Welcome To Your New Home!

Welcome back!

Today I want to share a monochromatic "Welcome to your New Home" card. For my card today, I am using the new July Reveal Set: Vintage Country House Set 911.

I began with stamping the image in Hybrid Metro Grey, using the Stamp Platform.

I then went on to make the circular frame, cutting with the Tonic Circle Layering Basics Die Set, using the largest and the third largest dies, on the Tangerine. This was then sprayed with Nuvo Mica Mist Silver Smoke.

I cut out the image using the second to largest die, so that it would fit behind the "frame". It was then covered in Clear Mark Ink and heat embossed twice with Clear Detail and then Clear Mark was applied again and then Super Thick Clear was heat embossed from the bottom.

Once the embossing powder was "dry", I bent the piece a couple of times to  crack the finish and Hybrid Metro ink was burnished into the cracks, using my finger tool. A tissue was used to take off any grey that was on the surface and  then I heat embossed with another layer of Clear Detail. I cut a piece of black foam, the same size as the frame, to pop up the frame and the frame was assembled and attached over the image using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.

The chipboard key was applied with an old Versamark ink pad before being heat embossed twice with Silver Detail. (I keep an old pad just for chipboard, so that I don't ruin my newer embossing pads).  A little more embossing ink was applied and then I added a little Magic Speckle. This was then heated from the bottom to give the key the mottled look.

On to the card base - love the easiness of these easel cards - yet making them a little extra special. Take a A2 card and fold the front panel in half. Since I was doing the black and white monochromatic card, I used my favorite Marco's Paper, black on one side and white on the other. I cut a piece of white cardstock to 4" x 5 1/4" and then cut a piece of black to put at the base.  The inside sentiment was stamped on the white portion in Clear Mark and heat embossed with Black Detail, with the use of the Stamp Platform.

I stamped the Welcome sentiment in Clear Mark and heat embossed with White Detail on black cardstock and then die cut with the Spellbinders Back to Basic Tag.

This would become the stopper for the easel card. The key was attached with a little bit of thread before the sentiment tag was attached with mounting tape. The framed image was attached to the front of the card base to finish off my card.

Hope you've enjoyed my share today? Please leave a comment and let me know!

Below is a list of the products I used in my card today:

Vintage Country House Set 911
Hybrid Metro Grey Ink

Clear Detail (EP280)

Super Thick Clear (EP230)

White Detail (EP298)

Silver Detail (EP257)

Magic Speckle (EP175)

Black Detail (EP171)

Nuvo Clear Mark

Old Versamark Pad (for Chipboard)

Nuvo Mica Mist: Silver Smoke
Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive

Tangerine

Stamp Platform

Tonic Circle Layering Basics Die Set

Spellbinders Back to Basics Tags

Key Chipboard

Also, have you checked out the Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenge over on Facebook yet? If not, you really need to head over there and enter with anything that uses an SNS image, either rubber or digi - and just to make it easier you can pick up free digis over on the website! So, really there are no excuses! The July Challenge is currently underway and you have until the 25th of July to enter - winners will be announced the 3rd of August. Good Luck!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges this week:
Scrapy Land Challenge #94: Use a brand of die that Scrapy Land carries
World Wide Open Design Team Challenge #07: Anything Goes
Classic Design Team Challenge #27: Anything Goes
Morgan's Artworld Challenge Open Challenge # 7: Anything Goes
Happy Stamping!

Shona

CRACKED ICE TEACUP

Hi there,

Today I'd like to share another card using one of the new June Reveal sets - Roses Set 784. My grandmother used to have a set of teacups that had roses on them, and when I saw this new Roses stamp set - I began to reminisce!

I began by finding a teacup template on the computer, printed and cut it out. I put the template along the tent fold of card and penciled around the template and then fussy cut through both layers. The rose image was stamped in StazOn Black and was colored using my watercolor paints.

The background to the teacup was then sponged with Dandelion Memento ink.

