London Cricut Destinations Cartridge Lay Out

One of my co-workers is celebrating his retirement this year. And as part of his celebration, he and his wife went to London this past summer. I created this lay out as a gift to him and his wife, who is also retiring this year. What a milestone for both of them!

I designed the layout using the Cricut Design Space. This software is very helpful in my planning of the lay out and with the sizing of the images. Another thing I like about the CDS is the Contour feature. It extends the look of an image. Just like in this lay out, with the word England, I duplicated this. On the duplicate, I used the contour feature to cut the negative space of the word only. I just used a craft knife to cut the letters out and layer it on top of the original cut. But before adhering the letters, I heat embossed the letters with a red Ranger embossing powder. The word London cut was also designed using the Contour feature. This cut came as a frame. With the use of the contour function, I limited the cut to the sentiment only. The background of the London cut is a lighter colored cardstock. I created a background using a stamp from October Afternoon Boarding Pass stamp set. With the England, I printed the UK flag. With the use of the CDS, I sized the flag to fit the back of the England cut.

I am using a My Mind’s Eye patterned paper as the base of the lay out. I sprayed a black Prima Color Blooms more to the right side of the layout. I adhered the photo and the word sentiments next. I added some shimmer to the the London word using a clear Spectrum Noir shimmer pen.

I adhered a gold vellum to the back of the Big Ben, then fuzzy cut the edges. I adhered this to the layout using foam adhesive. I added an Epiphany Clear Round Bubble to the clock portion.

I am so lucky that the frame was on sale at Michael’s. Now, this retirement gift is ready. Thank you, Mike for allowing me to post your photo in my blog. I took pictures of this lay out without your photo but it didn't look as good without your photo. Happy retirement to both of you.

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

Maria Giselle B.

Fourth of July Christmas Card

It is a new challenge at Incy Wincy Designs Challenge Blog. The theme for this challenge is Unconventional Christmas. I am using an image from one of our sponsors, Star Stampz.

My son suggested a 4th of July theme for the Christmas tree, which explains the colors I used for the tree. I used Zig Clean Color Real Brush for the tree. I ended up adding a coat of Finetec Pearl Watercolor on the white part of the tree. I also colred the red and blue parts with Spectrum Noir Shimmer pens.

For the background, I applied Versamark ink on the clouds and heat embossed this using Wow! White Pearl embossing powder. I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Chipped Sapphire, Seedless Preserves and Salty Ocean for the sky and snow. I colored the rest of the panel elements using Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. Adding highlights to the girls coat and scarf with Finetec Pearl Watercolor. I applied Ranger enamel dots for the snow. The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted Little Elves clear stamp set.

I mounted this colored panel on a white top folding card. The sides of the note card were embossed with Lawn Fawn Stitched Borders Lawn Cuts.

Thanks for viewing my blog. I hope to see your Unconventional Christmas creations at Incy Wincy Designs Challenge Blog. It is never too early to start creating holiday cards. After all, there are only 98 days left before Christmas. Less than 100!

Have a blessed and brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

Star Stampz

Scene Card Using Lawn Fawn with Mirror Stamping Technique

It is my Inang's birthday today. Another reason to create something on this special day. My Inang has a lot of cats. I would love to include all of her cats in the scene. I only have 4 cats to represent each of her 4 grandsons. I know, odd is always eye attractive but what can I do? I got four boys. I have to pass on that rule with this card.

I started of by creating a background for the scene. I adore the Lawn Fawn Stitched Cloud Backdrop Portrait die. I don't have this die so I mimic it by stamping clouds from the LF Into The Woods stamp set into an aqua cardstock sized at 4 1/4"x 5 1/2". I am going to heat emboss the clouds so before I stamped, I rubbed a dust buddy on the stamping area. I stamped the two clouds using Versamark ink. I poured Wow! White Pearl embossing powder after each time I stamped the two clouds. Sounds like hard work, right? But if you get to the rhythm of doing it (stamp-pour powder-return excess powder to the canister-stamp-powder-return...), before you know it, the card panel is already done. I heat set this, and I could have stopped here but I wanted to make the clouds pop out. So what I did, is I dry embossed the clouds by using the matching die and a brown silicone rubber mat, together with the Sizzix machine. The look is actually cool.

The mailbox is from the LF Happy Mail die set. I used LF Perfectly Plaid patterned paper for the mailbox. I blended a Hero Arts Silver die ink on the inside of the mailbox. For the stand of mailbox, I blended Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage photo on white cardstock. I stamped the LF Woodgrain Backdrop using Versafine Onyx Black ink. I embossed this with clear powder. I die cut the stand. I blended more ink on the side to cover the white core of the paper. The letter is from the LF Love Letters stamp set. I stamped this on patterned paper, fuzzy cut it and added Nuvo Pearl Drops to the heart.

The cat image is from LF Spooktacular stamp set. I mirror image stamped the other two cats. Mirror stamping can be a challenge. After so many trials and errors, I finally found my recipe to successful  mirror stamping. It is no different from the other tutorials. The only thing that I think worked for me is that I stamped the image on the mirror stamp three times. This created a crisp mirror image impression so I did not need to run a marker on the lines of the image. Which by the way, I am not good at.

