one pass, two cards embellished

These are a couple of cards that were fairly quick and easy to make. I used the Cuttlebug Damask Frame A2 die to cut some patterned Die Cuts With a View card stock. I think this was from the Taj Mahal collection.


I adhered some of the die cuts to the front of this card, backing the opening of the damask design with white card stock that I'd embossed using the A2 embossing folder that made up the other half of the Damask Frame combo. The sentiment is by Hero Arts.


Here you can see that I embossed the entire card front using the A2 embossing folder, or at least as much of the card front that I could fit into the folder. I scored some lines near the top fold using my Scor-It. I didn't like the blank space that had been left up there. This time I used the 'negative' of that die cut over some white card stock. The images are by Technique Tuesday and stamped using Memento dye inks.

I wasn't sure if I'd use the die part of this combo very often, but now that I've given it a try, I'm starting to see more possibilities, not to mention that I was able to get a fair amount of mileage from a single pass through the die cut machine.

another quickie card

This is another card that was quick to make. It's mostly monochromatic--I couldn't resist adding that layer of gray as an accent.


The die cut images are by Spellbinders. The die cut sentiment is by ProvoCraft. The decorative scoring in a beams of light pattern that I've described before was made using my Scor-It and Scor-It ruler.

multi-challenge GW card

Things have been busy here, as you can probably tell by my lack of posting recently. I've squeezed some crafting in here and there, and I have a card to show for it. Some background first though--on the Gingerwood stamping forum, there have been a number of challenges issued. The first was to make a shaped card. I didn't get to it. The next one was to use an old stamp, I think, or some supply that hadn't been used in ages. I didn't get around to that one either. The most recent one is to make a manly card of any sort. Well, okay. I got tired of not participating, so I rolled those three challenges into one card, and here it is....


Here is my circular saw-shaped card. Doesn't get more manly than power tools, eh? LOL! I used the pinking circle, regular circle, and paisley Nestabilities dies to cut the die shapes. The "saw blade" is card stock covered with aluminum foil. The "Thanks" die cut was made using a Cuttlebug die--yes, this was a shortcut. The rest of the words were made using Sizzix Sizzlit alphabet dies--something that I hadn't used in ages!

I made the card so that it could open. I did this by folding my navy card stock before cutting it, and also leaving part of the fold intact inside the cutting edge of the die.


Here I've opened the card partway to show the rest of the blade. I also placed a smaller paisley shape behind the card front. Not traditional placement, but I hated to cover up the blade and I did want to have a place to write. I added the zigzag edge to mimic the blade--this was from a set of clear stamps by Inky Antics that I don't think had ever been inked, but that I've had for years.

So there it is--my three challenge card. :-) Oh, and my apologies for the play on words. ;-)

stair step card

Okay, this is one of those card-making techniques that I'm late getting in on. It's a fun alternative to the regular A2 cards that I often make, and they fit inside the A2 size envelopes, so no extra fuss as far as that goes.

This is my first attempt at making one....


My apologies for the poor quality of the lighting. It was a gray day here, and even darker than usual because the ice and sleet were blocking my skylights.

I used the stair step base and added decorative wintry cardstock. The leaping deer was made using a Sizzix die. The snowflakes were made using Martha Stewart punches. The embossed dove is a Cuttlebug combo die. The label die cut and scalloped rectangle were made using Spellbinders dies. The Merry Christmas sentiment is by Cloud 9 Design. The remaining stamped images and sentiments are all by My Favorite Things and were stamped using Memento dye inks. The embellishments are Prima flowers, Flower Soft for the bath rug underneath the tub, clear Sakura Glaze pen for the bubbles and glass, Copic clear glitter pen for the mirror, and assorted sizes and colors of hot fix rhinestones.

The card looks rather busy in the photograph. It isn't so busy in real life where you get a better feel for the 3D effect and depth of the images.

This is a fun change from the usual and I'm looking forward to trying my hand at more of these.

another holiday Cuttlebug card

I made this card using yet another Cuttlebug combo set that had been untouched.


This is the treetop combo. I decided to go a little non-traditional for colors. I cut the silver background freehand and used Liquid Pearls for the treetop accents. The sentiment is by Hero Arts and stamped using Memento dye ink.

more holiday cards

Die cuts and embossing folders can make creating holiday cards go quickly. Here are some of the ones that I made today.


I pulled out a number of supplies that I'd been wanting to use, but hadn't had time to pull out. Up above, the deer die cut and the embossed deer image and its frame are both by Sizzix. The latter is one of the new XL embosslits. The tag die cut is by Cuttlebug. The stamped images are by Making Memories and stamped using Memento dye ink. I embellished with some Distress Stickles and Brides and Prima flowers.


