Leave a Little Sparkle

 

Jennifer McGuire recently had a video about the Sparkled Glass technique. I created this card based on that technique, & the butterflies & color palette in the inspiration photo from the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie challenge.

I cut a piece of Grafix DuraLar acetate to 4-1/4x5-1/2". Using my MISTI stamp positioning tool, I centered the image from WPlus9's new "Vintage Ephemera" stamp set on the panel, & stamped it with StazOn Jet Black ink. I then used Sharpie markers to color it, adding the color on the back of the acetate so as not to smear the StazOn.

I cut a panel of patterned paper from the My Mind's Eye "Adorbs" 6x6" pad to 4x5-1/4". I used the coordinating "Vintage Ephemera" die to die cut from the center of that panel. I applied double-sided adhesive to the back of the paper, and adhered it to my acetate, centering the image in the die cut window. Then I trimmed off any acetate that extended beyond the patterned paper.

I adhered a panel of white glitter paper behind the image. I couldn't capture the shimmer in the photo, as it is subtle, but it's there. I matted my panel with pink cardstock & adhered it to a white A2-size card base. I used a sticker from the Tim Holtz "Small Talk" sticker book for my greeting. I felt the wording went perfectly with a sparkly image. Finally, to echo the black of the greeting, I added 3 black sequins to the lower right corner. I think when I do this technique again, I will use a chunkier glitter paper, just so the sparkle shows better. But I still like how this card came out.

I'm also entering this card in 613 Avenue Create's "Anything Goes" challenge (not playing the twist).

Happy Birthday

 

My aunt's birthday is coming up, so I decided to make her a card. Because she lives in Florida, I wanted to use Hero Arts' "Color Layering Hibiscus" stamp set & coordinating dies (discontinued). To get inspiration, I did a search for that set on Pinterest, & found this card by Yana Smakula. I liked the frame idea, so decided to use that & build my card around it.

I first stamped out my flowers & leaves. I used photos of hibiscus flowers to guide my color choices. For the second layer of the pink hibiscus, I used the same pink ink I had for the first layer, just stamping it multiple times to build up the color. For the stamen, I used gold embossing powder on the orange hibiscus, & yellow on the pink ones, just for a little something different. However, I apparently didn't stamp the flowers exactly "right," & the dies wouldn't line up properly. So I fussy cut those. Thankfully, I was able to die cut the leaves. Lesson learned - die cut the flowers first and then stamp!

I cut my white frame first, since I knew it would be the larger element. I used a paper trimmer to cut the main piece, then used a Waffle Flower "Nesting Squares" die to cut out the opening. I then cut another frame piece from black cardstock. Before I cut the inside window, I marked where I wanted the happy to die cut. I used the happy die from Spellbinders' "Happy Birthday Banner" die (discontinued) & partial die cutting to cut the word from where the window would go. Then I used a craft knife & ruler to cut the remainder of the window. The "Happy Birthday Banner" cuts the word both right side up & upside down (connected to each other), so you can fold it over a string to make a banner. So once I'd cut away the excess of the window, I folded the upper part of the letters over, & glued them to the back of the lower part, to provide a little more reinforcement. I stamped the birthday, from Altenew's "Birthday Builder" set, on the white frame, & adhered the black frame behind the white.

For some added interest in the background, I embossed a white panel with the "Lumber" 3-D embossing folder by Tim Holtz for Sizzix. I matted that with black, adhered it to a white A2 card base, and arranged my flowers, leaves, & frame. I glued everything down flat, except for the flower in the upper right corner, which I popped up with foam tape.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

 

Aud Sentiments Challenge #277: "Anything Goes Plus a Sentiment"

Dies R Us Challenge # 171: "Anything Goes with Any Brand of Die that DRU Sells" (used Spellbinders die"

Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Friend

  

A good friend of ours has a birthday this weekend. She always appreciates my cards, so I tend to make them really special. The "Beautiful Pop-up Book Card" tutorial by Sam Calcott at Mixed Up Craft inspired this card.

I first created a 5x7" card base from heavyweight white cardstock. I cut a piece of script patterned paper to 4-1/2x6-1/2", and matted it with pink, leaving a 1/8" border, then adhered it to the card base. I used Altenew's "Vintage Roses" stamp set & coordinating dies for the flowers and leaves. Our friend lives in Tyler, TX, which is designated the Rose Capital of America, so that guided my choice of flowers.

I created the greeting for the front in Photoshop, & printed it onto parchment paper. I die cut that with a Spellbinders "Decorative Labels One" die (discontinued). It kind of got lost on the script paper, since there is not much color difference, so I die cut a mat from pink with a Spellbinders "Labels One" die (discontinued), that coordinates with the decorative label. I adhered those together, and mounted them to my card front. Finally, I glued the roses & leaves in place around the greeting.

Inside of card

The recipient is a church choir director, so I decided to make this "book" card a music book. I found royalty-free sheet music online, and downloaded it. I printed out the first 6 pages, and scanned them into my computer. I opened each page in Photoshop, & sized them so they would fit on the book pages, following the measurements in the tutorial. I then printed them onto parchment paper, & cut them to size.

 

I matted each music page with pink, & adhered them to the inside pages that I'd cut from white cardstock. I also added the end papers to the inside covers of the card. I created the mechanism as per the tutorial, and inserted my pages.

 

I die cut the "happy birthday" from black glitter paper, using the "Celebration Words: Script" die set from Sizzix by Tim Holtz. I added that to another "Decorative Labels One" die cut, that I'd cut from a double layer of Essentials by Ellen 40 lb. vellum. (The vellum helps mute the background sheet music, to make the greeting more legible, without totally obscuring the notes.) To finish, I added a couple more roses & leaves in opposite corners of the greeting. I made a matching envelope as well. Since there is a bit of bulk to this card, I couldn't really use a "flat" envelope, so I made one that's a bit more like an envelope-shaped box.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Through the Craft Room Door: "Anything Goes"

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Inspired by an Artist" (design & flower accents inspired by Sam Calcott)

Die Cut Divas June Challenge: "Birthdays"

Dies R Us Challenge #170: "Anything Goes Using any Brand of Die that DRU Sells" (Sizzix & Spellbinders dies used)