three more cards using Thanks edge punch

I made an informal challenge to myself this weekend to come up with more ways to use the Martha Stewart Thanks edge punch. I came up with a few more ideas.

Here are three more cards....


For this card I punched along the edges of a strip of card stock and embossed Cuttlebug images between. I mounted that strip on a card front that I embossed using the C'bug Stylized Flowers A2 embossing folder. I accented the card with a bit of bling and some colorful hemp fibers.


This card was made from a base of gray Bazzill card stock that I embossed using the C'bug Thanks embossing folder. This time I used the Thanks edge punch by punching two different colors of card stock and then offsetting them just a bit to get sort of a drop shadow effect. I then embossed those two layers using one of the Sizzix thank you textured impressions embossing folders.


The photo above just shows what I meant by the drop shadow effect.


And finally, this is a flip card that I made using the Thanks edge punch and Taj Mahal decorative card stock by DCWV. The lantern image is by Inkadinkado and stamped using Brilliance Graphite Black ink.


That's the view from the front as the card is opened.


This is a view of the back as the center panel begins to flip around.


And this is a closer view of the back panel. The sentiment says, "You brighten my day" and is by Hero Arts.

So there you have three more cards that illustrate how this new Thanks edge punch by Martha Stewart can be used. :-) Have I enabled you enough yet? ;-)

Alternative to coloring

I made an ATC today, inspired by the challenge theme on Think Monday Think ATC. The theme is men. It had been a while since I'd made ATCs. I also have very few stamps of men. I came across one, though, as I was cleaning up my space, and it got the wheels in my head turning. Here's what I came up with.


This is an image by InkaStamps. The thought of coloring this with all of the detail was a bit intimidating. Then I thought of a technique that I'd used recently. It's called alcohol splash. It's very easy. Get out your glossy paper and alcohol inks--I used Ranger; choose two or three colors that go well together--I used red pepper, butterscotch, and mushroom; and drip the colors onto the paper, taking care not to mix too much and muddy the colors. I sped up the drying process with my heat gun, then stamped the image using Brilliance black ink. I heat set the image and cut it out, then mounted it using pop dots over vellum, Basic Grey Infuse, and Bazzill raven black card stock. I thought it was a neat way to color the image without actually having to color it.

A bunch of Bind It All booklets

Isn't alliteration fun? :-) I've taken some time to pull out my Bind It All over the last couple of days. It really is a lot of fun to play with. Here are some of the things that I've made.


This first one has CDs for covers. I did a polished stone type technique with alcohol inks for the background and stamped over that with Technique Tuesday butterflies and then embellished with the circle scallop, Spellbinders butterfly diecuts, and Prima flowers and leaves. Oh, and just for the record, I'd just wanted to see if the machine could really punch through the CDs when I put this together. I grabbed scraps of stuff off my table to decorate it. That's why the colors don't go together quite as nicely as they should.


This is a much smaller booklet made with chipboard covers that I covered with patterned paper. The sentiment is by Hero Arts. The flowers are Primas on top of a chipboard flower cut out. The pages inside are coin envelopes, for a change of pace.


This is a bigger booklet with cardstock pages. The covers are chipboard covered with brown velveteen paper that I'd run through my Big Shot inside the Cuttlebug A2 script embossing folder. You may need to click on it and look at the bigger version to see the embossing. It's very subtle in the photo, but striking in real life. The playing card is Marcella by Kay.


This last one is a booklet that I made using the largest of the Sizzix dogtags dies. I punched out half a dozen chipboard pages that I covered with cardstock and patterned paper. The die cuts on the cover were cut and embossing using Spellbinders dies. The cameo center and word art are Bazzill bling. The flowers are Primas and center Stickles. I thought that the hole in the dogtags gave a nice option for putting a closure on this booklet.

All of these were punched and bound using the Bind It All. Most of them have 5/8" size coils. The brown velveteen has a 3/4" coil. You can get a lot of different looks with this machine and a bit of creativity. :-)

At the Movies - Wednesday Stamper

Better late than never, I hope. This week's Wednesday Stamper theme is At the Movies. Here's the card that I made.


The stamps are all by Non Sequitur. I punched the borders with my Bind It All.

White - Wednesday Stamper

This week's Wednesday Stamper challenge is the color, white. The first thought that came to my mind was snow, but I've had enough of that. I'm ready for spring. So here are some of the other images that come to mind when I think of the color white.


I think of simplicity, of angels and of lace. So here is a fairly simple card. The angel and the lace images are by Posh. The sentiment is by Jody Poesy. The wings are Spellbinder die cuts made from metallic Bazzill.

