Layered Embossing 4 - From an old Primer

"A kitten is a rosebud in the garden of the animal kingdom."
                                                                       -------------Robert Southey

Hi, Friends.....

Can you stand to see one more entry in the MFP Speedy Fox and Friends Layered Embossing challenge????  I couldn't let this challenge go by without adding some heat embossing to my layered dry embossing, right?  :)  
 

Again, I used scraps from my DCWV Solstice Stack and layered them on my background.  I dry embossed the piece with my Darice Honeycomb folder and then brayered some Versamark over the top of it and heat embossed with gold.  I repeated this step once to get better definition of the hexagons.  

The stamp is one I found in a grab bag.  The image appears to be taken from an old primer and the sentiment is difficult to read, so I will tell you what it says:

 "Was a Hive -- in which honey-bees live, --
Bread and Honey I think very nice;
Then if you make haste, and your alphabet learn,
Perhaps you may get a good slice."

Charming, isn't it?  I love old primers!  I stamped it on some pulpy paper (inked edges with Distress Ink - Mustard Seed) and heat embossed it in gold.  I placed it on a die-cut panel from Inspired by Stamping - Fancy Labels 3 dies that I had also heat-embossed in gold....at least the parts that were going to show!  :)  You can see the gleam in the photo below.  

I layered up some Prima flowers with a sequin center for the upper left corner.  For the lower right, I put glitter glue centers and added a tiny doily punched heart as a sort of little pocket for the flowers.  

Do you see the speckles on the large yellow layer of the flower below?  This flower originally had just a dark line of brown on the lower "seven o'clock" area.  I thought it looked out of place by itself, so I took a coordinating marker and added more splashes of stain.  I like it much better this way.  :)

 So that wraps up my 4 entries for the MFP Speedy Fox and Friends Layered Embossing challenge.  Hope you have enjoyed seeing them.  I love all your comments, so please keep them coming!!  :)  Have a lovely mid-week.

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. MFP Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge #244 - Layered Embossing
2. Vandicrafts Artistry Challenge Jan 2015 - Anything Goes
3. Craft Stamper - Take it Make it Challenge January 2015 - Take a Stamp
4. Inspired by Stamping Customer Gallery Contest - January 2015
5. Pixie's Crafty Workshop - Snippets Playground Week 159

Layered Embossing 3 - Purple Floral Birthday

"In the middle of a world that has always been a bit mad, the cat walks with confidence."
                                                                         --------------Roseanne Anderson                                                           

Hi, Friends......

I have been super-inspired this week by the "Layered Embossing" Challenge over at MFP Speedy Fox and Friends.   I love this new-to-me technique of layering on the die cuts, etc before dry embossing.  This time I tried it using some scraps.  I was inspired by this card made by my friend, Karen Ladd, which used vertical strips of scraps for the background.  I always have tons of 1 inch strips in my scrap box because of all the simple notecard sets I make and (occasionally) sell locally.  (If you know me in real life, you doubtlessly have received many of these sets as gifts! Ha.)   

What I love most about this technique is that by dry embossing the items onto the background, you get such a cohesive and finished look to things. I just love this!!!

I have been working with my DCWV - The Solstice Stack a lot lately.  I inked the white edges of some pretty purple scraps from it with Distress Ink - Dusty Concord.  Then I glued and embossed them on to my background, using my Darice Interlocking Circles embossing folder.

TIP:  The embossing folder "tore" the purple cardstock in a few places, making the inner white core show through on the ridges.  But I did an easy touch up with my waterbrush and a bit of coordinating Distress Ink painted onto the white parts.  All fixed.  :)

Next I added some die cuts from my Inspired by Stamping - Fancy Labels 3 dies.  I selected this die set as a prize from IBS and I LOVE it so much!!  (THANKS, Joanna!)  I used a Happy Birthday stamp from the MFP - What a Fox stamp set and stamped it with Distress Ink - Victorian Velvet.  

A cluster of Prima flowers and a bow finished everything up.  Do you like it?  I LOVE it!!  

Hope your day is going well.  We are all still trying to get completely over the bugs that caught us.....but we'll get there eventually.....maybe by summer!  Ha.  

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. MFP Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge #244 - Layered Embossing
2. Vandicrafts Artistry Challenge Jan 2015 - Anything Goes
3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Use Something New
4. Inspired by Stamping Customer Gallery Contest - January 2015
5. Pixie's Crafty Workshop - Snippets Playground Week 159 

Layered Embossing 2 - Updated Victorian Garden

"When addressed, a gentleman cat does not move a muscle. He looks as if he hasn't heard."
                                                               ---------May Sarton
  
Hi, Friends.....

