Assorted Birthday Cards for Janice

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I was commissioned by a friend, Janice, to create cards for her grown up children. I have created cards for her husband and her daughter before but never for her sons. Time to put on my creating cap!

One of Janice's sons loves to travel so I thought of this design. I used a Hero Arts cover plate die on this card.

To create this look, I embossed the die on watercolor paper. To do this technique, I substituted the bottom cutting plate with an embossing mat. I added a cardstock as an additional shim to put more pressure on the paper. I painted the watercolor paper using the embossing as a guide where to paint.

I tried a paint that I recently bought, the Boku-Undo E-Sumi Shadow Black Watercolor Palette, on this card. It is a paint used for monotone paintings. The black stands out although I noticed difference in shades between the colors on the palette. With this being a birthday card, it needs more happy colors but I don't want to go away from the monotone since this is a masculine card. So what I did is add Tim Holtz Distress Sprays on a mixing palette. I muted this with water then mixed a small amount of Boku-Undo. I mixed the colors accordingly. 

I die cut the cover plate on holographic paper. I adhered this to the watercolored panel. I trimmed off the excess.

For the sentiment, I selectively die cut the sky portion of the cover plate on blue vellum. I treated the vellum with anti-static powder. I stamped the sentiment using Versaefine Onyx Black ink. I poured clear embossing powder over it then heat set it. I used a Sticker Maker to add adhesive to the back of the vellum then pieced this in to the die cut. 

I adhered this to a side folding note card.

For the second card, Janice mentioned her other son loves cars. I was going to create a truck card only to find out that her son has a car, not a truck. Good thing, I have this Spellbinders die set which I recently bought at Checkered Cottage. 

Like any die that I am not familiar with and since the packaging does not say much, I searched the internet on how to use this die set. There is a video on what this die set cuts and how to assemble it but after using this die set myself, I think there should be recommendations on what color of paper to use for each die so as to achieve the 3D look. I plan to create another card using this die. I want to see if I can recreate this car more easily being my second time to use it. I plan to write notes this time and share it here.

To create this into a card, I die cut a large diamond on black cardstock. I embossed this using a chevron embossing folder. I lightly swiped a white pigment ink over the embossing to make the dotted details pop out. 

I die cut the letters using a Lawn Fawn die set. I die cut this on black and white glitter papers. I adhered the black alphabet die cuts to the back of the glittered alphabet die cuts slightly offsetting it to achieve a shadow effect. I adhered the letters to the embossed diamond.

I die cut a glossy light blue paper with a Mama Elephant stitched rectangle die. The blue paper has some diamond design on it giving it a retro look. I adhered the elements of the card to this panel. It took a lot of adhesive to make the die cuts adhere to the shiny blue paper. Somehow, the blue paper repels the glue.

The last card is for Janice's daughter. It might look familiar to you if you follow my blog. This is not a new card. I created this last June for BPM. Janice showed a photo of this card to her daughter. Her daughter liked it so I saved this card for her.

When I created this card, it did not have a sentiment on it. To customize it, I added a sentiment by die cutting the word happy using a die from Hero Arts. I swiped a Lisa Horton Interference Ink on a white cardstock. I heat set this to dry. I die cut this twice, the second one being on black cardstock. I adhered the black sentiment die cut behind the other die cut slightly offsetting it for a shadow effect.

For the second part of the sentiment, I treated a black cardstock with an anti-static powder. I stamped the Altenew sentiment on the black cardstock with Versamark ink. I poured white embossing powder to it then heat set it. I die cut this using a sentiment strip die from Avery Elle. 

I adhered the sentiment strip to the sentiment die cut. I adhered the sentiments to the flower panel. I adhered this to a side folding A2 notecard. I was tempted to add a gem to the flower center but went against it to keep the card simple. 

I hope you like today's cards. Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day.

Maria Giselle B.

I shared one of the cards at

Simon Says: Add Some Text

 

Three Cards Using The Same Die and a Giveaway

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. For today's post, I created three cards. I used one die in all of the three cards to show some different ways to use this die. Just a way of stretching out the use of this product. There is a giveaway! Instructions for the giveaway is at the end of this post.

I used Hero Arts products for my cards. The die I used is the HA Spring Floral Cover Plate. This die is a bit short of being a full cover die. The best way to use it is to cut the cardstock first at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" before die cutting with this die. In this way, you can center the die on the cardstock panel leaving you with a full floral background die cut with a frame. 

