Really Trying

Have you ever got into that mindset where you have an idea or a fancy for doing something new and come across innumerable difficulties in order to get there...  but you just can't give it up?

This card is the end result of one such endeavour. It began when I decided that I wanted to try to cut out a stamped image using my Silhouette Portrait.

I had to begin by stamping and scanning the image I wanted (in this case a Stampin' Up French Foliage leaf), only to find that for some reason my printer wouldn't scan to my computer. I ended up using all sorts of daft things like my phone and a QR code to get the image into my computer via Google Drive. I didn't even know there was such a thing before. Anyway it got there somehow or other. Then I had to retrieve it, to drop into my Silhouette software.  Needless to say I managed that somehow. The bit I thought was going to be tricky, actually getting the leaf traced, offset and cut was easy. So I cut five out in a line.

Next the image had to be stamped correctly onto each cut out. I decided that I wanted to use three colours of ink on each leaf so this is how I went about it.

Taking the sheet of card with the row of 5 apertures, I placed it in my stamping platform, over a sheet of plain copy paper. I put the stamp where I thought was about central to the aperture and inked with  light coloured ink.

I looked to see what the positioning was like.

As you can see, in the second picture, the stamp was not quite in the right place, so keeping the copy paper still, I moved the cut out card more centrally over the first stamped image and tried again with a slightly deeper shade of ink.

Still not quite there, so again keeping the copy paper still I moved the top card ever so slightly and tried again with yet a different shade of ink.

Happy with this positioning , I then proceeded to use the same aperture to insert each of the cut leaves in turn, to ink with three different autumnal shades of ink, starting with the lightest and stamping between each addition, I ended with the strongest shade.

I began by using the colours from CAS Colours and Sketches

Not having these exact colours at my disposal, I used Adirondak inks in Butterscotch, Hazelnut and Cranberry. I have to say that they look to be a really close match.

Inkspirational has the prompt word Day this time so my sentiment reflects that!

It was altogether a bit of a trying experience, especially as my computer decided to deny me permission to save the photographs of the stages of making this card, which I had just sent via email from my phone. It asked me to contact the administrator, which is me!!!! .I don't understand quite how they all arrived in the right place eventually, but I did learn a few things along the way... and this time I didn't give up!

 

Thanks

Here is a card made from a simple sketch from CASe This Sketch .

It was made with scraps from my 'come in  handy' drawers. I am dreadful  at throwing things away (you should see our garage... but then you probably wouldn't want to!)

The die is by Alexandra Renke and the sentiment from Simon Says Stamp. I added tiny pearls where the die had small holes, to give the impression of a little sheen.

To get the vellum to fold neatly around the front panel, so that it could be adhered on  the reverse, I dry embossed it with the die which I used to cut the panel. I could then fold it on the emboss lines and it fitted perfectly.

 

Die Embossing

Here is yet another contribution to the challenge at CAS Mix UP

For this one I began with an embossing folder from Sizzix and a die by Alexandra Renke. I placed the die, cutting side uppermost, on to the open Sizzix Embossing folder, followed by  the card and then a rubber mat and finally the top plate of the sandwich.

I water-coloured the embossed leaf, stamped a few random dots and and a little script stamp , although that just looks like general distressing! A few spritzes of shimmer and then gold inked, scraped edges finished the panel. I die-cut another leaf and coloured that with Distress inks and a little smidge of gold ink. I just stamped a simple sentiment to complete the card.

I have to say it is fun learning new techniques!

Seize the birthday 

Die- Cuts with optional stamped sentiment

 

Peace Love Joy

Here is another attempt at a new (to me) technique for embossing with dies. This time I followed instructions from a video by Jennifer McGuire. After wiping both the card and the die an antistatic bag, I inked the die gently with Versamark and carefully placed it on the card over a rubber mat and ran it through my Big Shot, using the sandwich for embossing. After taking it out I heat embossed it with Gold embossing powder.

The sentiment is from a set by Hero Arts. After embossing, I cut it out with a pennant die from MFT, cutting part way from each end, to create a rectangle rather than a flag.

In order to get the tree panel to co-ordinate with the sentiment, I used the largest of the MFT pennant set of dies, which is a little longer than the the card is tall, to give matching  pierced edges to it.

This was a bit of an experiment with the technique, so next time I'll think a little more about the actual design of the card rather than just having a go at the technique.

CAS Mix Up

Stamping, Die Cutting, Embossing with Dies.

CAS Christmas

I'll have to try this technique again!