I am back with another card using the Layered Embossing technique for the Mark's Finest Papers Challenge.  I am totally in love with this new-to-me technique where you attach your die cuts, etc to your cardstock before dry embossing, instead of afterwards.  I don't know why I never thought to try this on my own before!! 

I used DCWV - The Solstice Stack papers for my card today.  I gave the background a bit of subtle depth by stamping the word "NATURE"  from the MFP - Nature's Brushstrokes stamp set, using Distress Ink - Old Paper.  You'll be able to see it better in the photos  below. 

I attached one of the decorative elements from the Solstice Stack onto the stamped background and ran it through my Big Shot using my Darice Honeycomb folder.  This embellishment piece was pre-glittered and I wasn't sure how it would look after being embossed, but it turned out great. 

I sponged some Distress Ink - Crushed Olive lightly over the embossing to give it more contrast.  

The green glitter base under the sentiment is die cut from Inspired by Stamping - Fancy Labels 3 dies.  The sentiment is from MFP - What a Fox stamp set and stamped with Distress Ink - Mowed Lawn.

 You can see the "NATURE" stamped vertically on the background better in these photos.  I finished things up by adding a few butterflies from my stash and some Prima flowers layered together.

I really love how this card turned out.  When I got it finished, I thought it had kind of a vintage Victorian look to it....in updated colors.  What do you think?  

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Ding, Ding, Ding.......New Follower Introduction Time!!!
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Welcome to Therese of Lost in Paper!!  Therese designs for The Alley Way Stamps and was sweet enough to become a follower when I began following her.  Did you know she has a giveaway
going on at her blog right now?  (In fact TAWS has a huge Birthday extravaganza happening and all the designers have giveaways.  Yay!!!)  Therese has such a fun way of using the super-cute TAWS sets.  Love the retro look with the chicken she has with the giveaway!!  Thank you so much for your support and encouragement.  This ginormous smile is for you!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Thank you, everyone, for all your wonderful comments!  Hope everyone is having a fun and crafty week!  

<3

Janis

 Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. MFP Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge #244 - Layered Embossing
2. Vandicrafts Artistry Challenge Jan 2015 - Anything Goes
3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Use Something New
4. Inspired by Stamping Customer Gallery Contest - January 2015
5. Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper January 2015 Challenge 

Layered Embossing 1 - Christmas Cards

This is an oldie, but it rang true with the BFF - "Best Friend Fell"...ugh...

 "Even if you have just destroyed a Ming vase, purr.  Usually all will be forgiven."
                                                                         ------------Lenny Rubenstein


Hi, Friends.....

I am back.....still hobbling because of my badly bruised knee....and still feeling the lingering fatigue of the bug that caught me.  Ugh...  But I was able to make a really fun little set of cards for a Mark's Finest Papers challenge asking us to do "Layered Embossing".  Well, you know me....I cannot resist any new technique that has the embossing word in it!  And........I had just the card in mind!!

I planned hoped to make something like this for Christmas cards this year (last year....whatever year...2014!) but ran out of time and energy.  It was still brewing in my mind, though.  When I read about "Layered Embossing" where you glue on your die cuts, etc before dry embossing, instead of afterwards, I knew it would be perfect for my idea.

I received this fun little Pebbles Banner Kit in a prize recently.  My new-found love for simple triangle Christmas trees immediately saw patterned trees instead of banner pieces!!  So that's what I made.  :)  I don't know if this comes in the aqua and the blue colors or not, but this photo is a lot bluer than my kit is. I think it is just camera mischief and my aqua is what it is supposed to look like.

As a bonus, the adorable banner kit is NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff), so it also qualifies my little project for Darnell's NBUS#3 Challenge.  Yay!  






For my card, I took a piece of heavy-weight white cardstock and stamped snowflakes from MFP Calendar stamp set in Distress Ink - Evergreen Bough.  I sponged it around the edges a bit, too.  Then I arranged my "trees" and glued them on with Beacon 3-in-1, trimming off excess.  Then I ran it through my Big Shot with my Darice "Snowflakes" embossing folder.  Voila!!!  Oh, my goodness......I LOVE THIS!!!!

I put a few accents of silver glitter glue in the round parts of the embossing pattern and on the main tree.  Then I tied it with the twine that came with the banner kit.  I mounted this one on white cardstock, but got so excited that I had to make three more with a few variations.

Although these will work great for Christmas cards, I actually am going to use one this week for a winter birthday card.....by stamping an appropriate birthday sentiment inside.  These also could be used for winter thank you cards.  I am in looooooooooooooove with this technique!!!!  Hope you have enjoyed my cards today.

