Christmas, Embossed Background, Faux Embossing, Shaker, Uncategorized, Window Cards

Stretch Your Dies: One Die Three Ways

Hello friends. Have you ever tried using your dies to emboss or stencil your backgrounds?!? It’s super easy and you can make quick cards using these techniques. I created three cards demonstrating these techniques using the Catherine Pooler Retro Ornament Dies. Let me show you how easy they are to make. For more stenciled backgrounds using dies check out my previous post.

For this first card, I created a tone-on-tone background with a little shimmer. I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 5-1/2 x 11″ and scored at 5-1/2″ to create a card base, piece of Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash Metallic Jewels Kraft Stock to 5-1/2 x 5-1/2″, a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 5-1/4 x 5-1/4″ for the top panels. I also diecut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with the Queen and Company Foundation 18 Dies.

I die cut the ornaments from scrap cardstock with the Catherine Pooler Designs Retro Ornament Dies. You can also use post it paper or masking paper. I pieced the negative and positive pieces to stencil the ornaments. I used Tim Holtz Candied Apple and Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide Inks for the left ornament. And Mowed Lawn and Broken China Distress Oxide Inks for the right one. I used Hickory Smoke Distress Ink for the ornament cap and stars.

I stamped a sentiment from Stampin’ Up!’s Paper Pumpkin Joy to the World directly onto the card with Catherine Pooler Designs Black Jack Ink.

On the inside of the card, I stamped a sentiment from Queen & Company’s North Pole Kit Stamp Set with Stampin’ Up!’s Real Red Ink.

Dimensions


For this second card, I decided to try embossing with my dies. I cut a piece of Stampin’ Up! Real Red 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/4″ to create a card base and piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 4 x 5-1/4” for the top panel.

I took the ornament dies from the Catherine Pooler Designs Retro Ornament Dies and embossed the background panel. For my Sizzix Big Shot machine I used the following sandwich from the bottom up: 1.) Multipurpose Platform, 2.) Cutting Plate, 3.) Emboss mat, 4.) Paper. 5.) Die face down, and 6.) Cutting Plate. Check your machines guide for the proper snadwich. I also added additonal paper to deepen the embossing a bit.

I die cut the ornament cap from dark gray metallic cardstock from Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash Metallic Jewels Kraft Stock and the ornament centers from green and red metallic cardstock from the same collection.

Then die cut a sentiment from gold cardstock from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash Metallic Kraft Stock using the Neat & Tangled Happy Holidays die. I finished off the card by adding some Nuvo Fresh Snowfall Glitter Drops.

On the inside of the card, I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 4 x 5-1/4” and stamped a sentiment from Catherine Pooler Designs Bright Baubles Stamp Set (discontinued) with Stampin’ Up!’s Real Red Ink.

Dimensions


For this third card, I made a fun shaker pocket card. I cut a piece of Stampin’ Up! Melon Mambo 8-1/2 x 11″ Cardstock (retired) to 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/4″ to create a card base and piece of patter paper from my stash to 4-1/4 x 5-1/2” for the inside of the shaker panel.

I cut a piece Acetate slightly larger than my back panel. then used double sided tape to adhere three sides of the acetate to the back of the panel, creasing the edges. I filled the pocket with a variety of flat sequins and stars and sealed the last side of the pocket. I adhered the panel to the card and then die cut a frame from Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ using the Spellbinders Nestabilities A2 Card Creator Dies Matting Basics A 4-1/4 x 5-1/2″ and 4-5/8 x 4-7/8″.

For the ornaments I used Altenew Glitter Gradient Cardstock Set in Pink Brilliance, Ocean Reflection, and Forest Canopy and the Catherine Pooler Designs Retro Ornament Dies. I also used the Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash Metallic Kraft Stock for the the ornament caps.

I stamped a sentiment from the Catherine Pooler Bright and Baubles Stamp Set (retired) onto a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Memento Tuxedo Ink, trimmed sentiment to 3/4 x 2″ thebefore adhering it flat.

