Easter Cards with Nestabilities Fleur De Lis

Welcome here! Easter is only a week away, and I have 2 more Eastery cards to share with you.

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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

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This first card could also be used for birthday etc. I loved how Nestabilities Fleur De Lis made a beautiful snowflake, but I wanted to use it for more than just a snowflake, so I played around with it and this is the result. I used the square piece, and then attached 2 of the fleur pieces to the back of the image. I coloured the image before I knew which paper I was going to use, and that's why...unfortunately...it has a blue background rather than a purple one. I was running out of time because I wanted to post this card before Easter, so I didn't take the time to colour a new image, but you get the idea of how pretty the card is.

Inside:

Recipe: CTMH PP-Bella, CTMH CS-Buttercup, White Daisy and Pansy Purple, CTMH Ink-Pansy Purple, Petal and Black, CTMH SS-Enjoy Every Moment & Love Flourishes,White Grosgrain Ribbon, Nestabilities Fleur De Lis, Cuttlebug Forest Branches EF, Pearls, 3D Foam Squares, Corner Rounder, Copics-W-1, BG0000, BG96, Y17, YG03.

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Card Size: 5 "x 7"

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As I was playing around with Fleur De Lis pieces for the first card, I noticed that it resembled a cross when I turned it on its corner. Here is the result of adding one fleur piece to the bottom corner. I think it turned out absolutely stunning. It is even more vibrant in real life.

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I tried contacting Spellbinders to see if they had a contest, or something, open to the general public (other than their blog hops for new product), I thought I might have a chance at winning since I've never seen anything like this before. But alas, they don't, so I'm left with posting it on my blog for you to enjoy!

Inside:

Recipe: CTMH PP-Sweet Leaf B&T, CTMH CS-New England Ivy and White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Bamboo, New England Ivy, Blush, Tulip, Petal, Pansy Purple and Sweet Leaf, CTMH SS-Eastertime ,White Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearls, Prima Flowers, Button, Nestabilities-Fleur De Lis & Labels Eight, Piercing Tool.

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Enjoy!!

Deneen

Spring Card...For The Birds!

Don'tcha just love hearing the birds chirping so happily in the morning!...unless you're trying to sleep in, lol. This card was inspired by CTMH Sista Lori Scott, I loved her layout, especially of the bird and branches.

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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

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Inside:

Recipe: CTMH PP-Topstitch, CTMH CS-Cocoa, Colonial White & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Baby Pink, Vineyard Berry, Cocoa & Black, CTMH SS-A Tweet, Enjoy Every Moment & Childhood Portrait, Nestabilities-Scallop Circle & Circle, Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Prima Flowers, Rhinestones, 3D Foam Squares.

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Enjoy,

Deneen

Easter Cards

Yippee!! Spring is finally here. I thought I'd start off with some Easter cards, because before you know it, Easter will be here. This card was inspired by one I saw by Betsy Veldman.

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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

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I really love the Springy colours of the card (the card is more vibrant in real life).

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Inside:

Recipe: Heavenly Blue, White Daisy, Sweet Leaf, Buttercup, Baby Pink & White Daisy Textured, CTMH Ink-Bamboo, Baby Pink, Sweet Leaf, Buttercup, Black, Grey Flannel & Heavenly Blue, CTMH SS-Eastertime, Ticket Corner Punch, Martha Stewart Doily Lace Punch, 3D Foam Squares, Cuttlebug Argyle EF, Ribbon.

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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

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This card was inspired by one made by Kim Hughes. Her card was a 3x3 of the eggs in windows, I expanded on that idea to make a full card. And I dusted off my chalks for the sentiment. It was alot of fun working with pastel colours again, after a long winter.

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Recipe: CTMH PP-Paper Garden, CTMH CS-White Daisy, Buttercup, Sweet Leaf, New Engalnd Ivy & Pansy Purple, CTMH Ink-Blush, Spring Iris, Sweet Leaf, Chocolate, Pansy Purple & Petal, CTMH SS Easter Eggs & Eastertime, Chalk, Versamark, Purple Grosgrain Ribbon, Martha Stewart Punches-Grass & Eyelet Lace, Rhinestones, 3D Foam Squares.

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Hope you were inspired too!

Enjoy,

Deneen

Thomas Kincade Cards

Sharon, from The Scrapbook Cottage, asked me to do some techniques to show off the gorgeous Thomas Kincade Stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms. So here are 2 I did for her.

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The first card I used showcased chalking. It may seem overwhelming at first, but the ladies were surprised at how quick the actual colouring took.

