Clear and Sheer

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

I just completed the "Online Card Class" called "Clear and Sheer". The class shares how to make cards using clear and sheer products, such as vellum (scary stuff!) and acetate. It is taught by some grand ladies of card making - Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, and Debby Hughes.

I was able to find a set of Hero Arts acetate cards (the last one!) at my LSS, the Stamp Art Shoppe. I've been wanting to give this technique a try, so since I was awake at 1:30 AM, I decided I may as well stop thinking about it and get up and give it a try. Crazy, eh?

For this card I used a Sizzix embossing folder on the card. I colored the raised stars with Copic pens. Then I die-cut four stars from white and silver cardstock (Lifestyle Craft die set). Two stars sandwich the acetate (using Score Tape) to create a solid panel on the front and the back.

The front sentiment is cut from glitter paper (DCWV) with a Spellbinders script die. I applied it to cardstock and ran it through the Xyron Machine and it adhered well. There were the typical little "glue buggers" that one gets with the Xyron, but I was able to remove them from the acetate with an alcohol swab (but carefully, as it will also remove the Copic coloring!).

My inside sentiment, "America the beautiful" is from an old Cornish Heritage Farms set by Kim Hughes (now of Paper Smooches fame). 

I lined the envelope with some coordinating paper using the Hero Arts Envelope Template and stamped some stamped on stars with an old PTI set.

This was a learning process and I will make some minor changes the next time. It is a fun technique with lots of possibilities. I urge you to consider the class - it is full of great ideas.

At least I'm ready for the Fourth of July! And I bet there is a nap in my future later today.

Thanks for the visit - hope you are having a star-studded week, 

Stretch Your Dies - Day 7, the Grand Finale!

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

Wowzer, but did I ever have fun with today's lesson. I loved all of the techniques, but Kathy Racoosin's "Hidden Letter" technique with alphabet dies had me in love. She did such a great job with her example that I couldn't wait to give it a whirl.

Did I tell you haw much I am loving my Gansai Tambi water colors?! Oh, MY!! It is unbelievable and so worth the investment. I'm glad that I got the 36-color set.

Anyway, I stretched some watercolor paper and went to town heat embossing and old favorite from Hero Arts, CG134, "Large Flower". I did a background first, let it dry and then painted the flower. When it was all dry I sprayed it with some Perfect Pearls, let it dry again and over-stamped it with Hero Arts S1832, "Italian Poetry". The sentiment is Hero Arts CL371, "Essential Messages", and the alphabet dies are Memory Box "Parker Upper Case".

Can you see the raised letters in the second photo? Unbelievable!

What a great series - I really recommend it it you want to make the most of your dies.

Thanks for the visit!

Stretch Your Dies - Day 6

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

We are coming down home stretch with the fantastic Online Card Class "Stretch Your Dies".

Today's technique, which is all about using border dies to create inlaid designs, is by the so very talented Debby Hughes. If you don't know Debby, you MUST check out her blog - I've been a follower for years. She never ceases to amaze. I love this easy technique!

For this card I used MFT Die-Namics dies, "Chevron Stripes"; Simon Says Stamp "Stitched Rectangle" dies; and, Paper Smooches "Wicked Nauticool" stamps and dies. I again used some of that terrific wood grain textured cardstock that I got at the Paper Garden Boutique while in Sacramento.

Hope you are having a great week. Thanks for visit.

Stretch Your Stamps - Day Five

Good morning, Bloggin' Buddies!

Happy Monday and here we go on another week!

I was able to complete another day of the great Online Card Class series yesterday. The topic is using coordinating die. It is so difficult to decide which of the many great techniques to try. I selected one presented by the amazing Shari Carroll.

I was having a tough time coming up with a set of stamps and dies that would work for this technique. Then I remembered an old Hero Arts Frame Cuts die set (D1005) and several coordinating stamps that I had for it. I selected my favorite one, "You Who" (K5657). I used some terrific woodgrain cardstock that I recently purchased in Sacramento at The Paper Garden. It is so rich with heavy embedded texture!

The background paper is American Crafts 6"x6" "5th & Frolic". Other than that, this speaks for itself. You can see the acetate panel better in the small photo.

 I hope to get another coordinating set that would work better with this technique because, even thought I am not a huge "stamping with StazOn" fan, I really like it. There was no sunshine yesterday so the pix are a little dull.

Thanks for the visit and have a great day!

Stretch Your Dies - Day Three

Hello, my bloggin' buddies!

Inside of Card

Well, I can only say that Day Three of the Online Card Class "Stretch Your Dies" has gone better than Day Two. Today's card went together well and I actually like it. It is just a difficult one to photograph because it wants to pop open and it is difficult to capture the depth of the folded layers.

Jennifer's lesson was on making a foldout window card. It was so much fun. I used a digi stamp that I had from ages ago and some older Hero Arts sentiment stamps (CL155, Playful Animals and CL272 All Occasion Messages). I added a little frame around the cut window, just to finish it off a bit.

Closed Card

Opening the Card

Thanks for the visit. Have a great weekend. I am going to an all-day card class in Sacramento taught by the amazing Julie Ebersole.......can hardly wait!

Stretch Your Dies - Day Two

Or, in this case, scream and cuss at your dies!

Yep, I'm back at the Online Card Class series. Those gals make it look so darn easy! I almost didn't post this, but I figured that classes are all about learning, and mistakes are sure a part of learning.

I have learned that it makes a HUGE difference which dies you select for this technique, which Kristina calls "Die Cuts Within A Larger Die".

My butterflies were just too delicate and the shapes too large. They just look strange cut off into a circle shape.

I wish I'd kept the butterflies at their full sizes, but that wasn't the technique, now was it? Ah, well. The technique is a good one, my execution just leaves much to be desired.

Thanks for the visit,

Products: Dies - Memory Box (Moonlight Butterfly, Kaleidoscope Butterfly), Spellbinders (Fanciful Flight), Paper Smooches (Hello Words); Paper - My Minds Eye (Follow Your Heart-Be Amazed)

Stretch Your Dies - Day One

Hello, my friends!

A quick post today showing my homework for Day One of Stretch Your Dies, the great online card class. Today's lesson involves word dies. Yes, I am a little tardy with this homework, but life happens.

Debbie Huges shared a spin on inlaying word dies and I gave it a whirl. I used Lawn Fawn's "Scripty Thanks" and papers from My Minds Eye "In Bloom".

This is more tricky than it appears - I need some additional practice! Thanks Debby, and thanks to Jennifer and Kristina for the great class series.

Thanks for the visit!