March 2019 Keeping Christmas Blog Hop

Hello everyone!  It's the 25th of the month so that means it's time for the next edition of the Keeping Christmas Blog Hop!  Thanks for popping in today to see my projects.  I am super happy with the way these turned out even though when I first started this technique, I wasn't too sure it was going to turn into anything.  This particular group of cards was started by just playing with Alcohol Inks on an 11" x 14" sheet of Heavyweight Yupo.  I don't normally like the heavyweight because you can't die cut words out of it, but I have a sheet or two left still that I'm planning to make backgrounds out of as well.

This is going to be a long and very photo heavy post, but I got a lot of questions about the background when I posted this one on Instagram, so I want to be able to give you some of that information in this post.

To create this background was simply sitting with my Alcohol Inks and also my new Alcohol Pearls along with some of the Pinata Alcohol Ink in Brass and playing using a combination of Alcohol Blending Solution and Rubbing Alcohol.  I used 99% Alcohol for this project but it can be hard to find.  It also evaporates quickly giving you less time. The 91% is easier to find and doesn't evaporate quite as fast.  The 70% Rubbing Alcohol that I always have around for cleaning doesn't work too well as it evaporates much more slowly.  All told, I spent about two hours getting the large piece to look the way I wanted which was agate or marble with gold veins running through it. I love the end result but the larger sheets of Yupo can be a challenge.  I knew I wanted to use vivid pinks, purples, and reds for this piece so I pretty much restricted myself to those colors.

You can also do this technique and then run it through your laminator or Minc machine with Deco Foil, but the Brass Pinata ink is a far superior choice to the Mixitives that are part of the regular alcohol ink line of products.   I wanted that bright shiny gold to give it the more defined look of actual veins, so I chose that product rather than a mixative.  The Alcohol Ink Mixative's give more of a pearly color than the bright pop of gold and you can't really get the super defined look of veins without laminating it or rubbing deco foil on it while the ridges are still slightly tacky.

I used an Air Puffer from one of my previous cameras to move the ink around because I don't like to get too close to the fumes of the alcohol.  Plus, it puts out a bigger puff of air and I can lay it on my table to move the ink around.  Rather than bringing it up to my mouth level and not really being able to see where it's moving.  Mostly it's a whole lot of playing until you get a result you like.

I posted this image on Instagram and it was done on a sheet of glossy cardstock rather than Yupo.  Let's face it, Yupo Paper is expensive.  Therefore, I've had to try other materials for this method.

Here are some things to know about working with Alcohol Inks:

• They are messy and they stain!  So I have trash bags over the back of my chair and the seat of my chair and I wear an apron or an older t-shirt.  My work Surface is glass, but I use a craft mat on top of that.  If you are working on a smaller panel, it's easier to contain some of the mess. 
• When working with Alcohol Inks on Yupo, you can clean up a mistake by cleaning it with a bit of alcohol ink on a paper towel or rag.
• When working with Glossy Cardstock, there is no going back.  You can add ink over the top, but you cannot wipe away a mistake. You can dab at it to remove some of the texture, and then put color over the top again, but you cannot wipe away the color like you can with Yupo.  In the beginning, I only used Yupo until I got a feel for how the inks moved and worked.  I recommend using Yupo in the beginning but cutting the sheets into card sized panels. I like to get the 9 x 12 and cut it into four panels which gives me four pieces of 4.5 x 6 inches so I have a little extra because I like to die cut all of my background panels for the crisp edge.  That size is also less intimidating.
• Alcohol Inks, Blending Solution, and the Rubbing Alcohol will pretty much destroy the finish on the handles and discolor your ink blending tools when using the felt pads, so I have a couple that I use exclusively for this purpose. I'm usually trying to get more texture, so I don't often use the felt pads.  
• Start with just a few colors and play around to see how many different looks you can get.  Once you get a feel for them and if you are happy with your results, then you can add more colors to your collection.
• Last, but not least, playing with Alcohol Inks can be very addictive!  Don't say I didn't warn you!  *Ü*

The biggest thing to do is just sit and play with different techniques.  There are a ton of YouTube videos out there to watch if you want more information.  I've tried the straw method to blow the color around but it doesn't work that well in my particular case because I've had lung surgery so my left lung has diminished capacity.  The puffer works great for me.  It also keeps you from accidentally hyperventilating.  *Ü*  You can find one on Amazon.com. 