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Here are some tips...I like to chalk the lighter colours first, then chalk in the green trees and plants, select a light base colour for the wall, then take a chisel tipped paint brush and fill in some individual bricks (with different colours like brown, rust, red etc.), I also use the paint brush to fill in the areas the chalk applicator (sponge or pompom) miss. You can take a chalk eraser and add areas of highlight, for this picture there wasn't as much to highlight as some others that have clouds and grassy areas. I also use my finger to lightly rub in the chalk as I go along, I find that I don't need to seal it with anything in the end.

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This is the Spotlight Technique. It's fairly straight forward...ink and stamp your image on a piece of CS, now ink and stamp the area you're spotlighting (for this one it is the fisherman) on a lighter piece of CS, trim the spotlighted piece (I used an oval, you can use any shape), match it to the larger image and adhere. (Excuse the black edge, it was a new stamp pad and was very juicy, it ended up soaking in alot and making the edge jagged)

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Enjoy,

Deneen

Gift Bags - Part 2

Well, I made 4 more gift bags, I couldn't resist making another Easter one, plus a masculine, a boy, and a girly one. The instructions, and the first set of gift bags you can find HERE.

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For this one, you don't need to score the middle of the sides. Just add a handle, and you have a basket.

Just another view of it from the front.

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Recipe: CTMH CS-White Daisy, Lilac Mist & Sweet Leaf, CTMH Ink-Spring Iris, Black, Grey Flannel, Sweet Leaf, Petal & Blush, CTMH SS-Eastertime & Easter Eggs, Nestabilities-Scallop Circles & Standard Circles, Martha Stewart Punches-Pinking Scallop Border & Eyelet Lace Corner, CTMH Square Chocolate Brad, 3D Foam Squares, Transparency.

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Here's the masculine gift bag. Instead of having a window in the front, I added an image. I finished off the top with some Copper Brads. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I added some 3D Foam Squares behind the blue frame, it really seemed to make the image 'pop', which I coloured with pencil crayons.

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Recipe: CTMH PP-Majestic Blue, CTMH CS-Desert Sand, Outdoor Denim & Colonial White, CTMH Ink-Black, Cocoa & Chocolate, CTMH SS-Beautiful Things & Say It In Style, Nestabilities-Labels Two & Double Ended Tags, 3D Foam Squares, Pencil Crayons, Copper Brads, Natural Hemp.

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I hadn't had a chance to use my CTMH Topstitch papers yet, and thought this would be the perfect opportunity. For the bird, I tried a technique that CTMH Sista Patricia Poole used. I inked up the stamp by sponge daubing CTMH Chocolate Ink onto the top part of the bird, and then sponge daubing CTMH Blush Ink onto the chest section of the bird.

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Recipe: CTMH PP-Topstitch, CTMH CS-Colonial White, Baby Ink, Sweet Leaf & Cocoa, CTMH Ink-Chocoalte, Blush, Honey & New England Ivy, CTMH SS-A Tweet, Martha Stewart Punch-Eyelet Lace Corner & Border & Grass, Nestabilities-Standard Circles & Classic Scallop Circles, Pearls, 3D Foam Squares, Transparency, Rhinestone.

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Here's the boy one...it was alot of fun to make, I especially like the frog coming out of the window. I used the retired CTMH Blue Jeans SS as a pocket for the gift bag closure.

For the 'snap', I used Liquid Glass to give it a realistic look.

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Recipe: CTMH PP-Tinkerin', CTMH CS-Holiday Red, Honey, Baby Blue, Sweet Leaf & Desert Sand, CTMH Ink-Chocolate, Olive, New England Ivy, Outdoor Denim, Black & Grey Flannel, CTMH SS-Blue Jeans & Fun Times, Nestabilities Standard Circles, Martha Stewart Punch-Double Loops Corner, Transparency, Googly Eyes, Liquid Glass.

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Enjoy,

Deneen

Backpack Card

You're probably wondering what a 'backpack' card is. Well, I used all my inspiration up for the card and couldn't think of a snappy title, and since the colour combo for this card was inspired by a 'backpack', I titled my post 'Backpack Card'.

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The colour combo was inspired by a backpack, and the layout was inspired by a card made by Selene Kempton.

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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Sorry about the darkness of the photo, I need to figure out a better way to take photos. I used Impressabilities-Flourish for the background. It stands out much better in real life.

