Playing around with dies

The two die cut elements on this card are a far cry from their original counterparts. I made the die-cut for the flower a little longer and the die-cut for the ribbon slider tag, shorter.

Here you can see the dies I used compared to the die-cuts they produced.

I have done a brief tutorial previously on how I do this which you can see here.

It's merely a question of cutting the card first from one end, (only allowing a proportion of the die to pass under the rollers of the die cutting machine) and then the other, repositioning the die and turning around the card, after the first cut.

I have found this a really useful technique as it means that lots of my dies can be used far more extensively.

This Imaginations image wooden stamp was sent to me as a bonus from a US eBay seller. Wasn't that kind!

The sentiment is from Stampin' Up and the embossing folder is from Cuttlebug.

We managed to eat in the garden yesterday for only the second time this year and it looks as though we'll manage to do the same again today... what a beautiful touch of Indian Summer!

CASual Fridays - Use Ribbon
I have just replaced the first image with the revised card including the loops of ribbon... I think the change has improved it  enormously... thanks CASual Fridays!

Could it be a penguin?

Here we go again, bird #3!
A slight rotation of the stamp and a couple of different colours and now we have a penguin... a rather chubby one it must be said!
The feet are part of the leaf spray from the SU bird punch. His wing, which you can scarcely make out in this picture was cut from another stamping of the image. One of these days I'll use this stamp as it was intended... as a leaf!
The background is from a Cuttlebug EF, using the debossed side and the sentiment is from Butterfly Kisses.
I'm trying a new semi-matt embossing powder which I have just bought. I have used it on the penguin as I wanted to make some difference between him and his background... I thought it might be useful for my inky projects too... I'll let you know how I get on.
Stampin' Royalty - K.I.S.S.

How about a chicken?

Well you saw the robin made with this leaf stamp from Paper Artsy a couple of posts back.... how about a chicken?
Here she is, stamped using Tea Dye Distress ink with a wattle and comb added with a Copic pen and a little wing made from one end of a leaf shape cut with a circle punch.
A couple of strokes with a Copic pen for her legs and a black gem for  her eye and she was away pecking for corn! The sentiment is a clear stamp from Personal Impressions.
I think it's fun to see what you can make from your stamps.
The vertigo persists so I shall keep on with my manoeuvring!
Crafty Creations - Clean and Simple

Autumn

Here's another of the cards I like to make messing about with inks and embossing powder.
The stamp set I used is French Foliage by Stampin' Up.
I began with the splodges which I stamped with Versamark and embossed with clear EP, then came the sponging using Adirondack Cranberry and Caramel Inks, followed by the stamping of the leaves and text in a variety of autumnal coloured inks.
I then chopped the square panel into 4 smaller squares, inked the edges of each and mounted them on a couple of backing sheets. I decided to add one wayward leaf, just floating off the square.
I love these colours.
Today I have a touch of vertigo... I tried to do the Epley manoeuvre myself and made it worse, so I'm off to see the doctor this afternoon.
Crazy 4 Challenges (I don't really do Halloween, so this is Autumn)
House of Gilli - Fall
Woodware USA - Fall
Crafty Catz - Autumn