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Ding Ding Ding!!!  New Follower Introduction Time!!!
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I have a couple of new followers that I was just too wiped out to do intros for last time.  These make 78 on Google Friend Connect!!  Yay!!!  Thanks for your patience, ladies!!

Mary H of Carolina Cards (Made by Mary H) has a wonderful chatty blog (I LOVE chatty blogs!!) that includes her lovely cards and also newsy bits about her family, etc.  It's filled with lots of photos (LOVE that, too!) and is tons of fun to browse through.   Mary, thanks so much for becoming a follower.  I am your newest follower, too!!!  This ginormous smile is what spreads across my face whenever I get a new follower......like you!!! 

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Hazel Kinvig-Paul of My Card Attic does lovely work with her cards. I am so impressed with her gift at using the CAS style.  What a knack she has for this!!!  You will want to go see her beautiful blog full of eye candy!!  Thank you, Hazel, for your support by becoming a follower!!!  This ginormous smile is all yours!!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Thank you, everyone, for stopping in today.  I appreciate how much time it takes to visit and to leave comments.  Your words mean a lot to me!!!  Have a lovely week!

<3

Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this set of cards in the following challenges:

1. MFP Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge #244 - Layered Embossing
2. Darnell's NBUS #3 Challenge - Never Before Used Schtuff!!
3. Vandicrafts Artistry Challenge Jan 2015 - Anything Goes
4. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Use Something New
5. Monday Morning Challenge #2 - New Somethings

Hip Hip Hooray - Unity Friends with Flair

Happy January!  hahaha...

"Even overweight cats instinctively know the cardinal rule:  when fat, arrange yourself in slim poses."
                                                                 --------------John Weitz

Hi, Friends.......

Ugh...I've been on the sick and injured list all this week.  I came down with the bug on Monday and have been so sick all week....ugh..  Then that same day I took a nasty fall.....just stumbled on a chair leg like a clumsy old cow....and messed up my knee.....which was already injured from a fall a few weeks ago!  (What is wrong with me???)  I was in bed the rest of the day with my knee elevated and iced.  That helped a lot!!  I never thought I would want a joint iced, but it hurt so bad and swelled so alarmingly large....Eeek!  After the first few minutes it was blissfully numb, and I was very happy to have ice on it.  It is a lot better now...and quite colorful.  (Only crafters can appreciate the color palette of bruises, right?  Ha!!!)  I am so very grateful I didn't have to go to the doctor.

Today, for the first time, the bug I caught finally allowed me to be out of bed and actually doing something at my craft table...in between naps!  I knew I wanted to make a Unity Friends with Flair card and I had several ideas and techniques swirling in mind to try out for my card.  It didn't turn out exactly as I had planned, but it is a start.  To be truthful, I was so craft-starved that I wasn't going to be too picky about how things came together!  I just wanted to be at my craft table!!!  So, thanks to Unity, I dragged myself out of bed to make a card!  :)

I hardly ever pull out my gesso, but I knew I wanted to stamp on a gessoed surface.  I wanted the snowy look, but discovered an advantage of gessoing the cardstock was that my watercoloring didn't soak through at all.  Nice!!

I gessoed my cardstock and stamped the image (Unity - I Tweeted) in Memento - London Fog.  I painted the image with my waterbrush and Gelatos that matched the palette colors.  

Another thing I wanted to try was painting with Perfect Pearls.  So I went back over some of the areas with some new colors of Perfect Pearls by dipping my moist waterbrush in a coordinating powder and brushing over the area for some additional sheen.  This is the first time I had done this.  I love the effect!!  I will be experimenting with this technique more in the future.  I have LOTS of new colors of Perfect Pearls, since they are my latest obsession!!  :)


You can see the shimmer and shine from the Perfect Pearls in the angled photo below.....and the sparkle of glittery snow I added.

I pulled out my Unity - Hip Hip Hooray stamp and stamped it on vellum three times and heat embossed in white.  (Don't you usually say it three times???)  Beacon 3-in-1 seems to work well with vellum without much show-through.  That's what I have been using for attaching vellum lately.

Hope you like my card.  I have two new followers that will be introduced in my next post.  I just can't muster up the energy to do adequate intros right now....so I will sign off for now.....and try to get well.  Ugh...

[UPDATE:  Most of this post was written Thursday night.  Friday morning I am feeling quite a bit better!!  Yay...Light at the end of the tunnel!!]

