Beneath the Sea Thank You

 I'm lately obsessed with Lavinia Stamps and have been avidly viewing YouTube videos by Eileen Godwin and others for ideas on how to use the stamps and learn the wonderful background techniques they use as well.

I made this card using the beautiful Sebastion after watching one such YouTube video!

Along with the Sebastian stamp I also used  the Sea Algea stamp along both the top and bottom of the panel.  Before I did any stamping I breyered the background using Distress Inks Blueprint Sketch, Peacock Feathers and Squeezed Lemonade graduating from dark to light.  Then I stamped Sebastian with Obsidian ink and the Sea Algea with Elements Blue Laggon ink.

I added white Nuvo drops on Sebastian to lighten up his body a bit in the dark water and added a double layer die cut Thank you across his body.

I'm linking my card to:

The Paper Players Theme Challenge

Stamps: Sebastian, Sea Algea - Lavinia Stamps

Paper: Multifarious Smooth - Lavinia Stamps, White card base, True Black - PTI

Ink: Ranger Distress Peacock Feathers, Blueprint Sketch, Squeezed Lemonade, Elements Blue Lagoon - Lavinia Stamps, Obsidian - Altenew
Accessories: Breyer, Thank You Die - PTI, Gloss Simply White - Nuvo Crystal Drops

Grand Slam Birthday Truck

 All this month, Eileen Hull's Design Team members are creating using her new Chapter 3 dies.  Today I have a project to share using her wonderful new Truck Box Die and I also used the large circle die from her Ornament Box die for the giant baseball I put in the truck!

Wouldn't this be a fun gift box for a baseball players' birthday?! 

The inside box measures about 6" x 1 1/4" x 1".

I filled my truck box with mints, but you could put in a gift card, cash, or small presents!

The sentiment stamps are from 7th Inning Stretch by Papertrey Ink but are now retired.

Here's how I put it together.

I die cut all the truck pieces twice out of matboard.  Then I cut two of the truck piece out of Rinea Star Struck red foil paper - cutting both pieces at once being sure the fronts of each piece of foil were facing each other so the right side would show when adhered to the truck piece.  

I got the baseball image from the computer and just sized it to 3", printed them on white cardstock and die cut them with Spellbinders Circle dies. 

I had printed some smaller baseballs as well as I wasn't quite sure how I was going to use them on the truck at that point.

I glued the truck sides to the box piece and held it with clothespins until it dried.

Then I glued the foil paper to each side of the truck

I glued the end pieces of the box to each end - again holding the glued tabs with clothespins.

I drew baseball stitching on the tire 'hub caps'.

I blackened the 'tires' by pressing them into a black ink pad.  Then glued the hubcaps on top and glued them to the truck body being sure the 'stitching' on the hubcaps were all pointing forward.

I glued the die cut baseball images onto the matboard circles I cut using Eileen's Ornament Box die.  They are about 3" diameter.  

I adhered the large baseballs to each side of the truck bed with a strip of foam tape so it held them slightly away from the outside of the truck.  See the foam strip on one of the sides below.

Then I pressed the baseballs onto the foam tape.

I used Versamark pressed onto the fender pieces to adhere Eileen's Polished Silver Molen Dimensions Powder.  I had to keep adding powder to the piece as I heated it, as some of the powder blew away when I used my heat tool to melt it but I finally got good coverage after several layers. 

 (I solved the problem below when I embossed the doors and end panels!)

I glued the fenders over the tires.  I was happy with all the 'dings' as I liked my truck looking used and well loved!

After I had embossed the fenders, I decided to use the cut out of the window for a door panel and I wanted to emboss them with the same molten powder -  this time I used my Emboss It Dabber as it puts a thicker coat of Versamark on the piece and holds this chunky powder better.  

It worked perfectly with one coat!

I cut a piece of vellum paper to fit behind each of the truck windows and glued them in place.  I glued the 'door' piece I made from the cut out of the window (and embossed as shown in the above photo) just below the window.

I die cut two more pieces of the end panel of the box, cut off the tabs and embossed them using the Emboss it Dabber and the Molten Dimensions

I clued the panels over the front and back ends of the box just to give it a more finished look.

The giant baseball in the back of this truck really cracks me up every time I look at it!  

It came out just as I had envisioned it - which doesn't always happen!

Eileen has posts on her blog every Wednesday sharing the projects from the Design Team members using her new Chapter 3 dies this month.  You can check it out here.

I'm also linking my truck box to:

Creatalicious Challenge -  Anything goes - optional travel/transport

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says Emboss it.

