Altenew layering stamps are just so gorgeous to work with – they make you feel like an artist! The Vintage Roses package which I use in this video contains 3 sets of 4 layering stamps and 2 sets of 3 layering stamps. I use shades of pink and red but you can create roses from any colour family. Your imagination is the only limit … not the natural world!

The products I used:

Altenew Vintage Roses stamps and dies

Memento inks: Rhubarb Stalk, Lady Bug, Angel Pink, Bamboo Leaves, Northern Pine, Tuxedo Black

Distress ink: Worn Lipstick

Perfectly Penned Alphabet Stamp Set from Concord & 9th

Double Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics die

XCut lattice embossing folder

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80lb cardstock

Pink cardstock

Papermania 300gsm white 5″ x 7″ card base

I love using stencils and embossing paste to create interesting backgrounds. In this video I show how to create your own stencil using a background die. Nuvo Glimmer Paste is smooth and buttery and glides into the grooves of a stencil. The finished result is ultra glittery and really eye-catching. I show how I apply it using the home-made stencil. Then I use an embossed branches background, which was made using the same paste, to create an engagement card.

Tools and products used are listed below this video link.

The tools and products used in this video:

Papermania 300gsm 5″ x 7″ card base
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock 80lb weight
Crafter’s Workshop (TCW) stencil 6″ x 6″ Template sheets
Crafter’s Workshop (TCW) 6″ x 6″ Branches stencil (There are two versions of this stencil: one embosses the branches as in this video and the other embosses the area outside the branches)
My Favourite Things Dainty Scallop background die
Tonic Studios Nuvo Glimmer Paste ‘Silver Gem’
Elizabeth Craft Designs ‘Congratulations’ die
Brittania Dies ‘Congratulations On Your Wedding Day’ die (On + Your)
Cottage Cutz ‘Engagement Script’ die
Memory Box ‘Resting Birds’ die set
Lawn Fawn ‘Hearts’ die set
Spectrum Noir alcohol markers BT2 (birds) and BT5 (mottled effect on birds and layering mat)
Cosmic Shimmer white acrylic glue
Ranger Glossy Accents

Tools:
Ranger craft sheet
Cuttlebug die cutter and embosser
Fiskars paper trimmer
Fiskars non-stick scissors
Palette knife

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Receiving a special card to mark a baby’s first Christmas delights new parents and that card is very often put away in a ‘nostalgia box’ or a ‘memory box’ for that baby to enjoy as a memento in later years, as an older child and even later as an adult. I have made this card many times, with only slight variations, as this basic layout has had great appeal. The cute teddy bear holding a large parcel creates an appealing embellishment for this card. The tools and products I use are listed below the video.

Products:

Anita’s Square Card Base 13.5 x 13.5cm

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80lb cardstock

Docrafts A4 Create Christmas Glitter Pack – gold glitter card

Me to You Layered Dies ‘Birthday Surprise’ – bear holding gift die

Elizabeth Craft Designs word die ‘With Sympathy’ (With)

Avery Elle ‘A Tag For All Dies’ (love)

Cheery Lynn ‘It’s a Boy/Girl’ die set (It’s)

Britannia Dies ‘On Your Wedding Day’ die from http://www.jjdcards.com (Your)

Impression Obsession Plain Uppercase Alphabet Die (F I R S T)

Elizabeth Craft Designs word die – Merry Christmas (Christmas)

Leonie Pujol Christmas Sentiments Stamp Set ‘May your Christmas be filled with Love and Joy’

Cosmic Shimmer white acrylic glue in a Quilled Creations fine nozzle tip bottle

Spectrum Noir Markers: Brown – GB8 and GB10; Essentials: EB1 and Black

Spectrum Noir ‘Overlay’ shimmer pen

Tools:

Cuttlebug die cutter and embosser

MISTI stamping tool

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I love designing cards which involve using die-cuts. This usually means discarding the pieces which are cut out to leave a frame. However, conserving the pieces and inlaying them into another colour frame is another way to use your dies to get an interesting effect. In this video I use this technique with a Christmas ornament die using this Elizabeth Craft Designs ‘Ornament Die Set 1’:

One would normally overlay the three dies on the right on a contrasting colour die-cut of the plain die-cut on the top left. In this video I take the time to use the pieces which usually end up in the bin! The technique I use in this video could be used with the other two ornament dies in much less time by inlaying all the large pieces and applying gemstones over the small holes and berries. The products I use are listed under the video.