I also recommend adding a metal shim when die cutting with this die. The metal shim adds more pressure which makes cutting with this intricate die cut a success.

In the first two cards, I used all the die cut pieces. Nothing put to waste, a two-for-one card. I die cut a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white cardstock with the floral cover plate die. I ran the die with the cutting side down. Instead of removing the top plate after die cutting, I flipped the cutting sandwich and removed the plate where the cut was made to preserve the placement of the die cuts. Luckily, most of the die cuts remained in place.

I applied a shelf adhesive liner to the back side of the die cut so I can pick up the whole background panel including the negative die cuts. If a piece falls off, I simply put this piece back, just like doing a puzzle. 

I blended Lisa Horton Interference inks on the front side of the die cut background panel. I applied another shelf adhesive liner to this blended front side of the panel making both sides of the panel have an adhesive liner. I burnished the adhesive liner on the front side with a wide scraper before flipping the panel. I carefully removed the adhesive liner from the back of the panel. I used a wide scraper to stop any of the pieces from lifting off the front adhesive liner. 

Once I removed the back adhesive liner, I applied dots of glue to the negative die cuts of the panel. Very tedious but the effort is truly worth it which you will see later. While keeping the blended side of the panel down, I adhered a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white cardstock to it. Since the die cut panel is also cut at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2", this was easy to align. I set this aside putting something heavy on top of it while the glue dries. 

I carefully lifted the floral outline die cut from the panel. If any of the negative die cuts moved, I applied glue and repositioned it back to the panel.

I adhered this background die cut on a light gray textured cardstock cut at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".

Now, I have a two for one card. 

1

The above card is how the die is intended to be used. I created a thin rectangular frame to cover the ink blended frame. I kept the background simple to keep the focus on the intricate die cut. The sentiment stamps I used on all three cards are from a HA My Monthly Hero April 2021 Card Kit. I masked a line of the sentiment to create a dual colored two lined sentiment.

 2

This is the negative die cut version of the card. It has an embossed look. It also has a look of embossing paste on stencil which makes all the effort worth it. To add details to this panel, I stamped the HA Novel Prose Bold Prints Cling Stamp on this panel using a second generation gray ink. Since the negative cuts are raised, I only stamped on the raised pieces leaving the outline plain. 

I die cut rectangle frame on a white cardstock using dies from the HA Nesting Rectangle Infinity dies. 

3

For the last card using the same floral cover die, I die cut strips of cardstock following the same colors I used on the other two cards. I die cut the strips in different widths for variation. I adhered the strips to a typing paper cut at 5 1/2" x 4 1/4". I created this card into a landscape card to give it a different look from the other two cards.

I adhered thin strips of double adhesive tape to the striped panel. After I removed the release panel, I poured glitter to the adhesive. I burnished the glitter to the tape with my finger. 

I stamped the same cling stamp to the floral die cut panel using second generation stamping with a pink dye ink. 

I adhered the floral die cut to the striped panel. I made the three lined sentiment into multi-colored sentiment strips with rounded corners. 

I adhered white gems to the flowers with a hole on the center.

I hope you like today's cards. I am sure there are other ways to use this floral cover die. I encourage you to create a card with a background die cut using any of the above techniques or better yet, use your own technique.

And for fun, I have a GIVEAWAY. You just need to leave in the comment section which card is your favorite. The card's number is on the left of the card. I will randomly pick a lucky commenter on June 30, Monday ~4pm CST. The winner will be announced on a separate blog post so please come back and see if you won. The winner has two giveaway options to choose from. Option 1: a $50 gift certicate to Checkered Cottage. This is a good deal if you live locally at St. Louis. Option 2: a $50 gift certicate to Simon Says Stamp.

The prize should be claimed a week after announcement on July 7 by 4pm CST. If not claimed, another random winner will be chosen from the comments on this blog made before and/or on June 30, Monday, 4pm. The second winner will be allowed to claim the prize until the next Monday, July 14, at 4pm. 

Disclaimer: This giveaway is not being sponsored by Checkered Cottage and/or Simon Says Stamp. It is just my way of giving back to the crafting industry. 

