Combined Puncher & Dies Embellishment Card

With the metal die craze today, who is still holding on to their punchers? I do! I remember that the product that attracted me to crafting is the Martha Stewart punchers especially the border punch. For this card, I am using MS Eyelet Lace border punch.

I uploaded the digital image to Cricut Craft Room and used the Print & Cut feature. I printed the image on Strathmore Bristol paper. I colored the image using Zig Clean Color Brush markers and blending it out with clear Wink of Stella marker. I ran a black marker around the edges for a finished look.

For the background panels, I am using patterned papers from a Forever Friends paper pad. I cut the paper per border punch instructions. This is one of the disadvantages of the punch. It is hard to customize the panel. To be able to have a continuous punch border design, you have to follow manufacturer instructions on paper size. With the metal dies, you can do partial die cutting to customize the size according to your project. 

I used a square metal die to cut out a square from the punch panels to create frames. You can always just use a craft knife for this purpose. The use of a die is just convenient in being able to center the square without having to measure.

I die cut a pink vellum into squares a little bit bigger than the inner edge of the frame. I embossed this using an American Crafts Doily embossing folder. To make the embossed design pop, I inked the embossed design with Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pumice Stone. I brushed some Ranger Perfect Pearl to this. The slow to dry property of TH Distress inks and the slick surface of vellum helped set the Perfect Pearl. 

I cut a white pearl card to create a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" panel. I adhered a 4" x 5 1/4" patterned paper to this. Next, I adhered the punched frames with the embossed vellum adhered to its back. One of the punched panels is wider but than the card base. I trimmed off the excess as part of the design. This layered panels were adhered to a top folding A2 sized note card.

To ground the digital image, I am using an October Afternoon washi tape which has a sentiment printed on it. Using a craft knife, I trimmed off the edges to create a slimmer sentiment washi tape. I adhered the digital image using foam adhesive.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a blessed and brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

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February Linky Challenge~Anything Goes

Challenge #52~Anything Goes

Black Blended Background Card

I got inspired by Kelly Latevola's card technique featured in the Simon Says Stamp Blog (http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/blog/kelly-make-4th-series/). I want to give it a try and this is my own version of her card using that technique.

Using a Strathmore Bristol paper, I blended Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Picked Raspberry, Candied Apple & Barn Door. I blended the colors until I got the right ombre effect I was aiming for. I allowed this to dry but had to use a heat gun to speed dry it.

I am using heart stamps from different stamp sets, Studio Calico and Hero Arts.  I arranged these heart stamps on an acrylic block. I prepared the blended Bristol paper with an anti-static tool before I repeatedly stamped the hearts using Versamark ink. I embossed this using clear Hero Arts embossing powder.

This is when it starts to become messy. I smudged the Black Soot TH Distress Ink onto this panel. Just like Kelly, I had to use the blending tool to apply the black color to areas where the ink was hard to apply to.  I didn't get the same vibrant black as Kelly's. I think I need to re-ink my Black Soot TH Distress ink. I wiped the ink off the embossed hearts to make the colors pop out.

For the image, I am using Heart of Roses from Lemon Shortbread, one of our sponsors in today's Love challenge at Incy Wincy Designs. I uploaded the image to the Cricut Craft Room. I edited the image by cutting off the space between the girl and the heart. I colored the image with Copic Markers except for the flowers which I colored with Prisma color pencils. Using a glue gun, I adhered the ribbon on the heart, creating pleats here and there.

To frame the image, I die cut a parchment paper using Pretty Pink Posh Scallop Frames die. I adhered this to the black panel. I then adhered the girl image using foam adhesive. For the sentiment, I used Altenew Label Love. This time, I stamped the sentiment onto a black cardstock, using Hero Arts Unicorn Pigment ink. I embossed this using white HA powder. I outlined the message using a fine black tip marker to make it pop out, then adhered it to the card.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a blessed & brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

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Challenge 197 - Anything Goes

Love/ROMANCE Challenge

Interactive Window Card

I am using Eekers Knitty Kitty Digis for this project. I uploaded the digi image to Cricut Craft Room and had it drawn using a black Cricut marker. I colored the image using Copic markers. My inspiration for coloring the cats are my sister's cats, B and Ryan.

For the window, I cut an American Crafts patterned paper using a Mama Elephant Peek A Frame die. This die cuts only the three sides of the window and just leaves a score mark on the top.  I have an extra window die cut which I must have saved from a previous project. The die cut was in kraft cardstock so instead of die cutting a new cardstock to fit my project, I colored the die cut with a brown Copic marker.  I adhered this to the front of the patterned paper window to make it sturdy. I am afraid that with the patterned paper not thick enough, it will tear easily with the open and close window mechanism.

I adhered the colored digital image panel to the back of the window panel, centering the cats, making sure they can be seen through the window.

To keep the window shut close, I created a sentiment strip using Simon Says Stamp Sentimental Circles stamp set. I did some masking to make the sentiment into a single lined sentiment. This was heat embossed using white Hero Arts embossing powder.  Remember snaps? I used these to accent the sentiment. I applied adhesive to the bottom part of the sentiment strip and adhered this to the bottom part of the window, just enough to keep the window closed.

I hope you join us in today's bi-weekly challenge @ Incy Wincy Designs Love Challenge.  Let me greet you as early as now, Happy Valentine's!  Don't forget to share the love!

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Have a blessed & brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

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Challenge #02 2017 - Anything Goes