On the inside of the card, I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 4 x 5-1/4” and the same pattern paper from the front panel to 1 x 4″. Then stamped a sentiment from Lawn Fawn’s Merry Messages Stamp Set with Catherine Pooler Designs Black Jack Ink.

Dimensions


Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give these cards a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.

Christmas, Slimline

Slimline Christmas House Card featuring Scrappy Tails Crafts

Hello friends. This festive holiday card features several of the Scrappy Tails Crafts add-on dies for the Slimline Bird House Pop Up Card Metal Die. These are tons of fun to play with and quickly becoming another favorite house builder set. These standalone dies are especially great for those of you who dislike or struggle with stamping.

For this card, I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 9 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/2″ to create the card base, which I inked with Tim Holtz Broken China Distress Oxide and Salty Ocean Distress Oxide Inks to create a gradient background.

I die cut the house and chimney from Stampin’ Up! Sahara Sand 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock with Slimline Bird House Pop Up Card Metal Die and then used the Slimline Brick Background Metal Craft Die to emboss the brick pattern onto them. I inked around the edges of both pieces with Stampin’ Up! Sahara Sand Ink. I diecut the roof, window frames and base from Simon Says Stamp Cardstock 100# Slate Gray 8-1/2 x 11″ Cardstock using the Slimline Bird House Pop Up Card Metal Die and German and American Christmas House Add-On Metal Craft Die and inked around them with Stampin’ Up! Basic Gray Ink. I also backed the windows with panels I cut from Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ and inked with Tim Holtz Mustard Seed Distress Ink.

I die cut the snow and pots for the Christmas trees (using the German and American Christmas House Add-On Metal Craft Die) and the lights strings (using the Christmas House Roof Add-On Metal Craft Die) from Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″. I colored the light string with a green marker, then diecut the lights from red, green, yellow and aqua cardstock from my stash. The door was cut from Stampin’ Up! Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock using the Slimline Neighborhood House Pop Up – Add On Die and inked the pieces with Stampin’ Up! Cherry Cobbler Ink; the door knobs were cut from Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash Metallic Kraft Stock.

All the greenery was die cut from Bazzill Basics – 12 x 12 Parakeet Cardstock and inked with Catherine Pooler Eucalyptus Ink. And the bows and ornaments for the trees were die cut from Stampin’ Up! Red & Green 12″ X 12″ Foil Sheets.

I finished it off by adding some splatters with White Acrylic Paint and Tonic Fresh Snowfall Nuvo Glitter Accents to the snow and Nuvo Crystal Drops in Metallic Bright Gold to the garland and wreaths on the door.

On the inside of the card, I die cut a sentiment from Stampin’ Up! Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock using the Stampin’ Up! Word Wishes Dies and added another small wreath.

Dimensions


Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give this card a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.

Christmas

Easy Slimline Holiday Card – Using Embossing Folder to Add Texture to Focal Image

Hello friends. I’m loving this Retro Ornament Dieset from Catherine Pooler! The images are large enough to cover an A2 size card and really great on a slimline card. I went for a more traditional color but then decided to try a little less traditional color scheme.

For these cards, I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 7 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 3-1/2″ to create the card bases and piece of to 3-1/4 x 8-1/4” for the top panel. For the first card, I used the Catherine Pooler’s Rouge and Eucalyptus Inks to color white cardstock using direct-to-paper technique. Then diecut three rectangles using Catherine Pooler’s Scallops & Dots Dies. I adhered them offset.

I die cut the ornaments from gold cardstock from Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash METALLIC KRAFT STOCK using the Retro Ornament Dieset. I embossed them with two embossing folders from Queen and Company’s Embossing Folder Bundle and backed them with Vellum before adhering them. I stamped a sentiment from the Catherine Pooler Wrapped and Ready Stampset onto Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Rouge Ink, trimmed it down and added 3M Foam Tape to adhere it to the card.

I finished it off by adding some Tonic Pale Gold Nuvo Crystal Drops.