 

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

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this project at

Hero Arts Blog

Anything Floral Goes Challenge #29 #104

Simon Says Stamp IG Challenge

 

My Favorite Color is Yellow

 

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I am a guest designer at the Cut It up Challenge. The challenge theme is Your Favorite Color(s). Yes! I created a card that screams my favorite color, yellow. I like yellow because it reminds me of the sun. The sun represents energy, power, positivity, and clarity. 

This is my second time to be a GD at Cut It Up Challenge. On my first GD gig, I created a Weaved Fall Card. It is very easy to join the challenge. Create a project based on the challenge theme and make sure to include a die cut. If you are chosen as one of the Top 3, you have the chance to become a Cut It Up Challenge GD. 

The most involving part of my card is the background which is all stitched. I used a cross stitch die to add stitching holes to a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white cardstock. I was so inspired by a card created by Jennifer McGuire that I used the stitches on her card on my card. The difference is that Jennifer used different colors of embroidery floss while I only used yellow DMC embroidery flosses on my card. I had so much fun stitching this background that I think I am going to create another card like this.

I die cut the postage frame using the SugarPea Designs Postage Stamp Sugar Cut on a gold Grafix vellum paper. To create this into a frame, I used a Hero Arts Nesting Rectangle Die to die cut a rectangular opening on the center of the postage die cut. I adhered the frame to the stitched panel.

I die cut the leaf using the Simon Says Stamp Laurel Leaf die on vellum, a yellow-gold cardstock and the same gold vellum paper I used for the frame. I adhered these die cuts on top of one another with the vellum on top to mute the yellow-gold cardstock. I adhered this to the stitched area, applying dots of glue to the stem and the ends of the leaves connected to the stem. I applied something heavy over the leaf while the glue is drying up. 

For the sentiment, I used the Spellbinder Pocket Full of Spring die to etched a sentiment on a yellow cardstock. I die cut the sentiment into a strip using a sentiment strip die. I die cut two extra pieces on white cardstock. I adhered the white strips on the back of the etched sentiment strip for dimension. I inked the sides using the Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress ink. I adhered this to the laurel leaf on the stitched panel. 

I zhuzhed the tips of the leaves to add interest to the focal point of the card.

I trimmed an eight of an inch off each side of the stitched panel. I adhered this panel to a yellow cardstock cut at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I adhered this to a top folding note card. 

I hope you like today's card. Thank you, Larelyn and Cut It Up for allowing me to be a GD on your challenge blog a second time around. It sure was a pleasure. Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this project at

Challenge #112~Monochrome #4

Stitching on Texture Plate

 

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. If you've been following me, you know that I love to stitch. Today's card is an example of my love for stitching. For this card, I am using The Greetery Aida Cloth Texture Plate. The moment I saw this product released, I fell in love with it right away. 

Most of the projects I saw using this texture plate is either using it for a background or stamping on it. The plate creates these these tiny holes. There are 7 boxes or spaces in between the holes per inch on the textured plate. It is recommended to use 6 strands of floss with this count but I only used 4 strands which came out okay. The stitching pattern I used is from Lawn Fawn. 

I stamped the mug on white cardstock. I colored the mug with Copic markers. I fussy cut the image leaving a small border around it. I incorporated the mug to the design by adding stitching to the handle to make it look like the snowman is holding the cup. 

I die cut a snowflake frame for the stitched snowman. The snowflake die is from Hero Arts. I used a My Favorite Things circle die to cut the window. I added details to the snowflake frame using a Simon Says Stamp 3D embossing folder. I lightly swiped a gray pigment ink to the embossed details of the snowflake frame. I die cut another snowflake frame to add a layer to the embossed snowflake frame.

I trimmed a bit off the edges of the stitched panel. I matted the panel with the same blue cardstock I used for the snowflake frame. 

I embossed the sentiment using a stamp and coordinating die from Lawn Fawn. The silver embossing powder I used is from Simon Says Stamp. I die cut additional labels and layered this underneath the embossed sentiment.

I stamped several snowflakes on the Aida background for additional details using a gray pigment ink. 

I added clear gems to the tips of the snowflakes. 

I hope you like today's card. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

Caffeinated Christmas Challenge Blog #41

Simon Says: Let It Snow #78

December Challenge #60~Anything Goes with Optional Twist: Snowman and/or Birds

Color Inspired Card

 

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I got my inspiration for this card from the challenges listed at the end of the post. 

I created a full panel mask by trimming it at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I die cut a heart on the center using a heart die from the Hero Arts Nesting Hearts die. 

