Seamless Tiers with Patterned Paper Experiment

Happy Wednesday! I'm in the midst of reorganizing my craft room and several other rooms in my house, so I haven't had much stamping time over the past several days.  I have a few cards I need to send out this week, so I took a break from reorganizing and managed a little bit of crafting time after my kids went to sleep last night.

Over in the general stamping forum at Splitcoast Stampers, we've been having a discussion about the best way to use the Seamless Tiers/Triple Time technique using patterned paper instead of stamped images.  I think the easiest way is to use nested rectangle dies, but since I don't have those, I thought I'd try just cutting the layers myself.  This did not work out as well as I'd hoped, but it was a fun experiment!  The top two layers are lined up correctly, but I didn't manage to get the bottom layer to match up with the middle layer.  I don't mind, though, because I know the recipient of the card will not be critiquing it.  It's easy to forget sometimes, in our quest for perfection, that the recipient is usually just thrilled to get a card that was lovingly (if not perfectly) created.  I am going to try this technique again to see if I can manage it without the dies, but I think the dies would sure make this easier!

Here's my card:

I have to apologize for the poor picture quality.  I use natural lighting through a window, and the winter is really making it difficult to find the right time of day to photograph cards.  The colors on this card are Night of Navy and white, although the navy color looks black here.  Also, the shadows and angle make the sentiment panel look off-center, but I measured it and it's centered pretty well.  Darn photo!

This card uses almost exactly the same measurements as the ones in this post, but this time I used patterned paper in place of stamped images.  Before adhering the final layers, I wrapped a band of white card stock behind the sentiment panels, then popped up the sentiment panels using Stampin' Dimensionals.  This is a very simple card, and if I had just gotten that pattern lined up better I would have been happy to have made an easy AND pretty card!  But it's given me a jumping-off point and I'm sure I'll make another card like this soon so I can figure out how to fix those layers.

This card will be mailed to a sweet lady with leukemia who just had a bone marrow transplant.  She has to spend 100 days in a hotel away from her family and friends to avoid germs and be near the hospital.  Can you imagine spending 100 days away from those you love?  The thought breaks my heart, so I hope this card will encourage her. 

I hope you have a wonderful day!  Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

Stamp: Scripture Series 3 (Our Daily Bread Designs)

Paper: Night of Navy card stock (Stampin' Up!); Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. card stock (Neenah)

Ink: Night of Navy Classic Ink (Stampin' Up!)

Embossed Snowflakes CASE

How can we be approaching the middle of November already?  What a month it has been!  My baby has gone from taking just a few steps at time to practically sprinting everywhere, keeping this mama running from one end of the house to the other all day.  While she's wearing me out, she's also wearing herself out, which means she's sleeping better and I can get a little more crafting time in at night.  So there is a silver lining!

Today's card is for the Featured Stamper challenge at Splitcoast Stampers.  For this challenge, we pick a card from that person's gallery to CASE (Copy and Share Everything).  We are asked to make at least two changes so the card is not an exact duplicate.  Here is a link to the card I chose to CASE:  Embossed Snowflakes

And here is my card:

While I kept the overall design and color scheme of the original card, I made a few changes.  I used a different snowflake embossing folder because I don't own the one she used.  Her embossing folder left a flat area for stamping in the bottom right-hand corner, but mine does not, so I stamped my sentiment on a label and attached it to the panel.  I sponged ink around my sentiment to add dimension to the label against the white background.  I didn't have the sentiment she used so I chose a different one, and instead of pearls in the centers of the snowflakes, I used White Enamel Accents. 

I started by dry embossing a piece of Whisper White card stock with an embossing folder in my Big Shot.  Next I stamped my sentiment on another piece of white card stock.  I didn't like the color I was getting with Night of Navy by itself, so I inked my stamp first with Cobalt and then with Night of Navy.  This achieved the deeper color I was looking for.  I cut out the sentiment with a labels die in my Big Shot, sponged around the edges with Night of Navy, then adhered the sentiment to the white panel.  I attached the white panel to the Night of Navy card base, then added White Enamel Accents on the snowflake centers, which I left to dry overnight.  This card was quick and easy to put together, and I love the colors for winter.  I could easily change the sentiment to something "not-Christmasy" for a winter card that could be used throughout the season.

Here's a tip for using an embossing folder in a die cut machine (such as the Big Shot): If my card stock isn't getting as deep of an impression as I'd like, I mist the card stock with a bit of water right before putting it in the embossing folder.  I will sometimes run the folder through my machine more than once, but I usually find the water mist does the trick with just one pass through the machine.

I have a few more cards in the works and hope to post another one tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

 

Stamp: WordPlay - Joy (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Whisper White and Night of Navy card stock (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Ancient Page Dye Ink in Cobalt (Clearsnap); Night of Navy Classic Ink (Stampin' Up!)

Tools and Accessories: Big Shot (Sizzix); Snowflakes #9 embossing folder (Sizzix); Nestabilities Labels Eighteen (Spellbinders); White Enamel Accents (Inkssentials)

Our Fairy Tale

It's finally Friday!!  This has been one very busy week at my house.  I am looking forward to a weekend of...cleaning and organizing.  Ugh, doesn't that sound like fun?!  But I will be grateful for a little time to get it done (and for a husband who will spend some quality Daddy time with our kids so I can have some time to work uninterrupted...or at least "mostly" uninterrupted!).