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  Unity Friends with Flair Link Up
2.  Word Art Wednesday Challenge #165 - Anything Goes
3.  Vandicrafts Artistry Challenge Jan 2015 - Anything Goes
4.  Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Use Something New
5.  The Paper Girls Challenge #71 - Let's Sparkle and Shine

God's Timing is Perfect - Friends with Flair

 "His friendship is not easily won, but it is something worth having."

                                                   ------------Michael Joseph

Hi, Friends......

I'm here with a Unity Friends with Flair card.  I am so excited to get to share this card because I usually forget all about FwF until Friday....and then don't have time to make anything!  Arrgggh.

I also am entering this card in Darnell's NBUS challenge #3.  I am using a couple of gleaming stickers from another brand-new set I got at Dollar Tree.   For a buck???  Are you kidding me!??  I totally LOVE these!!! 





 
I tried my hand at some sponging again, using Salty Ocean Distress Ink.  Then I laid down my metallic silver stickers.  (Is this Queen Anne's Lace? Looks like it to me. An Umbelliferae of some sort, at least.)

I stamped my Unity "God's Timing is Perfect.  Trust it." in Memento - Black Tuxedo ink.  What an encouraging sentiment, don't you think?  Each of us has issues and challenges in our lives that we just have to trust the Lord for.  So grateful that He is always working, even in ways that we cannot see.  

Here's an angled shot to show that incredible silver gleam!!!

I finished the card by mounting the focal panel on shimmery charcoal gray cardstock and then on a ocean blue card base.

Hope you enjoyed my card!!  Thanks for all your amazing comments.  Be sure to check back or to subscribe to this post, because I try to reply to each one of them.

Have a lovely weekend!!!

<3
Janis


Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  Unity Friends with Flair
2.  MFP Friends of Speedy TV Challenge #147 - Blue and Silver
3.  Darnell's NBUS #3 Challenge - Never Before Used Schtuff!! 
4.  Monday Morning Challenge #2 - New Somethings
5.  Word Art Wednesday Challenge #164 - Anything Goes

Happy New Year!!!!

 Aliyah draped over Janis:  One reason I don't get more crafting done!!

"I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult.  It's not.  Mine had me trained in two days."
                                                                           -------------Bill Dana

Happy New Year, Friends!!!

I am here to share a New Year's card with you to get the year started off right.  I actually was able to get it made without Aliyah needing to be held, unlike in the above photo!  If it's not a cat, it's my granddaughter keeping me from crafting!  :)

A while back I won a $50 gift card to Dollar Tree and I was able to go craft shopping there recently.  (Fun, Fun, Fun!!  Do you have any idea how much crafty stuff you can buy there for $50????  I only spent $20 this time and came home with a haul!!)  One of the things I bought was a set of these lovely metallic silver butterfly stickers.  LOVE!!!!  I like the butterfly symbol for new life and thought it would work well for the New Year, too.

I am editing this post to add in Darnell's NBUS #3 (Never Before Used Schtuff) challenge.  She is encouraging us to use our schtuff, brand-new or old, that we haven't ever used before.  My butterfly from "Santa Dollar Tree" is my NBUS item.  THANKS, Darnell, for another super-fun challenge and opportunity to meet other bloggers!!!

I didn't think I had any Happy New Year stamps at all to use.  But I had my Mark's Finest Papers Oriental stamps out yesterday and noticed my Year of the Horse set had two Happy New Year sentiments.  The one I wanted was attached to some Chinese characters, so I did stamp surgery to separate them and ended up with exactly what I needed.

The swirly pattern is my own, but inspired by the awesome crystal swirls made by Zva.  LOVE!!  I drew it on the cardstock with a light pencil after applying the sticker.  Then I curved the Happy New Year stamp on the acrylic block to fit the contours and stamped over my pencil lines with Memento London Fog ink.  I filled in the gaps and finished off the flourishes with dots from a Sakura silver glitter gel pen.  After everything was thoroughly dry, I erased the faint pencil marks. (Don't even ask why I emphasized the word "thoroughly"...Ha!)

You can see the delicious gleam in the photo below.
 

I finished the card by putting the focal panel on an ice blue piece of cardstock and mounting it all on a premade DCWV silver glitter card base.  I love how it turned out!

I hope you have a great beginning of the New Year!!  January is a good month to catch up on things.  I like to call it my "quiet" month.....although around here, it won't be quiet!!  Ha.  Thanks, everyone, for all your support and lovely comments.  You encourage me more than I can say!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. MFP Friends of Speedy TV Challenge #147 - Blue and Silver
2. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge #11 - Anything Goes
3. Darnell's NBUS #3 Challenge - Never Before Used Schtuff!!
4. Double-Click Connections - "New" challenge
5. Monday Morning Challenge #2 - New Somethings