ThePowerOfACard: August 2022

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Hello Harvest and Ink Swiped Embossed Panels

This video is for you Tammy! Tammy in one of my avid followers who always gives me encouraging feedback and comments. After I posted one of my pumpkin cards on my Facebook page, she asked me to make a video of the card and technique and I was happy to oblige!

The card I make in the video was inspired by something my upline (Dena Rekow) made. I loved that she used non-traditional colors to make a pumpkin card - Bermuda Bay really adds a vibrancy that looks fabulous. The Ink Swiping technique is one I've shown before, but I give a few more tips when I show the additional cards made with the technique.

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Bermuda Bay 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" and 1" x 3-1/2"; Very Vanilla 4" x 5-1/4", 3-3/4" x 5", and 2-3/4" x 3"; Crumb Cake 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" and 3/4" x 3-1/4"
Stamp Bundle: Hello Harvest
Embossing Folder: Timeworn Type 3D
Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and Bermuda Bay
Other: Blending Brush and Banners Pick a Punch
Adhesive and Tools

Begin by folding your card base in half and pressing the crease with a bone folder. On the small piece of Crumb Cake, stamp the Hello sentiment in Soft Suede Ink. If you want, go ahead and make the banner cut on the right side using the punch. I did this later, but there is no reason to wait.

Next head to the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine to emboss the 3-3/4" x 5" panel of Very Vanilla and die cut the pumpkin pieces - pumpkin from Very Vanilla, vines from Bermuda Bay and stem from the middle of the Crumb Cake layering piece. With a Blending Brush, add a slight shading with Crumb Cake around the outside edges of both pumpkin pieces.

With the open Soft Suede Ink pad, gently swipe over the embossed panel like I demonstrate. It only takes the lightest touch to color the top-most raised parts of the design. It will probably take four or five swipes to get the color evenly over the panel. This technique works very well when there is a lot of raised parts to the design. After the card is finished, I show several samples where the technique didn't yield great results because the ink pad landed on the non-raised portions as the design was spaced too far apart to keep the ink from touching the "bottom".

Assemble the card by layering the embossed panel onto the Crumb Cake and then placing that onto the card base. Place the sentiment near the top left side of the card with Dimensionals, lining up the edge with the Crumb Cake. Adhere the stem to the large part of the pumpkin and then add the small part of the pumpkin on top with Dimensionals. Place the pumpkin with more Dimensionals in the lower right corner. Add the vines to both the pumpkin and the sentiment strip with Multipurpose Glue.

For the inside of the card, stamp the pumpkin in stamped-off Bermuda Bay and the sentiment in Soft Suede on the Very Vanilla panel (or visa versa as I did in my first version of this card). Add the final vine to the pumpkin to complete this panel and add it to the card. The pumpkin is also great to add to the envelope corner.

This card features the Wintry 3D Embossing Folder and the Beauty of Friendship stamp set. I embossed the pine boughs on Garden Green paper, then swiped over them in Garden Green ink, which really makes the branches stand out. After flagging the panel, I added it to the card base of Crumb Cake. The tree was stamped on a Stylish Shapes circle and the sentiment was stamped in Crumb Cake and embellished with some twine. A few spritzes with a Stampin' Write marker completes the look.

I really love this bright and happy birthday card! The embossing folder is Let's Celebrate, the candles are from the Celebration Tag Dies, and the sentiment is from Sending Smiles. I used Polished Pink to swipe the embossed panel and to punch out the Decorative Circle. A swish of the gingham ribbon completes this festive card.

This next card came about from one of the "misses" I showed in the video. I first swiped the raised side of this design, but wasn't happy because I got ink in the low parts too. So I turned it over and swiped the other side. Of course, it's a totally different look because way more of the panel is inked, and only a little bit is left white. I loved it! This is the second folder in the Wintry 3D set and I added the gnome made from the Gnome dies and a snowflake from the Celebration Tag Dies. The Tahitian Tide Metallic Woven Ribbon adds a sparkly finish to this adorable card!

My last card goes back to the Hello Harvest bundle, but this one has a twist. I used the Leaf Fall 3D Embossing Folder on the Rustic Harvest DSP. But instead of swiping it with ink, I swiped with a sanding block. This technique only works with DSP because it has a white core. If you try this on our colored cardstock, you won't reveal a color difference because the color is throughout the cardstock. The pumpkin is colored with Watercolor Pencils and the birthday greeting is from Pansy Patch. I also added a mat with the Glimmer Specialty paper from the July-December mini catalog - it gives a hint of bling to make the card extra special. If you're interested in learning more about this sanding technique, here is a video I made showing it: Dragonfly Circles.

Thanks so much for watching my videos, reading my blog, and giving me the encouragement to make more cards and teach more techniques!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

Etsy Shop: The Power of a Card

https://karensliwinski.stampinup.net

https://ThePowerOfACard.blogspot.com

Images Copyright Stampin’ Up!®

Join my Facebook Group (The Power of a Cardmaker): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1042676296088278/?ref=share

My current host code for August is: CX7V49RW

Please use this for orders less than $150 and you’ll get a special treat from me.

For orders over $150, you qualify for host rewards from Stampin’ Up! (plus a treat from me!).