Now let's get on to the cards!  This was the first card I made and when I was die cutting the background panel, I didn't tape it down so it wasn't quite straight mean I had to recut it using a slightly small die in order to salvage it.  Then the Gold die cut panel is one size up from that as I like a narrow border most of the time.  That is the main difference in this card from the other five that are like it.  I die cut the Art Deco Tree from the inside of the gold background to save on my gold cardstock.  This first card was also assembled using Ranger Multi Medium Matte for the frame and tree.  Because it is a fine-lined die cut, for the rest of them I used my oldie but good, Xyron in the 2.5-inch width.  It was so much less of a headache than glue!  I pretty much always have the smaller little Xyron sitting on my desk but I don't use it often.  It this case, it was perfect to use for the interior tree in the frame. That frame is a single die from Poppy Stamps called Deco Tree Frame Craft Die and it cuts the frame and tree in one pass.  I love all things Art Deco because of the super clean lines and graphics. 

The Greeting is from a Papertrey Ink stamp set called A Thrill of Hope.  It's one of my favorites for Christmas Cards.  I die cut a Double Stitched Rectangle from My Favorite Things and then stamped with Versamark and Heat Embossed with Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder being careful to use my Powder Tool (cornstarch these days due to the dangers of talc) on each one of these.  I used a negative as my placeholder in my mini MISTI.  This card has a white border around the edge while the others all have a gold border around the edge.  

These next few cards are all made using cut down panels from that original piece of Yupo, each unique in that each section is from a different part of the larger piece that I cut down for my card panels. 

If you'll look carefully, each of the backgrounds is slightly different since the background was not symmetrical in any way.  Once I started working on these, I had everything I need to make six cards, so I did all the die-cutting from the interior of the background panels for the trees, die cut both layers of the background panels and the stitched rectangles for them sentiment and then just assembled everything.

When I was finished, I had a scrap of the marbled piece big enough to put behind the framed tree die, so I grabbed a sheet of the Scarlet Shimmer Cardstock from Papertrey Ink, and die cut a scallop A2 Notecard from it.  The piece was about 4.25 x 2.75 inches tall so it was big enough to put behind the tree.  I still have a little square left so it's on my table for a possible future something on some other card.

And that, friends, is how I ended up with a 7th and slightly different looking card.  This last card is actually my husband's favorite.  That scrap of Yupo had the largest concentration of the deep red which is why I chose the Scarlet Shimmer Cardstock.

Here they all are together and they are simply gorgeous!  I topped each tree with a sparkling gem for the star on top of the tree.

There are several more stops on this hop today so be sure to stop by each of the blogs and leave some love in the comments section.

Kelly Lunceford

Anita Madden

Broni Holcombe

Claire Broadwater

Julee Tilman

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Vicki Finger (you are here)

Nancy Guse

We all work hard to bring beautiful projects to you each month in a wide variety of styles, so I hope you'll be sure to check out everyone's Blog Posts today.  

I know I haven't been blogging as much but my schedule has been absolutely crazy for the last 10 months.  I'm trying very hard to get back into my normal groove and I have a few deadlines for Blog Hops that I am participating in over the next 5 or 6 weeks.  I thank you very much for all of your visits, and notes of encouragement.  See you soon!