For this card I used the Cuttlebug Snowflake A2 embossing folder for the card front. The snowman and his accessories as well as his embossing were all done with the Cuttlebug Snow Fun combo. The sentiment is by Sizzix, and the snowflakes were made using a Martha Stewart snowflake punch.


This last card is one that I'd been wanting to try for a while. I love the simple elegance of the Lace Tree image--this is a Cuttlebug A2 embossing folder. I wanted a simple sentiment and decided to go with the fairly understated "With Love" embossing border. The bling is 2mm size rhinestones. I love these because they're so small and understated. I have to laugh though because when you end up using so many of them I'm not sure how understated that really is! LOL! But I do like the way it turned out. :-)

two tips for using Cuttlebug combo sets

Just a couple of quick tips for using the cut and emboss combo sets. I have a few of these. With most of them you can easily tell which way the die cuts need to be placed inside the embossing folder in order to emboss them. Two of them are a little trickier: the new Ice Crystal and the Rosebud Wreath. There's only one way that these two die cuts will fit in their respective embossing folders, and it can be tricky to place them once they've been cut out.


Here is the ice crystal set. If you have them side by side like this, this is the orientation that you need for the die cut to properly match up with the embossing folder design.


See? I hope that you can tell that they line up exactly. The trick is getting the die cut lined up once it's been cut out, or maybe been flipped, or dropped on the floor, or something like that. Hey, it happens!


For the ice crystal shape, there's a telltale difference in one of the arms that can help you orient the die cut properly. It's that lower left arm or spoke. See where my pen is supposed to be pointing out the connected pieces? Yeah, it moved a little just before I snapped the pic. I think you get the idea though. It looks that way when cut out, too, and it's the only arm that's like that. That's the one that you want to put in the corresponding position in the embossing folder. Makes it a little easier to place it, eh?


This rosebud wreath is similar, but there isn't a telltale piece that you can find as easily. It will fit only one way though, so you should be able to emboss the full design if you've placed it in the folder correctly. I tend to orient it via that three-pointed leaf at the top left of the design, but you need to pick what works best for you.


Here's what I really wanted to point out with this set though. Once you find the correct orientation and have placed the die cut inside the folder, the last thing that you need is for it to move before you can run it through and emboss it. I placed a couple of small dabs of tack it over and over glue at each of the top two corners of the folder. After I've placed the die cut where I want it, I just give a quick press at each corner to hold it shut with the die cut in place. You could use double-sided tape as well. There are also folks who put the tape or temporary adhesive on the back of the die cut itself. I just wanted to point out another alternative that might be a little quicker and easier.

Those are my tips for today for using these Cuttlebug combo cut and emboss sets. Hope they help some of you eliminate some of the frustration that using these sets can cause at times because they can be a lot of fun and look very pretty when all goes according to plan. :-)

spring cards in summer

Okay, I wasn't referring to spring, the season, but spring, as in that gizmo that would go "boing" if you pressed down on it.

These are a couple of cards that I made using a template that I saw on Splitcoaststampers. They are Spring Cards. I've linked the tutorial for you. I made two of them from one piece of 12 X 12 patterned cardstock. I decided to try for a couple of different looks, just to see if I could do it.

The patterned cardstock is by K & Company and is double-sided. Just a piece of advice, using double-sided paper is fine, just maybe choose something that is not striped on the back when you try this for the first time. It can be tough to see your score lines. There's a reason why I know this. ;-)


The stamped images and sentiment are by Inque Boutique and stamped with Memento dye inks. The toad/frog is a Cuttlebug, more specifically, a Cuttlekids, die cut.


Here you can see how this card neatly folds flat and would be easy to fit in an envelope to mail. It's 5 1/2" by 5 1/2".

This second card was going to be more serious, but still ended up being somewhat light-hearted because of the colors.


The stamp images and sentiment are by My Sentiments Exactly and stamped using Memento dye inks. I embellished with Prima flowers and leaves. The centers are Liquid Pearls.

My mega-scalloped card

For some reason, I got it into my head last night that I should see how big a scalloped edge card I could make using the Spellbinders long scalloped rectangle Megabilities dies. Of course it's been a day of constant interruptions. LOL! I've discovered that you can make a fairly big card though, and I do mean scalloped on three sides, not just the one edge that I've done previously.

Here's an example....

The sentiment is by Inkadinkado. The patterned paper is by K & Company and was embossed using the Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy embossing folder. The tag die cut was made using a Cuttlebug die.

I used the largest of the long scalloped rectangle megabilities dies and a piece of cardstock cut to 6 1/2" wide and the usual 11" length. My original plan had been to put this through my Big Shot in partial Nestie fashion, but OOPS! I forgot that this largest die will not fit through the opening of the Big Shot sideways. This threw a temporary wrench in my plan. Then I realized that I could put those long narrow Sizzix cutting plates to work for me again. I was back in business!