I trimmed an 80 lb. white cardstock at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I adhered the mask with the heart window to this panel. 

I inked the stamp concentrating the inking more on the area where the heart is on the panel. To get the best impression using this large wooden stamp block, I lay it on a flat surface, ink it and put the paper on the stamp. You can run your fingers on the paper to transfer the ink but I used a brayer instead.

I pieced in the heart paper mask before removing the full panel window mask. I used two different inks for the rest of the panel. I stamped one color at a time. I got lucky that there was no distortion on the seam where the two colors met. I think cutting the panel the same size as the stamp made the repositioning of the paper over the wooden stamp easy since all I needed to do was align the paper to the stamp.

I trimmed this panel to 4" x 5 1/4".

Using the same inks, I blended the ink to tone down the white paper. I also blended the two inks where it met for a seamless look. I embossed this panel using an embossing folder with the same triangle pattern to add some texture.

Using the same heart die I used for the mask and the next largest size heart die, I created a heart frame on peach cardstock. I die cut two pieces of heart frame. I also die cut a heart on vellum using the smaller heart die. I sandwiched the vellum in between the two heart frames.

I stamped the butterfly on white cardstock using the same inks I used for the panel. The butterfly stamp is from a past Hero Arts This Monthly Hero Kit. Using the coordinating die, I die cut these butterflies. I scored the butterfly on the center. Using this score line as a guide, I poked holes on the center of the butterfly die cuts. I hand stitched the butterflies together using a clear thread. I outlined the butterfly's antennae with a shimmer pen.

For the sentiment, I stamped this on the same peach cardstock I used for the heart frame. I stamped this using Versafine Onyx Black ink. This sentiment stamp is from the same HA This Monthly Hero Kit. I used a craft knife to cut this into a label. 

I adhered the heart frame to the panel, aligning it to the inked heart on the panel. I added liquid glue to the back of the butterfly and adhered this to the vellum portion of the heart. I adhered the sentiment label after. 

I matted this panel with the same peach cardstock I used for the frame which was cut at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".

I opened each wing up. I added color coordinating sequins to the each butterfly. The sequins kind of help in keeping the wings slightly open.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you like today's card. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

Hero Arts Blog Challenge

Woodblock Wednesday Challenge Blog

Color Throwdown Challenge Blog

July Card of the Month-Need Your Help

 

Hello! Sorry for the re-post. Can I ask a favor, please? This card of mine, which I made using a Hero Arts stamp and adding some stitching, is competing for July's Card of the Month by Creative Scrapbooker. Each time I win a match up, I advance to the next bracket. Here is the link to vote,

Creative Scrapbooker-July 2023 Card of the Month

If you have time, please look through the other creators' cards and maybe there is a card worth voting for.

For card details, here is the link to the card post,

Stitching on Silhouette Stamped Images

Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

Rainbow Colored Block Letters Greeting Card

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I created this card to join in the latest Hero Arts Blog Challenge. I heat embossed the letters on a black watercolor cardstock using Wow! White Pearl embossing powder. The Hero Arts products I used on this card are from my stash and are, unfortunately, all retired. I am sure there is something in your craft stash that you can use as substitute to re-create this card.

Using the stencil, I drew the wonky shaped squares around each letter, some of which I have to extend vertically to accommodate the height of the letter. I also extended the width of the squares so the squares will be touching each other. I used the Karin pigment markers to add color to each letter block. 

I colored the inside of the letter with a black Wink of Stella shimmer pen. I outlined each block with a black Sakura Glaze marker. 

For the other half of the sentiment, I masked a stamp so I will only stamp the word brightly below the letter blocks. I heat embossed this word using the same embossing powder.

I stamped the stars using the Delicata White Shimmer pigment ink and the Avery Elle Silver Fox pigment ink. I brushed the Ranger Perfect Pearls in Perfect Pearl for some shimmer.

I trimmed this panel smaller. I adhered this to a partially embossed rainbow mirrored cardstock. The mirrored cardstock is from Simon Says Stamp. 

I hope you like today's card. Thank you for viewing my blog. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

Hero Arts Blog Challenge

Anything Goes

Stitching on Silhouette Stamped Images

 

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for your patience. This is the edited version of my previous post. This card was created with several blog challenges in mind. These blog challenges are linked below.