Affiliate Links Used Whenever Possible

Kokuyo Long Dot Runner Adhesive Shop at: SSS	Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: SSS	Mini MISTI Stamping Tool Shop at: SSS | ALT | GKD	PTI Scarlet Shimmer Cardstock Shop at: PTI
PTI Stamper's Select White Cardstock Shop at: PTI	Ranger Multi Medium Matte Shop at: SSS	Ranger Non-Stick Craft Sheet Shop at: SSS	SSS Antique Gold Embossing Powder Shop at: SSS
SSS Stitched Rectangles Dies Shop at: SSS	Teflon Bone Folder Shop at: SSS	Tim Holtz Ranger Alcohol Pearls - Set of 12 Shop at: SSS	Tim Holtz Tonic Paper Trimmer Shop at: SSS
Tim Holtz/Ranger Alcohol Ink Blending Solution Shop at: SSS	Tim Holtz/Ranger Alcohol Inks Shop at: SSS	Tonic 6 Inch Personal Trimmer Shop at: SSS	Versamark Ink Shop at: SSS
Wagner Heat Tool Shop at: SSS	WPLUS9 Gift Card Layers Designer Dies Shop at: SSS	Yupo Paper 74 lb. Shop at: SSS

Enhancing Embossed Cardstock

Hello there!  Thanks so much for popping in today.  I'm joining in with The Paper Players Challenge this week which has a theme of "Spring".  I'm also going to add this card to a challenge over at Papertrey Ink in Laurie's Fabulous Favorites where we are to use one of our favorite accessories.  One of my favorites in addition to Papertrey Ink's Cardstock is Nuvo Drops.  Seriously, Papertrey Ink Cardstock is #110 and smooth making it perfect for card bases or card panels.  I pretty much use Papertrey's Stamper's Select White Cardstock for all of my card bases.

I know that I am beyond ready to have some sunshine and warmer temperatures for sure. I think this is pretty well reflected in my color choices at the moment which seems to be pastels for the most part.  This is the coldest Texas Winter I remember for many years although we are in North Texas so it will be somewhat cooler than an hour south of us in Dallas.  When we were at a doctor's office on Friday evening, there was a Redbud Tree with tiny little buds on it which is the first sign of spring I have seen.  Later, we also saw a Bradford Pear that had small blooms, so Spring is trying to get here.

I have a few cards to share with you that I made using a bottle of Nuvo Drops to enhance the embossed image on my cardstock.  This is a technique I developed in the last few days and I am so happy with it that I have made a few more cards in addition to the originals I posted on Instagram and Facebook.  I feel like at this point I am perfecting my technique and improving each time as well as getting faster each time I make one of these now.  That is a good thing since having RA makes this pretty hard on my right hand.

I'll share a few tips and trick along the way in case you want to try this yourself. Tip #1:  Make sure that your Nuvo Drops or Liquid Pearls are warm in the bottle so they are pliable which also makes it easier to control where you are putting them and helps make the bottle easier to squeeze.  If the bottle feels cold, you'll need to warm them up.  I usually warm mine up in my hands by sitting and rolling the bottle back and forth in the palms of my hands until I feel like they are more pliable.  In the summer, this isn't an issue but in the winter, my studio gets chillier and they aren't as workable.  You could put the tightly capped bottle in warm water if the rolling in your hands doesn't work.  I haven't had to try that yet.

I have several types of embossing folders in my supplies, but this one kind of always stumps me with what to make with it.  I love the design and it is so pretty that I hate to cover it up.  Therefore, I played around with some embellishments to see what I could come up with.  I used Pale Gold Nuvo Drops for this which have a pearly shimmer to them.  While it came out nicely, I wanted to try something with a bit more contrast.  The image on the left is from my original attempt.  I tried a few more attempts that same day and came up with these two additional cards.

For the second card, I inked up the flat area of the embossing folder with some Simon Says Stamp Lemon Chiffon Ink.  It wasn't very noticeable at first, so I inked it up again which gave me the deep golden tone.  My best friend loves this very Tuscan Yellow color and so I made it into a card for her.  I also used a finger dauber to add some Nuvo Embellishment Mousse to the flowers.  It's actually very pretty in person and I framed it with some Avocado Green Shimmer Cardstock which is another of her favorites.  As I told her boyfriend the other night when we met up for dinner, Sometimes I give her a card because the colors make me think of her and other times I give her a card because I want it to remind her of me.  She loved this and in fact, framed it when she got home.  It just reminds me of the 1970's and all the harvest gold appliances, wood paneling and avocado green carpet that everyone had.  YUCK!  The softer yellow one turned out very pretty and I sent that off to a friend already.