On the inside of the card, I stamped a sentiment from the Stampin’ Up! ‘Joy to the World’ Paper Pumpkin stampset (Paper Pumpkin is a subscription box so this stampset is not available for purchase) with Eucalyptus Ink and adhered the gold star shape that I had cut out of one of the ornaments.

Dimensions


For the second card, I used the Catherine Pooler’s Suede Shoes and Cummerbund Inks to color white cardstock using direct-to-paper technique and diecut the three rectangles using Catherine Pooler’s Scallops & Dots Dies once again. I die cut the ornaments from silver cardstock instead and embossed them with the two same embossing folders from Queen and Company’s Embossing Folder Bundle and backed them with Vellum before adhering them. I stamped a sentiment from the Catherine Pooler Wrapped and Ready Stampset with Cummerbund Ink, trimmed it down and added 3M Foam Tape to adhere it to the card.

I finished it off by adding some Liquid Mercury Nuvo Crystal Drops.

On the inside of the card, I stamped a sentiment from the Stampin’ Up! ‘Joy to the World’ Paper Pumpkin stampset (Paper Pumpkin is a subscription box so this stampset is not available for purchase) with Suede Shoes ink and adhered the silver star shape that I had cut out of one of the ornaments.

Dimensions


Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give these cards a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.

Christmas

Three Quick Backgrounds Using the Catherine Pooler Gradient Diamond Stencil

Hello friends. It’s time to make some holiday cards. I’m getting a bit of a late start this year but better late than never! Starting things off with some super easy cards using Catherine Pooler’s Gradient Diamond Stencil and Retro Ornament Dies.

For this first card, I created a tone-on-tone background with a little shimmer. I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/4″ to create a card base and piece of Neenah 80lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 4 x 5-1/4” for the top panel. I used the Catherine Pooler Gradient Diamond Stencil and Cosmic Shimmer Opal Glaze Polish to create the background.

I die cut the ornaments from Stampin’ Up! Cherry Cobbler 8 1/2 x 11″ Cardstock, Stampin’ Up! Mossy Meadow 8 1/2 x 11″ Cardstock and Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash Metallic Kraft Stock with the Retro Ornament Dies. I backed them with Vellum. I used some silver embroidery thread from my stash for the ornament strings and stamped a sentiment from the Catherine Pooler Wrapped and Ready Stamp Set onto piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Juniper Mist Ink, trimmed around the sentiment and adhered it with 3M Foam Tape. I finished it off by adding some Red Autumn and Bottle Green Nuvo Crystal Drops.

On the inside of the card, I stamped a sentiment from Lawn Fawn’s Merry Messages Stamp Set with Stampin’ Up! Cherry Cobbler Ink.

Dimensions


For this second card, I used a traditional stenciling method with just ink. I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/4″ to create a card base and piece of Neenah 80lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 4 x 5-1/4” for the top panel. I used the Catherine Pooler Gradient Diamond Stencil with Tranquil Ink to create the background.

I die cut the ornaments from silver cardstock from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash Metallic Kraft Stock with the Retro Ornament Dies and backed them with Stampin’ Up! Cherry Cobbler 8 1/2 x 11″ Cardstock and Stampin’ Up! Mossy Meadow 8 1/2 x 11″ Cardstock. I used gold cardstock from Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash Metallic Kraft Stock for the topper, bow and string.

Then stamped a sentiment from the Catherine Pooler Wrapped and Ready Stamp Set onto piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Memento Tuxedo Ink, trimmed around the sentiment and adhered it with 3M Foam Tape. I finished it off by adding some MOONDUST Nuvo Glitter Drops.

On the inside of the card, I stamped a sentiment from Lawn Fawn’s Merry Messages Stamp Set with Tranquil Ink

Dimensions


For this third card, I used a kicked it up a notch with some metallic paste. I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/4″ to create a card base and piece of Neenah 80lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 4 x 5-1/4” for the top panel. I used the Catherine Pooler Gradient Diamond Stencil with Dreamweaver Embossing Paste in Gold to create the background.