Paris - Wednesday Stamper

This week's theme for Wednesday Stamper is Paris. I used images from Time to Stamp, sentiments by Jody Poesy, and Spellbinders Wizard die cuts made from Bazzill Bling.

Butterflies - Wednesday Stamper

I got on a roll with this week's Wednesday Stamper theme of butterflies. I love spring and it feels like spring here today. Here are three cards that I made using this theme.

The lighter butterfly images were made using a Technique Tuesday stamp and Castaway ink applied to cardstock to which I'd applied Peeled Paint distress ink. The darker toned butterflies were Art by Moonlight images stamped with Versamark. The sentiment was also by Art by Moonlight. Art by Moonlight stamps, as well as a number of other gorgeous stamp lines, are available at Stamp Francisco. The winged people are by Time to Stamp.


This card originally started out as an ATC that I turned into an A2 size card. The stamps used were both Art by Moonlight. The main image was colored with colored pencils and Gamsol. The card front was embossed with the tapestry texture Cuttlebug embossing folder.


This card was made with a Sunday International art doll image stamped on Scarlet's Letter Bazzill paper. The other stamp images were by Ma Vinci. The butterflies were Spellbinders cut and emboss dies used on more Scarlet's Letter paper then brushed with a charcoal chalk ink Cat's Eye.

Better late than never....

Organizing is an ongoing process for me. Today I came across a couple of kits from Self-Addressed that I hadn't touched. One of them had a wonderful calendar stamp by Purple Onion Designs in it. I'd also seen an example of a desktop calendar using that stamp that I knew I wanted to try. I had a frame that would work. I just needed to find the time and inspiration.

Fast forward to this afternoon. My errands conveniently took me close to an Archiver's. I had to go in. I wanted to see the colors of Bazzill Bling in person. Okay, yeah, I didn't just look. I bought a few colors. The other thing that caught my eye was the DCWV Glitter stack. Uh oh. Good thing I had my coupon with me! I'm glad that I'm not a scrapper because the Once Upon a Time stack was pretty, too. I came home and was leafing through the stack when I realized that there were designs that would be oh so appropriate for seasons. AHA! I pulled out my paper trimmer and my POD stamps and I was ready! Here's how my calendar turned out.


All of the stamps are by Purple Onion Designs. The papers are almost all from the DCWV Glitter stack. The rest are mostly scraps of Bazzill. The frame originally had a matte silver finish (BORING!) that I spruced up with some Ranger alcohol inks. I may accent it with one more darker color. I'm still deciding. I think it may need just a bit more oomph. Overall though, I'm pleased with how it turned out.

End of the year wrap up - Crafting

Wow, it feels like I've done a lot more this year with my crafting than I have in past years. One of the fun things that got its start this year was this blog. Maybe that's why I feel like I've accomplished more. Anyway, I thought I'd recap some of the fun stamping items that I've come across and used this year. These are the items that I found myself pulling out again and again when I'd sit down at my craft table.

Papers: Georgia Pacific white cardstock is one of my staples. So is Bazzill cardstock, which I have in many sizes and colors. Wouldn't dream of making cards without it. I've also come to love DCWV's Far East and Old World patterned, textured papers. The heavier weight is really great. I've also built up a nice stash of papers from kits. That's next. Read on.

Kits: The two that I've tried and that I really like, especially being a card-maker more than a scrapper, are Self-Addressed and Simply Cardstock.

Inks: My most used inks this year have been the Versafine for anything non-glossy, particularly the Black Onyx. My faves for non-porous surfaces have been the Palette hybrid inks, though the Brilliance line still got a good work out when I wanted a more glittery look. Chalk inks, Colorbox or Versamagic, were also pulled out often. My dye inks and distress inks took a back seat this year. Stewart Superior India Ink is still my first choice when I want a permanent, very black ink. I use my Versamark pad quite often. The latest to be added to my arsenal is the Castaway ink pad, for a bleached look. I need to find more time to play with that one.

Stamp cleaner: Hands down, the one I like best now is Stewart Superior's Ultra Clean Stamp Cleaner. This and Kiss Off will take most any stubborn inks off of rubber stamps. It's still best to just clean off a stamp right away after using it, but those cleaners are great for when that just doesn't happen.