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Recipe: CTMH CS-Cocoa, Colonial White & Crystal Blue Textured, CTMH Ink-Black, Crystal Blue, Moonstruck & Cocoa, CTMH SS-True Friends & Treasure Life, Rhinestones, Impressabilitie-Flourish, Flower Punch, Corner Rounder, Ticket Punch, CTMH Colonial White Brads, CTMH Colonial White Satin Edge Organdy Ribbon, 3D Foam Squares.

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Enjoy,
Deneen

Gift Bags

I cannot believe how fast this month is going. Before you know it, Easter is going to be here. I realized I had better get working on some Spring cards.

Last year we received some Easter treats in a gift bag with a bunny head. Well, being the papercrafter that I am, I wanted to use pretty paper or stamps and make my own. And being the practical person that I am...lol...I also made one for occasions other than Easter. Now I just have to find time to sit down and make a masculine and kids one.

Here's the same bag template, but different toppers. You can find the Gift Bag Instructions a little farther down.

Aren't they cute!!!

Gift Bag Size is approx. 3.5" x 5.5". The Bunny head is approx. 3.5" tall.

Recipe: CTMH PP-That's Amore, CTMH CS-Cocoa & Colonial White, CTMH Ink-Cocoa, Acetate(same stuff overheads are made of), Nestabilities-Fleur De Lis & Labels, Pearls, Prima Flowers.

For the bunny, I added hands and even a tail (see photo below). The template for the Bunny Head is below as well. This Gift Bag is made from CS that I stamped with a background stamp.

Recipe: CTMH CS-Petal, Baby Pink & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Pansy Purple & Sweet Leaf, CTMH SS-Intrinsic Backgrounds & Easter Eggs, Nestabilities Scallop Ovals, Black Sharpie Marker, Chalk, White Pompom, Rhinestones, Acetate.

For this Gift Bag I left off the hands and tail, and made the window a little smaller. I used CTMH B&T Duo's, so the inside of the Gift Bag is nicely decorated as well. The photo below shows the Gift Bag without the chocolate...but because the B&T paper is a dark brown, it didn't photograph very well, but you get the idea.

Recipe: CTMH PP-That's Amore, CTMH CS-White Daisy, Colonial White, Baby Pink, Heavenly Blue & Cocoa, CTMH Ink-Black, Cocoa & Tulip, CTMH SS-Easter Eggs, Nestabilities-Scallop Ovals & Tags, Martha Stewart Border Punch, Rhinestones, Brads, Acetate.


Gift Bag Instructions.

For the window piece, I used the same stuff that overheads are made of.

Bunny Head Template:

Okay, now I've got some chocolate to go and eat! Yum.

Enjoy,
Deneen

1 Sketch, 2 Cards

Good morning! I saw a card by Debbie Olson and I really liked the layout, so I 'lifted' the sketch and made 2 card samples.

Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

The first card uses paper from CTMH Veranda Creative Basics collection. I really love how elegant the paper looks. I made the scallops using a corner rounder. (I wrote up a tutorial HERE on how to do that). The sentiment I kept basic, so if I needed a birthday card, or a sympathy card etc., I could use it.

The inside:

Recipe: CTMH PP-Veranda Creative Basics, CTMH CS-White Daisy, Colonial White & New England Ivy, CTMH Ink-Juniper & Black, CTMH SS-Say It In Style, Treasures & Treasure Life, Corner Rounder, Pearls, 3D Foam Squares, Nestabilities-Labels Four, CTMH Colonial White Satin Edge Organdy Ribbon, Buttons.

Here is the second card I made using the same layout. The inside is the same as the card above, just in a colour that matches the purples.

Recipe: CTMH PP-Bella B&T, CTMH CS-Pansy Purple, Colonial White & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Pansy Purple & Black, CTMH SS-Say It In Style, Treasures & Treasure Life, Corner Rounder, Pearls, 3D Foam Squares, Nestabilities-Labels Four, CTMH Colonial White Satin Edge Organdy Ribbon, Buttons.

Enjoy,

Deneen

Covered Journal

Happy March!! I can't believe how time flies, it's March already.

Today I have a notebook that I covered to share with you. I covered it a while ago, but the image...a butterfly...got kind of lost, so I pulled it off, and worked with the colours (I didn't remove the flower paper or corner pieces) to create a title for my journal. I am really pleased with how it turned out, I especially love the boldness of the title, because prayer is so powerful. This is the journal I take with me to Cell, and where I write down prayer requests for others.

After stamping the word 'power', I covered it with Liquid Glass to give it shine and dimension. I also used Prisma Glitter on the letters of 'prayer'.