But then I wanted to try some other colors and see how things turned out.  I really like the contrast of the Ivory Seashell Nuvo Drops vs. the soft gold.  But it just so happens that my most recent order from Simon Says Stamp arrived on Friday and I had a Bottle of the brand new Nuvo Dream Drops which are iridescent.  All of the Dream Drops are Iridescent and I got all of the colors available so far;  Gold Luxe, Indigo Eclipse, Love Potion, Fairy Wings, Dragon Scales and Cloud 9.  Translate those names to Soft Gold, Pale Purplish Blue, Pink, Lavender, and Pale Green.  Cloud 9 Dream Drops are White with Iridescent Shimmer.  You'll be able to see the difference in my pictures further along in this post.

I also got the idea that I wanted to add a bit of color to the two main leaves with another finger dauber.  I am anxious to try other colors as well, but there are already three more cards for this post so I'll save that for another time.

Tip #2:  If you mist your cardstock panel with a bit of water, it will take the impression better and your cardstock will not crack.  This particular Embossing Folder is a 3Dimensional Folder so it was somewhat of a challenge to figure out the proper sandwich for my Cuttlebug.  My particular sandwich is C Plate, Magnetic Plate, Metal Shim, B Plate, Tan Embossing Mat, Embossing Folder with cardstock inside, and B Plate.  These folders are really much thicker.  I encourage you to get your folders and try embellishing them with whatever you have such a Nuvo Drops, Liquid Pearls or Stickles.  So far, I like the Ivory Seashell best although I think the gold might look nice on certain colors.  I also think this wouldn't work on darker cardstock.

Since I'm using the very tip of the bottle to "paint" my design, it's important to keep the tip clean and not get a lot of excess product on there.  That's why practice is important.  My first attempt was not bad, but my additional attempts are better.  I have four other cardstock colors embossed and ready to do.  I'll wait until another day for those.  I give my Sisters-In-Law a set of cards every year at Christmas, and I think this will be one of the ones I stash for them.  I also think these would make great Mother's Day Cards.

This card was embossed on Gina K Designs Sea Glass Cardstock.  once I run it through the embossing sandwich, I mist it up again with Iridescent Gold Shimmer Mist and Clear Sparkle Shimmer Mist.  Each of those is very pretty by themselves but I've found the combination is even prettier.  The flowers are sponged with Sea Glass Ink and the leaves with Vintage Jadeite from Papertrey Ink.

Here's a slightly angled view which I hope allows you to see that extra dimension from the side.  I die cut each panel before embossing it with a stitched rectangle die that is slightly smaller than an A2 size panel and then matted it on a gold cardstock panel that is a full A2 size which makes for a 1/16th-inch frame around the embellished panel.

This card is made with Lemon Tart Cardstock and Ink from Papertrey Ink with the same Ivory Seashell Nuvo Drops.  The leaves were again done in Vintage Jadeite.

Here's another slightly angled view for you.  The Sentiment is from the Friendly Flowers Stamp Set.  I used the same narrow mat around each of these card panels.

This last card was done with the Cloud 9 Nuvo Dream Drops and while it is very pretty, it is more subtle and not as striking as the ones done using Ivory Seashell Nuvo Drops.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and my attempt at trying to stretch my supplies in ways that are a bit unexpected.  These cards were all made with supplies I already had on hand.

Keeping Christmas February 2019 Blog Hop

Welcome to this month's edition of the Keeping Christmas Blog Hop.  It has been a zoo in my life for the last several weeks so I'm very happy that I got some projects finished for this hop!  When time is short, it's easiest to select some patterned paper to fit your theme and do a bit of die cutting for your elements and then just get going on your design.  My original plan was to do just a single card, but it was so easy to pull a few cards together, so I just cut a few more of each piece and made 6 cards in total with a few variations for you.

For several years now I've had this Close To My Heart Stamp Set and matching Designer Series Paper.  I actually have 4 -12 x 12 sheets of this particular paper.  I wanted to use something that had a Christmas Sweater kind of vibe and this was an easy choice.  There are a few embossing folders out there that have the sweater look too, but I don't have any of them yet, so for today, the cards are nice and easy.

