Inspiration for Challenge #26 - Let's make a Christmas Card

 

Hi there, Squashettes, it's Jo on the blog today to share a little inspiration for our current challenge! We've gone super-easy this month and would just like to see you use an EF to create a gorgeous Christmas card.

Our guest this month is the lovely Cat from Cat Luvs Paper. 

Cat's beautifully CAS card blew us away and you can see it by clicking here. I bet you go 'wow' when it appears on the screen - I know I did. 

For some reason I decided to de-boss the inky, water-coloured background on my card. I used watercolour card, which takes embossing beautifully. I wanted to fill the little 'wells' made by the Christmas Trees with plenty of ink so they were a good, strong colour. Seems to have worked ok and was a quick and simple make.

Embossing Folder - Darice Trees

The cards in the Squashy Gallery for this theme look fabulous. I really think that including embossing seems to especially suit cards made for the festive season. You have until the end of November to play along with this challenge and Cat, Gail and I all hope you'll come and join the festive fun! 

More Inspiration for Challenge #18 Emboss/Deboss

 

Hi, it's Jo here again. Welcome back to the final post for our current challenge here at Let's Squash It! where we're playing Emboss/Deboss. 

I've really enjoyed this challenge and have loved trying different ways of combining both sides of my EFs on the same card. It appears that this technique has captured the imaginations of our participants as we've got some beautiful, really inspirational cards in the gallery.

During this challenge I've been especially interested in trying to use the small EFs that I seem to have acquired along the way. I was messing about with a piece of watercolour card and a small EF from Sizzix; just flipping the folder backwards and forwards and running it through my Cuttlebug. I came up with this panel and thought it was perfect as a background.

Here's the folder in comparison with the card.

I'm so pleased with the texture and the pattern.

For all the details about the products I used, please drop by at my blog.

I hope this challenge is inspiring you to break out your EFs and see them in a new light. As I said earlier, the gallery looks fab plus Gail has created a gorgeous card using a technique that I'm excited to try. I really do love her card for this challenge which you can see on the challenge launch post here.  

You've still got until March 31st to come and play along, so why not break out those EFs and come join the fun! 

Let's Squash It! Challenge 18 - Emboss/Deboss

 Welcome, welcome, welcome to the 18th challenge here at 

Let's Squash It! 

Let's Squash It! is The Embossing Folder Challenge.  We are gonna help you explore the world of the not so humble embossing folder and encourage you to dig 'em out, knock the dust off and find old, new and fun ways to make your projects pop. 

We have an awesome team to keep you entertained and awesome challenge themes to stretch your creativity and get you using all those long forgotten and neglected embossing folders. 

For those of you who are just tuning in you can check the previous posts for the story behind the genesis of the challenge and the technique time posts for awesome tips and techniques to help you make the most of your supplies and folders.

Challenges start on the 10th of the month and run to the last day at 23.59 GMT.  We will be picking top picks and a winner, who will have a chance to be our guest designer for a future challenge.  There is a little prize on offer for a randomly selected winner and these will all be announced on the 8th of next month.   

So, Challenge #18

And this month's theme is

Use any Embossing Folder AND Use Both the Emboss and Deboss Sides together on Your Card

Use any embossing folder and we want you to use both sides of the same folder on the same card.  Maybe avoid word folders for this one? or then again, maybe not LOL.  Please make sure you include both parts of the challenge on your card and also check da roolz to ensure your entry will be eligible for the random prize draw!

 

 

Here's some inspiration from the team......

 

 

Gail's Card uses 

DoCrafts Embossing Folder - Cherry Blossom Stripe

 

Jo's Card uses Cuttlebug Border Edge

Please do check da roolz to make sure you will be in the running for da prizes.  

This months randomly selected winner will be able to choose a prize from the

Let's Squash It! Prize Vault

 

Now it your turn!

Grab your embossing folders and join the fun.

We are looking forward to seeing your cards.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Technique Time March 2022

 

Hi there, it's Jo bringing you a Technique Time post ahead of the new challenge at Let's Squash It! Gail and I have decided that not all of the challenges need a TT post, so we'll drop by any time we think we've hit on a fun technique we want to share... so watch this space!

Obviously, one of our goals here at Let's Squash It! is to help you s-t-r-e-t-c-h those embossing folders and what better way then to have some fun with debossing. 

What do I mean by debossing?

Embossing gives you a design that's raised up from the surrounding material, while debossing results in a pattern, wording or image that is recessed into the surrounding material.

If you're anything like me you probably discovered debossing the first time you accidently flipped your embossing folder before running it through your embossing machine!

Here's an example of how different embossing and debossing can look. 

I picked a gorgeous folder from Kaisercraft called Stained Glass for this little demo. The blue debossed pieces emphasize different elements of the design and give you a whole new look.  

And take a look at this sweet little border edge folder - two great looks for the price of one!

Finally, I tried using a Christmas Tree folder and, again, I added some ink just to emphasise the difference:

To be honest, I love both looks. This just needs spraying with water and I'll have a lovely background with which to work.

You'll need to choose your folders carefully as numbers, letters and certain images don't necessarily work when debossed as they'll come out backwards. However, I think this gives yet another really cool, quirky effect!

I hope this brief post has got those creative cogs turning. Our new challenge is only a couple of days away and I wonder what it could be??? Hurry back to find out!