Product List

Hello Harvest Bundle (English)

[159644]

$49.50

Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131197]

$9.25

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[120953]

$9.25

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[101650]

$10.25

Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad

[147115]

$8.00

Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad

[147116]

$8.00

Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad

[147096]

$8.00

Timeworn Type 3 D Embossing Folder

[156505]

$10.00

Blending Brushes

[153611]

$12.50

Banners Pick A Punch

[153608]

$24.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$4.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$25.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$125.00

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Dots & Spots, Oh My!

This die was one of the first things I ordered when the new annual catalog came out. I used it a few times, but I didn't venture out much further than using it as a subtle background on a card. So that is why I decided to make a video that featured it so I could discover more ways to use the die and show them to you. As an added bonus, it is now available as a Sale-A-Bration item for FREE with a $100 purchase! How cool is that?

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla 5-1/2" x 8-1/2"; Very Vanilla 4" x 5-1/4, 7/8" x 2-3/4" and 3" x 4-1/2"
Stamp Sets: Forever Fern and Nature's Prints
Dies: Dots & Spots, Forever Flourishing
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Other: Gold Shimmer Ribbon 10"
Adhesive and Tools, including Foam Adhesive Strips

As usual, start by folding the card base in half and creasing it with a bone folder. Next, use the Dots & Spots die to cut the large layer of Very Vanilla. I find it helpful to use small pieces of low tack tape to hold the paper in place as I run it though the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine. Place long pieces of Foam Adhesive Strips on the back of the cut piece as I show on the video and position this on the card front. These strips are a little thicker than dimensionals, so they really add depth to your card.

On the medium piece of Very Vanilla, stamp the leafy branch at one end using Cherry Cobbler ink. Then cut that and another leafy branch with the dies. Stamp the sentiment on the small piece of Very Vanilla and add this to the front of the card with Multipurpose Glue. Play around with the placement of the two branches before adhering them. I cut off the bottom of the plain branch to help the esthetics and popped up the Cherry Cobbler branch with Mini Dimensionals. Lastly, tie a bow and add it to the stems with a mini glue dot.

The card I showed at the beginning of the video was done with a Basic White base and the leafy branch was stamped in Granny Apple Green. I used a double layer of the Soft Sea Foam Seam Binding Ribbon to make the bow. This card definitely has a spring/summer feel to it whereas the card I made in the video feels more like autumn.

My next sample is classic black and white. I used the Sweet Cherries stamp bundle to make Rainier Cherries (my favorite!). I matted the white piece cut with the die in Basic Black, leaving the tiniest of borders before popping it up on another black layer. The Black & White Gingham Ribbon is the perfect touch to finish off this card.

For this card, I colored a piece of Basic White cardstock with Stampin' Blends to make a diagonal rainbow of bright colors. I then used the die on a smaller sized piece of black and layered it directly on top of the rainbow. A white floral die from the Meadows dies and an embossed sentiment from the Charming Sentiments Bundle completes this striking card. I really love seeing the rainbow of colors as a border!

It is not always necessary to cut a large piece with this die. As you can see on this card, I only cut a small strip and layered it on top of the same color cardstock to give a subtle texture as a back drop to my planter (Plentiful Plants Bundle). A small sentiment and tiny linen bow are all that I added to finish this clean and simple card.

My next card is shows a different use for the die cut piece. Instead of having the holes of the white piece show the Basic Gray card base, I used them to position the dots made using the new Pearlized Enamel Effects! This basics set comes in three colors - Black (although I think it looks like a shiny Basic Gray), Real Red and White. These dots take a long time to dry, so when you are done adding them to your project, set it aside to dry overnight. Party Puffins is the stamp set and the decorative border was done with the Basic Border dies.

Here is another way to use the Dots & Spots die - cut out a panel of vellum. Then you can use this as a stencil to add polka dots to your card with Blending Brushes! I used the A Little Cheesy set (which has some adorable puns) to make this sample. I colored the wine glass with Stampin' Blends and added Wink of Stella before fussy cutting it out. After making this card, I was able to wash off the vellum to remove the Rich Razzleberry ink so that I can use it again!

My last sample is so stinking cute! As you can imagine, after making a few cards for this video, I had plenty of little circles. I thought, "Why not use them in a shaker card?". The Penguin Place Bundle was the perfect choice to make a snowy scene for my little dots! I cut five frames with the Stylish Shapes dies (using consecutive square dies) and glued them on top of each other. I then added a square of acetate (Window Sheets) before adding one final frame. I created my penguin scene to add to the back of the shaker, capturing a bunch of circles inside to be the snow. Believe me when I say, I could have made quite a few of these with all the circles I had!

I hope this has inspired you to try this die. Tone on tone, it makes a subtle textured background, but as you can see, you can make it dramatic too! Have fun and get one for free through the end of August!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

Etsy Shop: The Power of a Card

https://karensliwinski.stampinup.net

https://ThePowerOfACard.blogspot.com

Images Copyright Stampin’ Up!®

Join my Facebook Group (The Power of a Cardmaker): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1042676296088278/?ref=share

My current host code for August is: CX7V49RW

Please use this for orders less than $150 and you’ll get a special treat from me.

For orders over $150, you qualify for host rewards from Stampin’ Up! (plus a treat from me!).

Product List