die, MFT pierced frame die