Products:

Elizabeth Craft Designs ‘Ornament Die Set 1’

Elizabeth Craft Designs word die – Merry Christmas

Crafter’s Companion Neenah Solar White cardstock

Anita’s Mirri Board – Silver

Docrafts ‘Create Christmas’ silver glitter paper (top of ornaments)

Anita’s Square Card Base – 240gsm (not my favourite weight – I prefer the cardstock to be 300gsm as a card base)

Prove Craft ‘With Love 37-1171’ – Cuttlebug strip embossing folders – dots

Cosmic Shimmer white acrylic glue in a Quilled Creations fine nozzle tip bottle

Spectrum Noir ‘Overlay’ shimmer pen

Tools:

Cuttlebug die cutter and embosser

Craftwell eBosser electronic die-cutter and embosser

 

 

 

***************************************************************** I hadn’t used a stencil in a while and it was while looking through my collection I found myself humming ‘You are my sunshine’ when I saw the Tim Holtz ‘Rays’ layering stencil. That reminded me of my daughter and an idea for this birthday card started to take shape. I hope you enjoy the video. The tools and products I use are listed below the video link.

Products used:

Tim Holtz layering stencil -‘Rays’

Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade + Ranger round blending tool and foam

Mama Elephant ‘Calli Letters’ upper case and lower case alphabet sets

Staedtler pigment liner pen 0.4

Crafter’s Companion Neenah Solar White cardstock

Crafter’s Companion black cardstock

Papermania textured coloured cardstock ‘Capsule Collection’ (orange card)

Papermania A5 300gsm card base

Cheery Lynn ‘Musical Mesh’ die

Brittania Dies ‘daughter’ word die

Elizabeth Craft Designs small ‘Happy Birthday’ die

3M Painter’s tape

Anita’s gemstone wheel

Spectrum Noir Clear Overlay shimmer pen

Tools:

Cuttlebug Die-cutter and embosser

Heat gun

Fiskars Paper Trimmer

 

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The Stampin  Up Owl Builder punch is so much fun to use. You can create owls from coloured and patterned cardstock or you can punch it from white card and colour it with markers, paints, colouring pencils etc The fun really begins when you place the pupils of the eyes in different positions to have your owls looking up, down or sideways. You can also create expressions to match your sentiments. Here is a simple ‘Hello’ card using two punched owls sitting on a branch die-cut. The tools and products I use are listed under the video.

Tools and products used:

Stampin Up Owl Builder Punch

Patterned paper

Crafter’s Companion Neenah Solar White cardstock

Spectrum Noir Markers Browns EB8, Pinks BP6, Warm Greys BG2 and Essentials Black

Spectrum Noir Overlay Shimmer pen

Memory Box Grove Branch die

My Favourite Things Die-Namics MFT Happy Hellos 6-piece die set

Cosmic Shimmer white acrylic glue in a Quilled Creations bottle

Cuttlebug Die-cutter and Embosser

Tweezers

XCut Piercing tool

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I just love the Memory Box Splashing Puddles die – it offers so many possibilities. I thought it would be fun to team that die with some die-cut penguins to tell someone to ‘splash out’ on their birthday. Lots of the techniques I use in this video I learned from watching Jennifer McGuire at jennifermcguireink.com

The tools and products used:

Memory Box ‘Splashing Puddles’ die

My Favourite Things Stitched Rectangle die (Die-namics STAX)

Penguin die (I’ve had this die for years and cannot find it online to identify the brand)

Avery Elle ‘A Tag For All Elle-ments’ die set – the word ‘birthday’

Memory Box ‘Classic Number Set’ dies – 4 and 0

Mama Elephant ‘Calli Letters’ alphabet stamps

Tim Holtz Distress Ink – Tumbled Glass + round foam applicator tool

Spectrum Noir marker – TB5

Memento dye ink – Paris Dusk

 

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I don’t usually buy craft magazines as I think the sterling markup makes them prohibitively expensive in Ireland. However, while visiting my daughter in Cambridge recently I came upon the Docrafts September ‘Creativity’ magazine at a very acceptable £4.99. What caught my attention was the tempting XCut mini-envelope die, a Christmas tree stamp set and some very shimmery glitter paper which all came ‘free’ with it. I got around to using the die last week and loved the results. I hope you do too.