I started off by die cutting a circle using the largest circle die from the My Favorite Things Wonky Stitched Circle die set. The paper I am using is Strathmore Bristol paper. I cut this circle in half. I blended ink on these half circles using Tim Holtz Distress inks. The colors I used are Wild Honey and Carved Pumpkin. I flicked some water to these half circles, and picked these water droplets with a dry paper towel. The color inspiration is from the Simon Says Stamp IG June Challenge. The layout is from the latest MFT Sketch Challenge. 

I stamped the silhoutte flowers on these half circles. The Misti Stamping Tool was very useful in this process. After I stamped the flower on one of the half-circles, I simply replace this stamped half circle with the other half circle & re-stamped the image. If I did not get a clean stamped impression, I can re-stamp the flower with the help of this tool. The stamp I am using came from an April 2021 Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit. The ink I used for stamping is Versafine Onyx Black ink.

I poked holes on the stamped flowers and leaves. I added some stitching detials on these stamped images using the same colors as the color inspiration reversing it, stitching yellow on the orange background, and vice versa. I used a DMC metallic floss for the stems and leaves. 

I created the panel using a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" Strathmore Bristol paper. I blended Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Peacock Feathers on this panel. I flicked water droplets on this panel and picked the water droplets with a dry paper towel.

Using the Misti Stamping Tool again, I positioned this blue blended panel on the Misti, and also temporarily positioned the half circles so that I will get an idea where to stamp the sentiment. I prepped the area with an anti-static powder tool. I stamped the sentiment, also from the same stamp set, using Versafine Onxy Black ink. I poured clear embossing powder to it, and heat set it.

I stamped flowers on each side of the sentiment using the same ink. I heat set this to dry. I poked holes on these flowers and added stitching to it, just like what I did on the half circles.

I adhered the half circles to the blue blended panel with foam adhesive. I adhered this to a top folding A2 note card.

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

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

Hero Arts Blog

MFT Sketch Challenge Blog

Simon Says Stamp IG Challenge

Graduation Card

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. My 2nd son is graduating high school this Sunday. So excited for him on this milestone.

The background panel involves a lot of die cutting. I die cut the plaid cover panel on an ink blended background. I pieced in some of the square negative cuts to provide contrast to the white sentiment die cuts. The words and numbers are die cut in multiples and adhered on top of each other for some dimension.

I enjoyed creating this project a lot since it is a mash up of cardmaking (based on the supplies used and the size), and scrapbooking. I think this is something doable for me compared to the large scale scrapbook layout. 

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

Maria Giselle B.

I added below links to the Kat Scrappiness products I used on this card. There will be no additional cost to you should you decide to purchase any of these products. While you are at the Kat Scrappiness website, do check out their wide array of products especially the exclusive Kat Scrappiness products. They have a new release, too!  

 

Non-Traditional Layered Christmas Tree Card

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. For today's card, I am using the Hero Arts Christmas Color Layering Stamp set. I am using non-traditional Christmas tree colors. I stamped the Christmas tree layers using colors from the same color family. I used a Misti Stamping Tool so I can re-stamp the image, if needed. 

I created a mask to be able to create a scene of trees, with some appearing to be at the back of another tree.  Fussy cutting the tree mask seems challenging but the mask need not to be perfect. 

Depending on the mask you are using, sometimes it is difficult to ink the area between the image and the mask. I used a Tsukineko Fantastix blending tool to apply ink to those missed spots. 

I embossed the last Christmas tree layer, adding Wow! White Puff embossing powder. With the use of the Misti Stamping Tool, I re-stamped the last layer on the same spot with Versamark ink. I added Judikins Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder, and heat embossed it. The White Puff adds dimension while the Iridescent Sparkle adds shimmer. 

I stamped the tree trunk with brown dye ink.

I stamped the sentiments on the tree using Versafine Onyx Black ink. I poured black embossing powder to the stamped sentiments, and heat set it. I used the Misti Stamping Tool on this step, too. Because of the textured snow, it took several re-stamping before I got a crisp impression of the sentiment.

I blended a light blue ink on the panel. I stamped snow flurries to the background using the same light blue ink for a subtle background. 

I trimmed an 8th of an inch on the long and short sides. I adhered this to a blue colored cardstock cut at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2", then adhered it to a top folding A2 notecard.

I added star sequins to the top of the trees. I drew a snow slope using a Sakura White Gelly Roll Pen. 

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

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

Hero Arts Blog

AAA Cards Challenge Blog