I colored the images using Copic markers. I die cut the cat using the matching die. With the mirror image, you have to cut the image from the back. I used a light tracer to match the die to the image. I added dots to the eyes of the cat using Sakura Glaze pen.

For the ground, I die cut a green cardstock using LF Stitched Hillside Borders die. I stamped a grass border from LF Chirpy Chirp Chirp stamp set using different hues of green dye ink to add depth to the grassy hill.

After the scene panel has been assembled, I adhered this to a top folding kraft cardstock.

I hope you get some inspiration on mix and matching your stamp sets to create a card. You can say by now how much I love Lawn Fawn based on the number of products I used on this card.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Let me greet my Inang again, a Happy, Happy Birthday! I hope you have more blessed and brilliant years to come. Hope you like your cat card. Do you recognize your cats?

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this card at

Challenge #12~Create A Scene

September Linky Challenge

Digital Stamp Shaker Card

 

We have a new challenge at Incy Wincy Designs Challenge Blog. It is a Photo Inspiration Challenge featuring the photo below to be used as inspiration.

I am using an image from our sponsor, Lemon Shortbread. I colored the images using Copic markers and Prisma color pencils. For the girl, I colored her like an Anime character with yellow hair. For her clothing, I colored it with the Hello Kitty Cafe color motif. The cupcakes were colored using the colors of the shake in the photo inspiration. 

I partially die cut the image using the Pretty Pink Posh Windows Frame Die. This was a brave move in my part because I can easily go wrong here by putting the cutting plates incorrectly. I did have a boo-boo on the purple cupcake side but after giving that much time into coloring this image, I am going to move forward with the design.

I added details to the cut image. I added small dots of gold Nuvo Drops to the cupcake frosting using a pin. This allows you to control the amount of enamel accent you apply on your project. I just squirted a blob of Nuvo Drop on a scrap paper, picked it up with the tip of a needle, then applied it to the image. I also used the needle to apply red Stickles to the cherries. I added shimmer to the girl's clothing and hat using a clear Spetrum Noir Shimmer pen. I added a small die cut heart to the girl's hat, added shimmer to this, then applied Ranger Glossy Accents to it.

For the shaker window, I cut a frame using the two largest dies from the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle dies. I am using a Studio Calico 6x6 patterned paper. For the background, I cut a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" kraft colored cardstock. I am using a sentiment from a Hampton Arts Doodlebug stamp set. I am using the Misti Stamping tool for repeated stamping and embossing. I double embossed the sentiment using Wow! Rich Pale Gold embossing powder. I wasn't satisfied with the effect and I didn't want to pitch this panel, so for the last embossed layer, I used a red Ranger embossing powder. This created a customized metallic red sentiment which almost looked like a metal embellishment due to the repeated embossing.

To create the shaker panel, I adhered the digital image to the bottom portion of the rectangle frame. I adhered the clear plastic to the back of the frame. I adhered foam tapes to the back of the rectangle frame and the digital image. I added Doodlebug sequins to this well. I adhered the kraft cardstock onto this, creating the shaker card panel. This is adhered to a top folding note card. As a last finishing touch, I added shimmer to the window frame.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope to see your creations at Incy Wincy Designs Challenge Blog. Have a blessed and brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

Image Sponsor

I am sharing this creation at

September Linky Challenge

Challeng #49~Anything Goes

Stamp It

See Through Snow Globe Shaker Christmas Card

I have been creating shaker cards, and here is another one. Somehow, after I created a Clear Shaker Card, I wanted to challenge to create more with the hope that on the second time, it will be easier. Well, it didn't turn out that way. I almost aborted the project but knowing me, I try to find solutions to mistakes.

I started this card as a square card but end up trimming the sides. It is now sized at 4 1/2" x 5 1/4". I am using an 80lb. Recollections Pearl Blue cardstock. I figured that with the layering, the end card will be sturdy enough.

I am also using the Lawn Fawn Ready, Set, Snow stamp set, coordinating dies and add-on dies. I die cut the snow globe on the front and back of the base card and on two more pearl blue cardstocks. I die cut the snow globe add-on using a pearl white cardstock. I die cut 4 pieces of this. I stamped the images from the stamp set which will be used for the shaker card. I colored the images with Copic markers. Using the coordinating dies, I die cut the images. I added Tim Holtz Distress Glitter Rock Candy using a glue pen on the snow drift, roof of the houses, and snow on the trees. The Add-on die set came with the snow drift die but you can easily create this yourself.

Here comes the tricky part, I should say. The only way I got this design to work is by keeping in mind how I wanted the layers to turn out.

Here is a close-up of the front snow globe shaker. The snowflakes were punched cuts from a Martha Stewart border punch. You can actually see the scene at the back on this photo. The sentiment was heat embossed using Hero Arts Silver embossing powder on gold cardstock.

And this is the shaker card on the inside of the card. I left the label blank so I can add a short sentiment to this card later on. Unlike the snow globe on the front of the card, this snow globe is inlaid to the inside of the card.

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

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

Technique Challenge~Embossed Impressions

Challenge #11~Cards For Kids