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge

Stamps: 7th Inning Stretch - Papertrey Ink.
Paper: Little Sizzles white Matboard - Sizzix, Red Star Foil - Rinea, Vellum and white paper - Papertrey Ink.
Ink: Obsidian - Altenew, Emboss it Dabber - Ranger, Versamark.
Accessories: Truck Box Die, Ornament Box Die - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, circle die - Spellbinders, baseball image from computer, Micron 01 black pen - Sakura, Fude Ball 1.5 red marker - Ranger, foam tape, heat tool, Polished Silver Molten Dimensions Embossing Powder - Eileen Hull/Emerald Creek, Ultra Bond Adhesive - iCraft.

July Mid-Month Reminder - CAS Christmas Card Challenge - Poinsettias

 Just a reminder you still have time to link up your CAS Christmas Card Challenge poinsettia card!  Mr. Linky is open through 7/24!

Here's my reminder card.  It's 4 1/4" square.

I pulled out an old Nestabilities/Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia die set, die cut the pieces and then embossed them using an Impression Pad and Silicon Rubber pad with my Big Shot (the dies have the design on them but don't show up unless you run them through again with the two pads).  I die cut the background frame using Cross Stich Nesting Squares from Tutti Designs and layered it over a slightly larger square of Brushed Gold paper

I put a foam dot in the center of each of the poinsettia layers so it is really dimensional.  I added a red rhinestone to the center of the bloom for a touch of color.

I made a second card very similar to the first but used shiny metallic gold paper, less layers of the poinsettia and framed it with pieces cut using Nordic Circle Dies from The Greetery. 

This is also 4 1/4" square.

You get quite a different look using brushed gold paper and metallic gold paper - both are pretty I think!

So please join us at CAS Christmas and use a poinsettia on your CAS Christmas design!  

You have until 7/24!

1st Card

Paper:  Brushed Gold - SU, white - PTI

Accessories:  Layered Poinsettia - Spellbinders, Cross Stitch Nesting Squares - Tutti Designs, foam dots, red rhinestone, Impression Pad, Silicon Rubber Pad - Sizzix

2nd Card

Paper:  White - PTI, metallic gold paper pad - Joann.

Accessories:  Layered Poinsettia - Spellbinders, Nordic Circle Dies - The Greetery, foam dots, red rhinestone, Impression Pad, Silicon Rubber Pad - Sizzix

A Wreath for Summer

 Today I'm sharing a tutorial for the summer wreath card I made using Eileen Hull's newly released Wreath and Snowflake Thinlit Dies.   I wanted to show that you can use a seasonal die and make a non-seasonal project with it.   

I made a summertime wreath card.

Here are the dies that come with the set.

First I die cut the wreath base and 4 cuts each of the 2 leaf dies and the berry die in the set.  I cut them out of watercolor paper as I wanted to watercolor the pieces.

I used 3 different greens for the foliage pieces and  tan and blue for the berry stems.

Here they are all painted. I just brushed lightly over them, leaving some small open spaces with no paint.

I let them dry (they dried quickly but you can use a heat tool to speed it up just don't blow them all off your table!).  Then I added a little detail with like-color watercolor pencils.  It makes them look more dimensional.

I laid down the wreath, then added one of each kind of stem, just gluing the bottom of each one , tucking the stem of  the next one under the previous stem.  I glued some stems turning to the outside of the wreath and some turning to the inside of the wreath - so the circle isn't clearly defined and actually looks like a square!

Just gluing the base of each stem makes the tops stick up and add more dimension to the wreath.

I die cut the card base and adhered the wreath using foam dots.  I die cut the friend from Eileen's older Floral Arch and Words die set, attaching it to the wreath at the f and d and put a small piece of a foam dot under the e in the middle to hold it up.  I also added a black clay heart to dot the eye - also up on a tiny bit of foam dot!

My card is 3 3/4" square.

So take a look at your seasonal dies and think of ways to get more mileage out of them by using them for another time of year!    

Eileen will have posts on her blog every Wednesday for the month of July showing how her Design Teams use her new Chapter 3 Dies for all different seasons!  

Paper:  Water Color Paper - Canson Cold Press

Accessories:  Wreath and Snowflake Thinlit Dies, Floral Arch and Words Thinlit dies - Eileen Hull/Sizzix,  Noted: Scalloped Square Die - PTI, Winsor Newton Water Color Paints, Prismacolor Water Color Pencils - Dark Green, True Green, Copenhagen, Sunburst Yellow, black fun foam, foam dots, Black Tuxedo Clay Heart - Honey Bee Stamps.