The products used:

Main card:

Anita’s Square White Cards – blank card and envelope

Crafter’s Companion Neenah Solar White cardstock

XCut mini-envelope die

Docrafts ‘Let It Snow’ mini stamp + Papermania acrylic block

Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink

Docrafts ‘Create Christmas’ A6 and A4 glitter paper packs

Dovecraft snowflakes embossing folder

Darice Glitter Foam sheet – gold

Elizabeth Craft Designs ‘Merry Christmas’ die

Cosmic Shimmer White Acrylic Glue

Quilled Creations Fine Nozzle Tip glue applicator bottle

Crafter’s Companion glue roller tape

Cuttlebug Die-cutter and Embosser

Robin card: 

Memory Box Grove Branch die

Christmas pattern paper

Ranger Glossy Accents

Merry Christmas card:

Cottage Cutz Holly die

Leonie Pujol ‘Christmas Greetings’ stamp set

Docrafts holly border embossing folder (Design Objectives Ltd)

We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper (1/8″ and 3/8″ corners)

Candles card

Candles and holly brass stencil

Heat It Up! Gold embossing powder

My Favourite Things Die-namics Inside and Out Stitched Rounded Square STAX

Stars created with Crelando star punch

Snowflakes card

XCut snowflake die

Sanding block

Crafter’s Companion Black card

Blue snowy backdrop card

Heidi Swapp Confetti Stencil

Stampendous white detail embossing powder

Cuttlebug ‘bubbles’ embossing folder

Joy Crafts Kraft card

Snowman card

Hobbycraft Clear Snowman Christmas stamp (my best buy this year – the princely sum of £1!)

Spectrum Noir sets of alcohol markers – Reds, Greens and Essentials

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The technique of embossing the impression created when an intricate die is used to emboss rather than cut, was shared recently by Jennifer McGuire at http://www.jennifermcguireink.com so I thought I would give-it-a-go. I rather liked the result so here is the video (uploaded to YouTube on 27/10/2016).

PRODUCTS AND TOOLS ARE LISTED UNDERNEATH THE VIDEO LINK

The Blue Card:

Nellie Snellen Multi-Frame Dies – Straight Dotted Oval

Elizabeth Craft Designs Dies – ‘Ornament Die Set 1’

Elizabeth Craft Designs Dies – ‘Merry Christmas’

Cottage Cutz ‘Elegant Champagne Glass’ die – the bow from that die

Stampendous ‘Detail White’ embossing powder

Versamark Ink pad

Docrafts ‘Create Christmas’ A6 glitter paper pack- silver (very smooth and shiny – came with the September edition of Docrafts Creativity magazine

Spectrum Noir Clear Overlay shimmer pen

Sakura metallic silver Gelly Roll pen

Cosmic Shimmer White Acrylic Glue

Quilled Creations Fine Nozzle Tip glue applicator bottle

Crafter’s Companion glue roller tape

Heat It Up! heat gun

Cuttlebug Die-cutter and Embosser

Clear gemstones

Crelando Star Paper Punch

The Green Card: as above +

Heat It Up! Embossing Tinsel – Gold

Mirri Board – Gold

Docrafts ‘Create Christmas’ A6 glitter paper pack- gold (very smooth and shiny – came with the September edition of Docrafts Creativity magazine

Foam-backed glitter paper – gold

Metallic thread – gold

Perfect Pearls ‘Perfect Gold’ pigment powder mixed with water in a mini-mister to create a gold shimmer mist

 

Tim Holtz Distress Ink applied over a white embossed line of trees in a snowy landscape creates the perfect background for an eye-catching Christmas card (Uploaded to YouTube 18/10/2016)

PRODUCTS AND TOOLS ARE LISTED UNDERNEATH THE VIDEO LINK

Products used:

Crafter’s Companion Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock

Die-namics Inside and Out Stitched Rounded Square Stax

Stampin Up stamp set – Lovely as a Tree

Stampendous ‘Detail White’ embossing powder

Versamark Ink pad

Versamark Ink pen

Docrafts Create Christmas Glitter paper

Spectrum Noir Clear Overlay shimmer pen

Cosmic Shimmer White Acrylic Glue

Quilled Creations Fine Nozzle Tip glue applicator bottle

Crafters Companion glue roller tape

Heat It Up! heat gun

Cuttlebug Die-cutter and Embosser

Crelando Star Paper Punch

 

Using the Altenew Peony Bouquet Stamp Set with the MISTI stamping tool – a one layer card that looks hand-painted

 

Products used:

Altenew Peony Bouquet Stamp Set – large and small flowers, a single leave and a leaf cluster

The sentiment “You are So Beautiful Inside and Out” from Altenew Oriental Orchid Stamp Set

Distress Inks – Peony Flowers: Milled Lavender, Wilted Violet and Dusty Concord; Leaves: Crushed Olive and Forest Moss

Dye Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Stamping Tool: MISTI by My Sweet Petunia ( I should have used the magnets that come with this tool to hold the card in place!!)

Xerox laser and inkjet printing paper for peony mask

Yellow post-it tape

Stick It! removable glue to apply mask

Papermania card blank

 

Artistic Fern Stamp and Embossing Folder technique –  ‘Thank You’ and ‘Feel Better Soon’ Cards

Products used:

Sizzix Artisic Fern Stamp and Embossing Folder

Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Card 1: Mowed Lawn, Picked Raspberry, Walnut Stain, Mermaid Lagoon, Spiced Marmalade; Red Card: Aged Mahogany, Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, Worn Lipstick, Fired Brick; Blue Card: Chipped Sapphire, Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon, Faded Jeans.

Memento Tuxedo Black Dye Ink

Spectrum Noir Markers: Layering for Card 1: JG6; Red Card: CR11; Blue card: BT7

Ranger Perfect Pearls – Perfect Pearl colour

Crafter’s Companion White Card Stock and Eason White Heavy Card

Papermania Card Blanks

Cuttlebug For Die-Cutting and Embossing

Fiskars Paper Trimmer

2 cm Double sided tape; narrow ‘red’ double-sided tape; Pritt glue roller.

Sentiments: Phill Martin ‘Sentimentally Yours’ Scribbled Sentiments Collection

 

 

Bethlehem Scene Christmas Card

For the second card in the picture I simply adhered the Bethlehem Scene frame (without the night-sky insert) onto black card. I applied the words Silent Night to the top corners and put tiny dots of Ranger Liquid Pearls on the sky to create stars. To finish, I adhered a silver star like I did in the video. This is a very quick way to use this die to produce a striking monochrome card.

Products used:

Crafter’s Companion white and black card stock

Papermania A6 card blanks

Brittania Dies  – ‘Bethlehem Scene’ image die and ‘Silent Night’ word die

Tim Holtz Distress Ink – Chipped Sapphire + Ranger round blending tool + foam applicator

Pritt glue roller

Cosmic Shimmer white acrylic glue in a Quilled Creations Precision Tip Glue Applicator bottle

Ranger Perfect Pearls pigment powder mixed with water in a mini-mister bottle – ‘perfect pearl’ colour

Ranger Liquid Pearls – Silver

Crelando Border Paper Punch – stars

Cricut Cuttlebug Embosser and Die Cutter

Fiskars scissors and paper trimmer

XCut piercing tool

Die-cut Christmas Tree Cards (See below video link for tools and products used)

The products used:

Green Handmade Paper pack

Papermania card base

Crafter’s Companion white card stock

Gold and silver card stock

Crafter’s Companion Die’sire Classiques Traditional Christmas Tree die set (includes pot)

Elizabeth Craft Designs Merry Christmas die

Die-namics Stitched Rectangle STAX

Spectrum Noir markers – Browns/Marron set of 6 – GB8, GB10, TN7, TN8, EB5, EB8

Tim Holtz Distress Ink – Pumice Stone

Assorted gems

Ranger Liquid Pearls  (silver)

Ranger Enamel Accents  (white)

Crelando Border Punch Set (Lidl) – star punch

Cricut Cuttlebug for Die-cutting and Embossing

Spellbinders embossing mat

XCut piercing tool

Cosmic Shimmer White Acrylic Glue in a Quilled Creations Precision Tip bottle

Double sided foam tape pieces

Fiskars Paper Trimmer