The entire piece was applied with Versamark and heat embossed with Clear Detail. Applied again with Versamark and then heat embossed with Super Thick Clear, I repeated the last step again to get a nice thick coating on the teacup. The piece was then placed in the freezer for three minutes (well, I actually forgot about it - while I was having a cup of tea - so it was probably ten!!) Anyway, it cracked very quickly when it came out. You just need to bend it a couple of times to create the cracks. I sponged over the cracks with Distress Ink: Brushed Corduroy, taking a tissue to rub the excess ink off the top of the image to ensure that the ink just lies in the cracks. I then applied a last coat of Versamark and heat embossed with the Clear Detail to seal in the distress ink.

On to the background. I ran a piece of orange cardstock through the Darice Flower embossing folder and then sanded the raised pattern, to give a distressed look.

I stamped one of the single roses from the set on the inside of the teacup card and used the same watercolor paints to color. Memento Dandelion ink was again sponged around the background. The teacup was then attached to the embossed piece and a strip of yellow ribbon was attached at the fold of the teacup. This was then layered to a piece of white cardstock, edged with 1/2" Tear-ific Tape. Mimosa Sparkle N Soft was applied to the sticky edges of the base.

I stamped the saying twice in Versamark and heat embossed with Gold Detail. The two little tags were cut out with the Memory box Stitched Main Street tags, to represent the tag of a tea bag. I sponged the tags with Cantaloupe ink before removing the die.

A yellow and white thread was used to tie one of the tags to the inside of the cup. It was popped up with a foam square.

The other tag was tied to the handle of the teacup. I used three colors of Nuvo Crystal Drops, Dandelion Yellow, Ripened Pumpkin and Gloss White to decorate the cup and the embossed background of the card. This finished off my card for today.

I'd like to join in the following challenges with my card:

Our Crafty Corner: Challenge No. 10 - Anything Goes

Two Paper Divas Challenge: Tea/Coffee/Cocoa

Crafty Creations Challenge #317: Tic, Tac, Toe (Sentiment, Image, Tag)

Till next time,

Shona

HYDRANGEA - ONE OF MY FAVORITE FLOWERS

Hi there, 

I hope it's as pretty a morning in your neck of the woods as it is here:  the birds are chirping, the sun is shining and the garden is beckoning me to get out there and do some work, but I have to put it off 'till next week.  Too many projects - not enough time!!  I know you all know what I mean.  Even my 12 year old said (while we were waiting on the school bus this morning) "how can it be Thursday already!"

I have a quick card to share with you this morning that was published in this month's Vamp Stamp News.  The article is on different folds for cards.  There are many great ideas with how-to instructions - take a look.  

I used the hydrangea from a new Sparkle N Sprinkle Set 490: Spring Florals, together with a saying. It's a gorgeous set and very versatile.  I don't think you can ever have too many flowers!  

I used the cracked-ice technique on the hydrangea, and the embossing folder and little blue flower were some more goodies that I had received from Amanda (see previous post for the others)!  Thanks again Amanda!

Here is the card closed:

and here it is open:

So that's it from me for now - gotta run!

Hugs,

Shona

CELEBRATING SUMMER

Hi there,

Well here we are half-way through May,
and Summer is definitely on it's way!  (Oh cool - that rhymes!).

Welcome to the latest Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog Hop, where this time we are celebrating everything about summer! If you've hopped here by way of our very creative Marie, then you are on the right track,   If not then you should stop back at the SNS home page to become eligible for five great prizes. To be eligible for these fabulous prizes, all you have to do is a leave a little comment on each one of the blogs on the hop.

 I had fun with this month's theme, as it was wide open to the many summery images of Sparkle N Sprinkle.  At the same time - we had an in-house challenge to use embossing powders in ways a little more differently than just embossing an image and then coloring in.  I, of course jumped in straight away and got my feet wet!!