For the ornaments I used a direct-to-paper technique with Cranberry Fizz and Green Tea Inks on Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″, then die cut with the Retro Ornament Dies and backed them with gold cardstock from Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper Stash Metallic Kraft Stock. I used the same gold cardstock for topper, bow and string again. I adhered them with 3M Foam Tape for some dimension.

I stamped a sentiment from the Catherine Pooler Wrapped and Ready Stamp Set onto piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Memento Tuxedo Ink, trimmed around the sentiment before adhering it flat.

On the inside of the card, I stamped a sentiment from Lawn Fawn’s Merry Messages Stamp Set with Cranberry Fizz.

Dimensions


Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give these cards a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.

Christmas

3 Easy Cards featuring the Catherine Pooler’s Caroling Sentiments Stampset

Hello friends. Catherine Pooler’s Caroling Sentiments Stampset is a great stampset to create quick cards. It features large sentiments that are shaped like images and is part of the new Jolly Holiday release. If you need some quick Christmas cards this year, check it out! Super cute!

For this first card, I used the cute snowman sentiment image. I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/4″ to create a card base and another to 4 x 5-1/4” for the top panel. I stamped the background with the snowflake and mittens from the Catherine Pooler Caroling Sentiments Stampset using It’s A Boy and from Catherine Pooler.

I stamped the snowman image onto a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Midnight Ink from Catherine Pooler. I stamped a second hat and scarf as well. I colored the hat and scarf with COPIC markers. I used BG000 + BG01 and N5 + N7 for the hat; and R29 + R59 for the scarf. I diecut it with the coordinating dies, added some Foam Tape to the back and adhered it to the card panel.

I added some Love from Lizi Straight Silver Glitter Peel-offs and adhered the panel to the card. I finished it off by adding some Nuvo Silver Moondust Glitter Drops.

I left the inside of the card blank.

Dimensions


For my second card, I wanted to play with heat embossing one of the sentiments and the onament one seemed fitting. I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 4-1/2 x 8″ and scored at 4″ to create a card base and another to 3-3/4 x 4-1/4″ for the top panel. I used the Narrow Stripe Cover Plate Die to create a stencil using masking paper, then stenciled using It’s a Girl Ink from Catherine Pooler. I diecut a window using the ornament die from the Caroling Sentiments Dies and set that aside.

Next I stamped the ornament sentiment image from the Catherine Pooler Caroling Sentiments Stampset using Versamark Ink onto Montval Acid-Free Cold Press Watercolor Paper and heat embossed it with Gold Emboss Powder. I used Mint to Be and Deck the Halls Inks to watercolor the image. Once dried, I added Foam Tape to the back of the top panel, adhered the ornament behind it, added some Love from Lizi Matt Gold Pin Stripe Peel-Off Stickers and then to the card base. I finished it off by adding some Nuvo Metallic Bright Gold Drops.

On the inside of the card, I stamped a sentiment from Casual Fridays Snowy Sayings stampset with It’s a Girl Ink.

Dimensions


For my third card, I kept it fairly simple — a little stamping and heat embossing. I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/4″ to create a card base and another to 3-3/4 x 5-1/2″ for the top panel. On a seperate piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″

I stamped the tree sentiment image from the Catherine Pooler Caroling Sentiments Stampset with Deck the Halls and Over Coffee Inks as well as three sets of the presents using Cranberry Fizz, Skylight and Versamark Ink and heat embossed one set with Gold Emboss Powder. I also stamped and heat embossed the medium star with Gold Emboss Powder. I diecut all the images and used Foam Tape and Stampin’ Dimensionals to adhere them to the card panel.

I cut two strips of Under the Tree Pattern Paper to approximately 3/8 x 5-1/2” and adhere it to the card base on the left and right of the card panel. I adhered the front panel to the card base with Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue and finished it off by adding some Love from Lizi Gold Mirror Moondust Pin Stripe Peel-Off Stickers

On the inside of the card, I stamped a sentiment from a very old stampset I have with Cranberry Fizz and used some of the leftover presents to adhere at the bottom.

Dimensions


Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give these cards a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.