Recipe: CTMH PP-Emporium, CTMH CS-Twilight, Colonial White & Black, CTMH Ink-Twilight, Black & Vineyard Berry, CTMH SS-Baroque Alphabet, Rustic Alphabet, Precious Alphabet & Faith, Liquid Glass, 3D Foam Squares, Pencil Crayons, Prisma Glitter.

Enjoy,

Deneen

Impressabilities Tips/Techniques with Cuttlebug PART 2

I posted some Impressabilities Tips/Techniques with the Cuttlebug a week ago HERE. This post will build on those techniques, so if you have not read them, you may want to check that post out first and then come back.

I was interested in what else I could do with Impressabilites and came up with the following ideas. (I thought the writing on the photos would be alot bigger...sorry.)

I was interested in how the Impressabilities would translate to vellum, so I tried some different ideas, and posted my results for you.

Sample 1
I spritzed the vellum with water and then embossed it with the Impressabilities. I spritzed it to see if the embossing would come out more defined like on CS. I found that it didn't make as much of a difference as it does on CS, and that the vellum dried more wrinkly (is that a word...lol?).

Sample 2
I used a smaller piece of vellum, and did NOT spritz it first.

Sample 3
This piece of vellum did not photograph well, but I wanted to see what chalking the embossing would look like. This piece was NOT spritzed with water.

Samples 4 & 5
For these samples I used the Letterpress Technique with Fiskars Silver Pigment Ink. The first photo shows how well it covers the vellum, while the second photo I tilted so that you could see the shine of the ink.

Sample 6
On this piece of vellum, I embossed the corner with just a piece of the Impressabilities which I inked up with Dye Ink (CTMH Spring Iris Ink)-the Letterpress Technique. The dye ink gives it a soft look.

Sample 7
This is the same vellum piece as Sample 6, but with a piece of blue CS behind it to show you how colour can change the look of things.

Sample 8
This piece of vellum is embossed with no ink.

Sample 9

This final piece of vellum I brayered with Dye Ink (CTMH Buttercup Ink) after embossing with the Impressabilities. I left the Impressabilites under it while I brayered it.

Sample 10

I realized that I showed an example of the debossed side (I like to think of it as the 'depression' made by the template) of the Impressabilities sanded, but not the embossed (or the raised) side. So this sample shows the embossed side sanded. This piece was spritzed with water first.

Sample 11
If you don't own any Pigment Inks (for the Letterpress Technique), you can get a fairly close similar look (is that proper grammar???) with Dye Ink and a Brayer. Spritz the CS before embossing with the Impressabilities, then before removing the Impressabilities, brayer over the embossed side (the opposite side of the CS from the Impressabilities). Not quite as crisp a look as the Letterpress Technique, but not too bad. (The ink used-CTMH Sweet Leaf)

Sample 12
I used the same technique as Sample 11, but inked the CS with a lighter colour, CTMH Buttercup Ink.

Sample 13
I wanted to see how the Letterpress Technique looked with a dark Dye Ink, like CTMH Moonstruck, on a colour CS like CTMH Spring Iris. I applied the ink to the Impressabilities directly using the ink pad. Pigment Ink is the best way to go, but the darker dye ink didn't turn out too bad. One thing I noticed was that the ink sort of 'beaded' up on the Impressabilities, which led me to try applying the ink with a brayer...see Sample 14.

Sample 14
I used the same technique as explained in Sample 13 using CTMH Buttercup Dye Ink, with CTMH White Daisy CS. Rather than applying the ink directly with the ink pad, I used my brayer to ink up the Impressabilities. I found that the ink had a smoother finish, and did not bead up like in Sample 13.

Sample 15 & 16

For these 2 samples I used Fiskars Silver Pigment Ink and the Letterpress Technique. For the first sample I used CTMH Outdoor Denim CS, and for the second sample I used CTMH Pansy Purple CS (I forgot to take a shot of how the silver shines).

Sample 17
For this sample of Letterpress Technique I used CTMH Black CS and CTMH White Daisy Ink.

Sample 18
I wanted to see what tone-on-tone would look like. Here I used Maya Road Dark Brown Pigment Ink, and CTMH Chocolate CS.

Sample 19 & 20

Last, but not least, I used chalk on an embossed piece of CS. The piece on the left I spritzed with water first, embossed it, then applied chalk to the embossing. The piece on the right I did NOT spritz with water, embossed it, then applied chalk to the embossing. Two really different looks.

Well, I hope I have inspired you and not put you to sleep with my super long post. I've done the work, now you can go play!!!

Enjoy,

Deneen