I did a few different techniques on my first card.  One of my favorites: the Cracked-Ice technique, was used on the star fish.  I embossed the Beach Squares (all stamps from Set 431 - Summer Swirl) by arranging them all on an acrylic block and applying Versamark then spooning the three EPs (one at a time): Electric Blue, Tuscan Star and Blue Fizz. The background piece was done in the same manner, just apply Versamark ink to the edges, this way you get a totally color-coordinated base for your card. The tag was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with the Tuscan Star EP again and then I covered the tag with Versamark and heat embossed with Super Thick Clear embossing powder.  Full details for the card are right here:

For my second card, I used the Embossing Painting technique, which is to cover the entire card with Versamark and either working up or down, spoon on the different colors of embossing powders to emulate a scene. Here, I started at the bottom and used Hit the Beach for the beach, White Detail for the sea foam, Jamaican Dream for the Sea, Silver for the horizon and Poolside for the sky. I added a little White Detail to the sky and sea and then heat embossed from the underside to create the clouds and sea foam. Oh, and then use a Versamarker to add a little Sparkle embossing powder to the sea and sand to add the sun's bling!  You then emboss your images on top of your background and color with Copics where needed.  Full instructions for the card can be found here:

So on to my third card. Yes, I was on an embossing roll!  This time I used "my" embossing painting technique.  This is where you paint on Embossable Acetate using different colored embossing powders on the back-side of your image.  You can stamp the image in Staz-On or in Versamark and then heat emboss with Black embossing powder. That's what I did with this last card.  Then use a Versamarker or Penboss to apply the ink inside the lines of the image. Do one color at a time.  For full instructions for this card, click here:

The items on sale this month are: Water, Food and Beverages and our Featured Artist is Rosiland Solomon. So if you've had your eye on something in those categories - now is the time to get it!

I hope you've enjoyed what I had to show you today. Remember to leave a comment before you hop on over to see what our talented Julie has in store for you.  

As always, thanks for stopping by .....

Shona

  

SPARKLE N SPRINKLE FLOWER CHILD BLOG HOP

Hi there, and welcome to the latest Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog Hop. Today we are celebrating Spring with our SNS children and flowers! If you hopped here by way of the talented Karalee then you are in the right place! Otherwise, you might like to go back to the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog page to become eligible for five great prizes. There are 2 grand prizes and 3 "random" prizes that are attached to three different designers' blogs! In order to be eligible for the prizes, all you have to do is comment on each of the blogs.


So let's get on with the show! For my first card today I decided to go straight for the "Flower Child". There are many fun images in this Set 412 - Daddy's Little Girl. I love this image in particular - I have a niece that is a bit of a tomboy and I found Tomboy Becca to be right up her alley! I colored her with Twinkling H20s and a water brush, something I hadn't played with for a while. The frame is popped up with dimensionals after being run through a flower embossing folder. Girlie, but not too much! Full directions can be found here. 

For my second card today, I am sharing my Mum's Mother's Day card. Mother's Day was the 18th of March this year in the UK.  Mothering Sunday, as it is traditionally known in the UK, always falls on the 4th Sunday of Lent, so it can often fall in a different month (let alone day) - that's the UK for you, always keeping us on our toes! If you are interested in reading a little background on Mothering Sunday, just click here!


My Mum is a keen gardener. She has a courtyard in Scotland where she lives now and it is always a delight to see - roses and other climbing plants grow up the sandstone walls and then she has a "million" pots that are home to a wide array of plants. They've not been experiencing the nice weather that we have, so she says it's not as pretty as usual. We're going over for my Dad's 80th birthday next week, but like I said to her, we're not coming to see the plants!!


For the card I used one of my favorite flower images from set 402 - My Rose Garden.  After coloring with Twinkling H20s, I covered the cut and embossed piece with Versamark and heat embossed with Clear Detail powder, then repeated the process using Super Thick Clear embossing powder. When it was cool I just folded the piece which caused the cracks to appear, (couldn't wait for the freezer!) then I ran some distressing pink ink over the piece and rubbed off the excess, leaving the pink in the cracks.  I then covered the piece again with Versamark and heat embossed with the Thick Clear powder once more. Full instructions for the card can be found here. If you want to check it out - here is a tutorial on the Cracked Ice Technique. 

There are some items on sale this month, to go along with our theme, Flowers - Children - Spanish and Artist Tom Jones.  These sets will be offered at 15% off.  Details can be found here.


Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  Remember to leave a comment here before you jump on over to see what Julie has in store for you today. Remember to be eligible for the prizes - you must comment on every blog on the hop.


Have a great day!