Stamps: I've made a bigger move toward going unmounted. When I buy stamps now, I look primarily for unmounteds. They're cheaper, and they take up so much less room. I've come to like the clear acrylics. They're still not my faves, but of these I wouldn't give up some of the new ones from Autumn Leaves that I've acquired, particularly the Rhonna Farrer line of swirls and flourishes. Love those! Oh, but now that I think about it, I also want to mention some of the fun Lockhart wood-mounted veggie couture stamps. Those are so much fun! I'll buy those mounted. I just like them, plus when I buy them from my LSS--the owner is smart enough to keep those in stock--I feel like I'm helping out her business.

Adhesives: I've mentioned this before, but my ATG has been one of my best investments. I won't go on and on about it. I've done that here already, but it's worth mentioning again. Can't beat it for sticking stuff down and the price can't be beat either. I like the Tombow Multi-purpose glue (the green one) for when I want to use a wet glue. For vellum, the Glue Dots sheets for vellum have been as close to invisible as I've found. And of course for those times when I want dimension, I'll use craft glue dots and the like. I still pull out my Xyron when I need to cover larger areas. Oh! Almost forgot. I also really like Sakura's Quickie glue pen. This one has me using glitter again.

Paper cutter: Tonic cutters. I have the 12" and the 6" and they do everything I need them to do. They cut nice and straight and will shave off the tiniest amount of paper.

Eyelet Setter: Cropadile. Yes, it has a limited reach, but for me that doesn't matter. I've used more eyelets than ever because it's so easy to use them now. Great for punching holes in stuff, too.

Die cutter: My Big Shot has gotten lots of use. I wrote all about this here recently, too. I use this and my Sidekick primarily. These two get the job done for me. Add in the multipurpose platform and the Big Impressions texture kit and I've been in heaven. I can even use my dusty Fiskars texture plates now!

Dies and embossing: I use the Big Shot for most all of my embossing now. I love the BossKut address card die in particular. The new Cuttlebug embossing folders are WONDERFUL! My other faves are any of the cut 'n' emboss dies, whether they're by Ellison, or the ones made for use in the Wizard, or some of the QK or Zipemate products. They're all such fun!

Coloring: Prismacolor pencils--both the colored pencils and watercolor pencils, Sakura's Glaze and Souffle pens, Signo's white uniball for a true white, Zig fine points for when I need to write in a nice thin black, the Sakura Stardust pen for adding a light sparkle without color, Stickles for when I want more sparkle and color, and I'Kandee's pearlescent chalks for when I want a lighter touch. Oh, and I can't leave out Twinkling H2O's.

Font Manager: The Font Thing! My comments on this are in the archives as well, so 'nuff said.

Other miscellaneous: These are a few other tools that I wouldn't want to do without.

• bone folder
• Scor-It, love those straight scores and they're true scores, too
  
• a GOOD waterbrush, like Niji, that has a valve to keep the water from running out
  
• Heat It heat gun, heats up quickly but doesn't blow everything around, quiet too
• an adhesive eraser for getting rid of those little goo balls on the edges of layers
• Carl corner rounder
• Marvy giga scalloped punches, any shape
• stippling brushes for doing DTP
  

New techniques: Well, maybe not techniques so much, but this is the year that I tried and understood the whole addiction to making ATC's. I learned to love altering rolodex cards. I made my first star booklet card. I learned a scribble technique, tried my hand at Asian and vintage, faux stitching, and I made some mini-envelopes for extra postage when participating in swaps.

SWAPS! YES! How could I forget?! Aside from blogging, that's the other biggie for me this year as far as crafting! This is the first year that I've actively participated in swaps. This is the main reason that I've done so much more crafting this year. DUH! moment! ;-) That's been the best! I've had to stretch creatively and I've seen so many new techniques by taking part in these. I didn't have as much time to submit cards to magazines this year, but the swapping more than made up for that. Maybe I'll try for a better balance this coming year. :-)

Have a Happy 2007 everyone!

More snowflakes

This time I'm talking about embossed snowflakes, not the real ones that fall from the sky. I've been playing with these Cuttlebug embossing folders and I love them! Only one thing had bummed me out and that was that I couldn't find the snowflake embossing folder anywhere! I finally found it in stock at Creative Express and it arrived over the weekend. I was able to put it to use the other day and I'm thrilled with it. Again, I used it on patterned paper as a background. I'm afraid I didn't do justice to this card. It's on a Bazzill metallic cardstock and the Penny Black sentiment was stamped in Starlite black Brilliance ink, so the sparkle that this has in real life is missing. The embossing shows up nicely though!

embossed snowflakes

Love these embossing folders! The impressions are so crisp! Can't wait to see what else I can come up with to do with them.