I am trying to make several Valentine's and love-themed cards for Operation Write Home this month, and I've been challenging myself to use colors other than the traditional red/pink/white combinations.  Today's card uses navy blue and white, although in the picture the navy blue looks more like black.  I used a very special stamp for the sentiment on this card.  It's a stamp I used for my wedding several years ago, and it is still one of my favorite stamps.  I like to use it for weddings as well as love cards, and I'm happy to have a reason to ink it up again!

Here's my card:

I started with a Night of Navy card base and used some patterned paper from my stash (I'm really working hard to use more patterned paper on my cards).  I had to get a little crafty to get the patterned paper to work just right.  I really wanted the navy blue stars to border my sentiment, but when I placed the panel on the paper it just didn't fit right (the light-colored stars were bordering on one side instead).  So I cut the patterned paper panel and rearranged it to fit behind my sentiment panel, then adhered my sentiment panel with dimensionals so you cannot see the "missing" patterned paper behind it.  Because I used thin dimensionals (1/16"), the sentiment panel is close enough to the card base to completely disguise the missing patterned paper behind it.  Easy fix!  

I stamped the sentiment in Night of Navy on white card stock, but the white was just too stark against the background, so I sponged Not Quite Navy chalk over that piece.  I like it much better that way.  I added white and Night of Navy card stock layers behind the sentiment to really help it stand out.  I considered adding embellishments but felt that if I left it as is, it could be used for a man or a woman. 

I like this sentiment so much that I plan to make a few more OWH cards with it using other papers and colors (and maybe I'll make a "girly" one so I can add a little bling!). 

I hope you have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Products Used:

Ink: Night of Navy Classic (Stampin' Up!)

Sentiment: Stamper's Anonymous

Paper: Night of Navy card stock (Stampin' Up!); white card stock (Wausau Paper); patterned paper (unknown)

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals and Not Quite Navy chalk (Stampin' Up!)

Sympathy in Blue

Wow, it's Tuesday already!  Time seems to be flying by, although my son thinks time is really dragging (he's getting quite impatient for Halloween!).  For those of you affected by Hurricane Sandy, my thoughts and prayers continue to be with you.  Stay safe, friends!

When I discovered this week's challenge at Sunny Challenges & Creations, I was inspired to make a sympathy card.  I always find it hard to get motivated to make sympathy cards, but sadly, they are always needed and my supply has run quite low lately.  For this challenge, we were to make a sympathy card using this sketch:

I also incorporated the current Splitcoast Stampers Ways to Use It Challenge, which required us to use embossing on a card.  Here is my card:

 

I embossed a panel of Night of Navy card stock with a Texturz Plate in my Big Shot.  I inked the lower section of the panel with layers of Memento Tuxedo Black and Faded Jeans Distress inks, which created a subtly different shade for the lower half of the card.  I applied the ink one layer at a time, stopping between each layer to remove the excess ink by rubbing with a soft cloth (be sure to use an old cloth if you try this, as the ink will stain it).  Once I had the shade I wanted, I set it aside for a moment to dry.  I inked my sentiment stamp with layers of Night of Navy Classic and Faded Jeans Distress inks, then stamped it on a die cut label of white card stock.  I wrapped a piece of white grosgrain ribbon around the large panel, adhered the tag over the ribbon, and attached the entire panel to a white card base. 

 

While I will usually stamp "With Sympathy" or a similar sentiment on the front of the card and save the message stamp for the inside, I decided to do the reverse for this card.  I think the quote works well on the front for this one. 

 

Thanks for visiting!

 

Products Used:

 

Stamp: Close As A Memory (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Whisper White and Night of Navy card stock (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Faded Jeans Distress Ink (Tim Holtz); Night of Navy Classic Ink (Stampin' Up!)

Tools: Big Shot (Sizzix); Texturz Plate (Stampin' Up!); Nestabilities Labels Eighteen (Spellbinders)

Accessories: White 1/4" Grosgain Ribbon (Stampin' Up!)

 

 

 

 

 

To the Moon and Back

Today's card just tugs a bit at my heartstrings, so I hope you don't mind if I share the story behind this one.  I bought the stamp I used on this card because the sentiment means so much to me.  If you ask my son how much his mommy loves him, he'll answer, "To the moon and back!"  (I must pause here to announce that I have amazing children.  Sure, I'm biased, but it's still true!) 

So when I found this stamp recently, I knew it would be well-loved at my house.  And when I saw this week's challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch (check them out HERE), I decided it was the perfect time to pull out this stamp and start creating.  I have a feeling you'll be seeing more cards with this stamp in the future.  It's just such a great sentiment!

Here's the sketch I was working with:

And here is my card:

It's really hard to see in this picture (darned overcast day!), but the sentiment panel and the moon are shaded with peach, yellow and blue tones to give them some dimension and keep them from being stark white.  I used die cuts in my Big Shot for most of this card.  The moon is a circle die cut, the sentiment is a Nestabilities die cut, and the stars are die-cut from shimmery silver paper.  I stamped my sentiment, then sponged dye ink and chalks on my sentiment panel and the moon.  I adhered everything to a dark blue card base (it's lightly textured, which also doesn't show up well in the picture).  This will be an easy card to recreate, so I plan to make a few more to donate to Operation Write Home.  I am sure there are some deployed mommies and daddies who would love to send cards home to their kids!

I am working on another challenge card today and will be posting that one tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Products Used:

 

Stamp - Unity

Paper - Various sources

Ink - Night of Navy Classic Ink (Stampin' Up!)

Tools: Big Shot; Sizzix Circles #2; Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eighteen;

Provo Craft die for stars; Stampin' Up! chalks; various dye inks