Thanks so much

HAving seen the challenge from CAS Mix Up, I have spent quite some time messing around with various techniques which were completely new to me!

This card is the result of one of those endeavours.

I have embossed with dies many, many times, but never quite like some of the ways which I have been trying today.

I used a 'Hessian' Embossing Folder from Crafter's Companion, together with a matching stamp and die from Clearly Besotted. 

The die needs to have a flat back (and be pretty symmetrical). The flat side of the die is placed onto the raised side of the Embossing folder. The card to be embossed is laid on top and leaving the embossing folder open, the sandwich is topped with a rubber mat and the top plate of the die-cutting machine.

Once embossed, the flat area left by the die can be stamped with its matching stamp. The need for symmetry is because normally the stamp would line up with the cutting side of the die, not the reverse!

I used my stamping platform  to try to get the stamp as closely aligned as possible and inked with a BIG and Juicy variegated ink pad, applying the ink with a brayer as the ink pad is too large to apply directly with ease.

The sentiment is from  Avery Elle.

Once more thanks to the girls from CAS Mix Up for more great inspiration!

CASology

This was fun!

  

White Christmas

Here are two of my favourite 'go to' items for Christmas cards, my Sheena Douglass 'Snow ' Embossing folder and I think it is a Memory Box Christmas trees die. When I spotted this sentiment in a set in my stash from Mama Elephant, I thought that as I was making a white on white card, it would be a real tongue in cheek thing to add!

I had three challenges in mind when making this card.

CAS Christmas

Colours and Sketches

ABC Christmas

S for Snow

I still find this new Blogger a pain 😏, in fact I haven't used it much, which is probably why I'm still somewhat in the dark as to its potential or even its everyday use. My card making itself has dropped off somewhat recently, playing second fiddle to a renewed interest in sewing. 

I wonder how long we will have to continue with our current regimes, it seems incredible to me that the whole world is in a similar state!

Stay safe everyone.

 

A Christmas Creature

How is everyone getting on with the latest version of Blogger?

I couldn't believe what I was seeing the first time I came across it and felt totally at sea. I'm sure it's supposed to be 'New' and 'Improved', but so far I don't see any advantages and am having difficulty finding my way around. It seems totally unintuitive.

This  is my DT card for the latest challenge at Christmas Craft Creations where the theme is Animals.

For my card I used a Penny Black image coloured with alcohol pens and using a computer generated sentiment, as I fancied the reindeer saying this and didn't have a rubber stamp with those words... plus I could choose a cool font (Are you Serious)

To me the present version of Blogger, particularly in the Design part, looks like a draft version and rather unpolished/unfinished. Maybe it's just me!

Will I get around to liking this new version of Blogger?  .... I'm not holding my breath!

 

5 o'clock

I hate this new fangled design section of Blogger!

Whereas previously I could simply click on the icon to centre the text  for example, I now have to go searching through drop down menus to find it. It's enough to make me wonder if I should switch to Wordpress or simply stop blogging!

Anyway rant over, here is a simple one layer card for the challenge at AAA Cards

 

During lockdown, our hobby, as pictured on my card has become a favourite. We certainly seem to have enjoyed many cocktails and have been keeping the wine merchants in business!

I simply made a sentiment on the computer, using a small stamped image on translucent paper to see where I wanted to place it, I held it in front of the computer screen, to check that the words were where I wanted them. Once printed, I used my old faithful, homemade stampamajig (using a right angled stack of Duplo) to position the old wooden Stampin' Up stamp. I guess I could take all my stamps off their wooden blocks to use in a stamping platform, but the Lego and a piece of acetate work just as well!

I coloured the image with water colour pencils, blended with a tiny amount of water and glazed with some Nuvo Crystal Glaze when it was dry. I added just a hint of shadow with a grey pencil!