I also wanted to show you a few ways to change things up so that each card is indeed unique,  For example, on these cards, I changed up the colors and the way the pattern of the background paper is oriented to give each card a different look.  I used cardstock in Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist and Smokey Shadow for the various elements.  I did not try heat embossing the sentiment on to Smokey Shadow Cardstock with one of the other colors but that's a possibility that I did not try here.

For this card, I put the background vertically for a different look than the traditional horizontal sweater.  It is a completely different look and those vertical lines are cool.  Who doesn't want to look tall and skinny!

I also played around with different embellishments like sequins but in the end, there weren't any sequins that I felt added to the card so I kept it simple by using the Black Gloss Nuvo Drops in the center of the flowers - all the different varieties.  In the first image, I hadn't yet added any embellishments so that you can see if adding them would be a win for you.  I personally like the payoff I got for a little bit of extra work that I did while catching up on some of my TV Shows that were recorded.  Here are all the stops along the hop:

Kelly Lunceford

Anita Madden

Broni Holcombe

Claire Broadwater

Julee Tilman

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Vicki Finger (You are Here)

Nancy Guse

Thanks so much for stopping by today and be sure to ask if you have any questions.  The thing I most enjoy about the Keeping Christmas Blog Hop is the fact that I am using things I already have to create a few cards at a time.  All of the cardstock I used today is from Papertrey Ink.

Papertrey Ink's Win It Wednesday

Look at me getting more than one blog post done in a week!  This card is for the Win It Wednesday Challenge over at Papertrey Ink.  This week's challenge is Stand Alone Dies.  While I am at it, I will add this to Virgina Lu's Show & Share as well.  There's no prizes or rules so we can share as often as we want to.

I have mentioned this in previous posts, but I  LOVE Art Deco Styles and so I have another Art Deco Styled group of die cuts that I am using to make my card.  And if you know me, I always love the chance to put Pink and Gold Together.

These things all came from Papertrey Ink with the exception of the label that I stamped my greeting on. That particular die I got several years ago (maybe 15 or so) at the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington, TX at the Spellbinders Booth.  They had several small dies in a box that had been discontinued and this one was love at first sight for me.  I actually always loved it, but more than ever since I got my Gemini Die Cutting Machine because it embosses dies so very well!  Before that, I embossed it in my Cuttlebug but the detail just didn't show up that well.  Now you can really see that bookplate detail and I like to brush some ink in the matching color on it to bring those sweet details out even more.

The products that I used are Sweet Blush Cardstock, Gold Foiled Cardstock, Cover Plate: Twist, Sweet Blush Ink, and I am loving the Delicates Dies all layered up.  These dies are just so striking when you put them together this way.

As I did on some of the previous cards I've shared here and on Instagram, I use my bone folder to curve the bottom petals downward and the upper petals upward.  Then I put two or 3 layers of foam tape under the base flower and just a glue dot in the center to adhere the top layer to it.  It makes it looks so much fuller and more like a flower.  I just love these dies.  Right now, I just want to put them on everything!

This is another of those cards that you have almost no stamping to complete.  I love doing layered florals, but sometimes I want to do something cleaner and simpler to do.  I like pretty much every style of cardmaking and this style is no exception.  It's so clean and graphic!

This image lets you see how the bottom layer of petals are bent downward and the top layer bent upward.

I'll get back to stamping sometime soon, but right now I am enjoying playing with some of the Cover Plate Dies that I have and combining them with other things that I also have.

I'll be looking forward to seeing what everyone completes for their projects over at the Win It Wednesday Link-Up.  Thanks for stopping by to check out my project!

Simon Says - No Stamps Allowed!

Hey there!  I just saw the new Wednesday Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and lo and behold I just finished making a card that totally works for this challenge so I thought I'd pop in here with a blog post.

If you saw my last post, then you know that I have been playing a ton with some of my new goodies from Hero Arts and the Delicates Dies from Papertrey Ink.  The most recent kit from Hero Arts is Art Deco in Style which I love so I am still playing with that and other dies I have in my collection.  When I first started cardmaking, I couldn't stamp worth a darn, so I made lots of cards with die cuts only.  This is definitely a  throwback to those days.  

