Die Cut Relief Card Tutorial - for A Vintage Journey

Today I'm sharing a card tutorial over at A Vintage Journey and thought I'd put it here on my blog as well!    I made my card using a technique called Die Cut Relief.  You create the look by layering a die cut scene on an embossed panel and then dry brushing with 3 colors of paint.

So first I got out some dies to create a scene as well as some dimensional snowflake stickers and a Weathered background embossing folder.   I used watercolor paper for the background panel and all of the die cuts.

I embossed the background with the Weathered Embossing Folder, then glued all the die cuts onto the card using Matte Medium, let it dry and then brushed over the panel with the Matte Medium again and let it dry.

 (lots of 'letting it dry' coats here!)

Since the snowflakes and star were silver, I brushed over the whole panel with Gesso to make everything white.

I dry brushed over the full panel with my darkest color - Manganese Blue Hue, and let it dry completely.

Then I dry brushed over the raised and open areas with Burnt Sienna and let it dry completely

My final coat is white which I dry brushed on lightly over the raised bits and open areas - brushing from all angles so all edges of the die cuts got white on them to give the scene dimension.

I adhered my panel to a white card base.

I'm going to try this again with different colors and different dies - I love the look of this!

Paper:  Water Color Paper - Canson Cold Press, white - PapertreyInk.

Accessories:  Liquitex Matte Medium, Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic Manganese Blue Hue and Titanium White, Winsor and Newton Burnt Sienna Acrylic Paint, brushes, Weathered Embossing Folder - Taylored Expressions, Tiny Town Holiday Yard Die, Wonderful Words: Holiday Die - Papertrey Ink.

A Tree of a Different Color - CAS Christmas Challenge - Mid Month Reminder

Christmas isn't just red and green - and this month's CAS Christmas Card Challenge proves just that!  Our hostess Trina wants us to get creative this month and use non-traditional colors!  I'm here to remind you that there is still have time to join in!

I used DOX inks in Iced Spruce (which really looks like dark grey) and Speckled Egg to create my stenciled Christmas Tree.

I used ARTplorations Christmas Trees stencils (two trees in the set!), Distress Oxide Inks and blender brushes. 

I laid the first tree (the darker one here with the star) over a white card panel and applied Iced Spruce DOX over the stencil with a blender brush.  I removed the stencil and then placed the 2nd stencil in the set (all circles) over the first stenciling and applied Speckled Egg DOX over the stencil. 

I don't think the stencils are made to overlay them -  but they match up pretty well!  And make a fun funky tree!

Then I die cut the panel using a Pierced Feature Frame die.  I layered the white panel to a slightly larger panel of Stormy Sea and then to the white card base. 

The stamped sentiment fit perfectly in the largest circle on the bottom right.

I made a second card using the same supplies but die cut the panel using Nordic Frames from The Greetery.   I think I prefer the first one above but both are pretty!

You have until Nov 24th to link up your non-traditional Colours CAS Christmas cards over at the blog.  

This is our last challenge for 2020-  the team will be taking December off to mail out all of the Christmas cards we've been making all year long and to enjoy this wonderful season!

 

See you all in 2021!  I will be glad to say Goodbye to 2020!

Stamps:  Compliments of the Season - Waltzingmouse (retired)

Paper:  White, Stormy Sea - PTI

Ink:  Ranger Distress Oxide  Iced Spruce, Speckled Egg,  Obsidian - Altenew

Accessories:  Trees Stencil - ARTplorations, Blender Brush - Picket Fence, Nordic Frame - The Greetery,

Using Eileen Hull's Sizzix Dies for the Holidays

This month, Eileen Hull's Inspiration Team is making holiday projects using her Sizzix Dies.

Today I created a lovely photo holder for all those Christmas and winter photos taken this season.  I used Eileen's Display Stand Die and a scalloped die cut from her Gift Box Scalloped Edge die.

Here's how the Display Stand looks before I placed photos behind the scallop edge. 

I printed family photos from my computer, cut them to 4"x4" and layered them over a slightly larger panel of red cardstock.

This is my niece Christie skating this fall with my grand niece and grand nephew, Madelyn and James, masks and all!  

They will remember 2020! 

This photo is of all 4 of my grand nephews and nieces from Christmas 2019.  

James and Landon in back, Madelyn and Mila in front.

 And this one is of grand niece Mila from Christmas 2018.  Her mum, Katie, had curled her hair with a curling iron so she looked extra special!

 

 Here's a side view showing the photo tucked behind the scallop piece.  There's plenty of room for lots of photos and you can rotate them so you feature a different one every day or week.

Here are my process photos.

I cut the Display Stand out of matboard (it's just one piece!) then I cut two pieces out of patterned paper to cover the front panels.

Here is the stand folded up with the patterned paper pieces attached.

Then I cut the larger scallop from Eileen's Gift Box Scalloped Edge out of both matboard and patterned paper.

There is a score line on the Scalloped piece where you fold it and I cut off below the score line on the patterned paper piece so the adhesive will be applied to just matboard. I felt it would hold better on the stand than being the two layers of matboard and paper.

This shows the scallop placement on the stand  - I ended up putting another piece of plaid patterned paper on the top of the piece attached to the base just so the white wouldn't show so much!  

(I should have used a straight cut but I had this piece with the scallop edge on my table.)

I adhered two little bottle brush trees and the deer using my glue gun to hold them on securely.  

Because the stand base slopes down a bit, I trimmed off a tiny bit of the right front and back legs on the deer so she is standing up straight and not tilting forward.  The trees are made with wire up their centers so I could bend them back a little bit after the hot glue dried, so they weren't tilting forward either!  I added a sentiment and white flower sequins to the scallop. 

Please check out Eileen's blog every Wednesday in November to see how the Inspiration Team has used her dies for holiday projects!

Stamps:  Winter Snow Globe - PTI

Paper:  White Little Sizzles Matboard - Sizzix, Photo paper, DP Christmas/Noel Paper Stash - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, Pure Poppy - PTI, watercolor paper - Canson.

Ink:  Obsidian - Altenew

Accessories:  Display Stand Die, Gift Box Scalloped Edge Die - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Word Window Punch - SU, Mini Trees - JoAnn, hot glue gun, flower sequins - Simon Says Stamp.

November CAS Christmas Challenge - Non-Traditional Colors

It's time for the November CAS Christmas Challenge!  We're almost down to the wire of needing to send out our cards!  I'm so glad I've been making a few every month all year - how about you?!

Trina is our creative Hostess this month and she wants us to use non-traditional colors

 

I used very non-traditional colors I think?!!   Blue, pink, orange and yellow!

I got out a really old set from PTI - City Scene for my stamps and dies.  I've only used a few of the many stamps in this set. 

(they actually still have the stamp set in stock but not the dies)  

That's why I love doing challenges - it makes me use my STUFF!!

So I hope you have been playing along with us all year and that you have at least a good start on your Christmas cards!?! 

You'll find the November CAS Christmas Card Challenge here - along with lots of inspiration from the Design Team and our wonderful Nov. Guest Designer.

Stamps:  O Christmas Tree -  Rubber Soul, City Scene - PTI
Paper:  White - PTI
Ink:  Obsidian - Altenew, Blueberry Sky, Pale Peony, Orange Zest. Harvest Gold - PTI, Gold Pigment - Colorbox.
Accessories:  City Scene Dies, Noted: Scalloped A2 Die - PTI, foam dots. Word Window Punch - SU.