The following is a re-enactment. You can tell because the scallops have already been cut. I decided after the fact that photos might be a good idea. I really did do this using my Big Shot, too, not my Scor-It. The Scor-It background just makes it so much easier to see what's going on, and I did use it to make my card fold.

I scored and folded my cardstock so that I had a card that was 5 1/2" X 6 1/2". I then ran my folded card through my Big Shot three times to cut the scalloped edges.

First like this....

That gave me one finished edge and the two corners. I did have the clear plate lined up properly when I ran it through, by the way. It was just easier to see that edge with the plate out of the way.

Then like this....


This put more scallops across the top and the bottom. Notice that I avoided catching either of those two long edges of the die in my clear plate sandwich so that I wouldn't cut into the card elsewhere.

And finally, like this....


This pass finished top and bottom of the card and left the folded edge untouched. Now I had a mega scalloped card measuring 5 1/2" X 6 1/4", and it really took minimal effort.

You do have to take some care to line up the scallops each time you move the die, but it wasn't too bad. Makes for a big fun card, too!


Just wanted to give you an idea of the actual size. I wasn't kidding when I said it was big. So, that's my mega-scalloped card--mega-scalloped not because it has big scallops, but because it's big, it does have scallops, and it was made using those great Megabilities dies. I just love tools that are so versatile! :-)

A better alternative - Icky Sticky Stuff Remover

Not too long ago, I mentioned a discussion on a stamping forum which started me thinking about possible alternatives to the odorless mineral spirits like Gamsol that are typically used for the Magic Colored Pencil technique. These chemicals are not without their hazards, particularly under conditions of prolonged exposure or for individuals with health issues. I didn't care for the alternative of using baby oil. I'd found that Goo Gone worked, but I mentioned that it still carried warnings similar to that of the odorless mineral spirits, i.e. use in well-ventilated areas. The Mess-free pen was convenient and cut down considerably on the smell, but certainly Goo Gone isn't specifically formulated for artist use, a drawback for some folks.

Today I was doing my grocery shopping and made a discovery as I pushed my cart down the aisle with household cleaners. On the shelf next to the Goo Gone was another product--this one called Icky Sticky Stuff Remover, made by the same folks (Orange-Sol) who make De-Solv-It citrus-based cleaners. What struck me about this was that the label clearly said that it would remove crayon and wax, among other things--this was good because it needs to be able to break down the wax to move the colored pencil pigments; it could be used on skin and hair--usually citrus oil-based solvents carry a warning to avoid exposure to skin because of hypersensitivity reactions; it has no harmful vapors--WOO HOO! for that; and it was artist formula--excellent. Here's a link to the Material Safety Data Sheet for Icky Sticky Stuff Remover (now a.k.a. ISSR on this blog anyway--I have to abbreviate this! LOL!). It's always good to read some of this info for yourself.

So this product sounded like it had potential, but would it work on Prismacolor colored pencils? See what you think.


This is a quickie card that I made this afternoon to try this out. I stamped the flower images by Hero Arts using Archival black ink on a Cuttlebug tag die cut. I then colored the images with my Prismacolor colored pencils and blended the colors using the ISSR and a stump. I added the fibers, layered it on purple DCWV cardstock that I embellished using a Fiskars corner edger then attached it to the cardfront. I stamped the Hero Arts sentiment and added some decorative score lines using my Scor-It.

As of now, the Icky Sticky Stuff Remover is my magic colored pencil technique "solvent" of choice. It's biodegradable and more environmentally friendly than Gamsol or Sansodor, has no vapors, is formulated for use in arts and crafts, and from what I've read is a much safer alternative to mineral spirits, plus it works. It also cost only $2.99 USD for the 4 oz bottle and is available here in the US, which is more than I can say for some of the other alternatives out there that I would have liked to try. Now I just need to find a way to replace this spray top with a regular screw top lid or dauber top. :-)

Getting punchy

I finally found some time to do some crafting. I had some new toys to try out, so these cards are the result of that playing.

For this first card I used some of the new Basic Grey Sultry line. Then I used the Tonic border punch system to add the floral accents to the patterned cardstock border. A Fiskars corner punch embellished the red layer. The rose frame is a Cuttlebug die and emboss combo. It doesn't show up well in the photo, but I'd chalked the embossed parts of that frame with pink and green shimmery chalks. The stamped images are by Dee Gruenig.


For this next card I used a piece of polished stone that I'd made some time back. I stamped the row of trees three times without reinking. That image is by Cornish Heritage Farms. The sentiment is by Inque Boutique. This time for the border I used my Tonic Regal punch and border system on the yellow textured cardstock. I embellished with Robin's Nest Dew Drops.


Feels good to get back into crafting after a short hiatus. :-)