Part of the reason I really like Art Deco is that the lines are always so graphic which makes for a super striking look in a card.  

The cover die I am using is in the Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit for February 2019.  With other things I have in my supplies, I could play for weeks with this stuff!  

My card project for the Challenge is simple die cutting at it's best for the most part.  I did decide to use a technique that Jennifer McGuire shared during that blog hop that you can find at this link.

This card uses Light Blue, Medium Grey, Dark Blue Shimmer Cardstock and of course the gold cardstock that gives all of that shine.  The diamond die cuts are from very old QuicKutz dies that I have had for many years with 5 different sizes in the group.  I have another card that I will be using them for coming up ad the "hello" die cut is from the Hero Arts Stamp and Cut Hello Set.

Everything here is super simple and all you have to do is the die cutting and assembly.  I cut several of each piece I was working with so I could just play with the colors and see what combinations I could come up with.  In fact, I will have more cards to share in the coming days.  I am enjoying my time playing with these dies, stencils and other products.  

Just a short and sweet post for today.  I'm still working on getting my links list straightened out but hope to have that done by the end of this coming weekend.  

A Simple Art Deco Card

Hello Everyone!  It's good to have time to sit and write a blog post with some detailed information for you!  My card today is for the Fusion Card Challenge and my card is loosely based on the sketch provided.  For me, it seems like a background, with a frame and a central focal point.  So that is what I made.

I'll also be linking this up over on the February Show and Share Challenge at Virginia Lu's Blog, Yes, Virginia.

I've been playing around with my Altenew Watercolor 36 Pan Set just to get a feel for how the color moves on different types of watercolor paper.  For this card, I used Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades and a touch of Evergreen Watercolors on Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper.  The hardest part of watercolor for me is letting it dry to see what I have.  I haven't attempted to watercolor actual objects, I am simply making soft watercolor washes to use for backgrounds.  Sometimes I speed it along with the help of my heat tool but on this particular day, I was working on two pieces and just switched back and forth.

When my best friend was up over the weekend, she noticed this particular background piece and wondered what I was making with it.  She loves greens, so I decided I'd make something for her with it.  I'm also playing with the My Monthly Hero Kit for February 2019.  The particular die I used for the frame on this card was a part of the Add-On Items that were available with the kit.  This one is called Vintage Window Fancy Die.  There are other gorgeous add-on's available and the kit itself has a gorgeous cover style die and stencil in it that I haven't yet gotten to play with or use.  The kit and another order both arrived on Friday and I got my Delicates Dies from Papertrey Ink.  They were out of stock for quite a while and last evening was the first time I had a chance to use them.

For this card, I primarily used only dies with a simple stamped greeting.  I knew after seeing my friend, Kelly Lunceford's cards back when these dies were released, exactly how I wanted to use them.

Anytime I have flowers or leaves that I am attaching to a card, I like to use my bone folder to add some curve to the petals or leaves. Because it is so slick, my Teflon Bone Folder is the perfect thing to do this with.  Since the dies are very delicate, I did this gently.  I took them bottom flower and curved the petals downward and then attached it with a double layer of foam tape.  For the top flower, I curved the petals upward and just used a glue dot underneath to attach it to the bottom flower.  Then I added a gold gemstone in the center of the flower.  This gives a lot of extra dimension to the blooms.  I don't know if it was the intent or not of the designer, Dawn McVey, but these make me think of Dahlias.

This was super simple and quick to do if you already have backgrounds made, which I feel like I always do.  I have a lot of watercolor washes and alcohol inked backgrounds plus I'm always experimenting so this is a great and easy way to use them without having to drag out a ton of stuff.

I'm adding a couple of additional views for you here so you can see the extra dimension.

I love how this card turned out and it was super easy to do.  I'll have more upcoming projects for you soon using more Art Deco Styled products because I absolutely love Art Deco.  I also like Art Nouveau styles but with its cleaner graphic lines, Art Deco is my #1 Favorite.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I really appreciate it when you take time to comment so I know if you enjoy my content.