Hi there blog friends! I have a card today and new candy today for you. I hope either one or the other will appeal to you! The card for today's post was fun for me because it was a little bit different. I was trying to get the gold and copper crocheted ribbon to work together on this card so I used a metallic gold cardstock that I embossed with the Grand Impressibilities. I lightly sanded it and then inked the embossed areas with Vintage Photo Distress ink. I was pleased that the vintage photo ink picked up the copper quite nicely. I cut a large lacy circle for the background and cut it in half, mounting it behind my embossed panel. I cut two more of the smaller sized lacy circles for my focal element. I stamped my sentiment and cut it out with a fancy tag die then inked it lightly with vintage photo. I added a bow of black vintage ribbon and topped it with a flower made from the copper crochet ribbon. I added a few more flowers, one from the gold and one from the copper ribbon with a few foliage sprigs. Black rhinestone swirls finished the piece off.
If the card isn't your cup of tea, how about this lot of blog candy? Five stamp sets, Tim Holtz numerals, TH grunge board, Adirondack ink pad, archival ink pad, acrylic block, rhinestone swirls, two distress inks, two mounted rubber stamps, two Cosmic Shimmer embossing powders and a huge pile of ribbons! What would you do with this lot of candy? Got any plans? When we reach 2200 followers, I will draw a name. To be part of the draw, you need to become a follower and email me your details. And if you leave a comment after each new post (not mandatory) but you will receive extra entries to increase your odds! I like to reward you if I can see you have taken the time to stop by the blog. Also, don't forget that we are still playing the comment game so there are more prizes for the posts that have 100 comments or more. What do you say, do you want to play?! If you have any questions, just email me at americansue1@gmail.com All for now, Sue x
Hi there blog friends! This card was made using the bits and pieces of left over pieces of kraft card and other earthtoned decorative papers that I had. Every once in a while you want to put something together and don't seem to have enough decorative paper to do exactly what you want so you end up with a card like this instead. I cut a frame from black card for my focal element from Labels eleven and labels fifteen on the inside I used my houndstooth embossing folder to give it texture. I stamped my sentiment on a piece of natural kraft card and then cut a faux labels eleven nestie from it. Using my edgeability dies, I cut a small heart border in black and added it to a larger heart border that I cut from kraft card. I mounted small black card behind the hearts then mounted a piece of kraft card from the Tim Holtz decorative kraft pad. I added another small piece of this to the top of the card for balance. The three small black hearts are the ones that I removed from the border cut outs earlier. I added some black vintage ribbon , a button and some Bakers Twine. The entire card was mounted on to a piece of black card and gold PVA glue dots were added to the edge to complete the card. If you have some scraps you need to use up, give this one a try! All for now, Sue x
Hi guys! There is no snow on the ground in my part of town so I'm bringing it to look at through my card. So much less cold and easier to manage, I think! For this card, I started with a piece of blue card and embossed my sentiment in the corner using a clear Perfect Medium pad and white embossing powder. From there, I added my trees in the same fashion and drew in some hill lines with my white Inksential pen. Next, I tore some white card to create my hills. On the torn edge, I used my perfect medium pad and inked randomly along the edge (I didn't want a distinct line here so I pushed it into the pad). I embossed the edges with Cosmic Shimmer Aurora Sparkle embossing powder to give it that snowy (but a bit blingy) feel. Rather than adding more hills, I decided to leave a large open area to add an ornament to my card. For this, I cut eight thin strips of white card. I formed a loop by gluing the ends together on each one, taking care not to crease them. I used an acrylic block to secure the ends while the glue dried. Next I punched a small circle out of white card, then added a bit of Cosmic Shimmer dries clear glue to it. I put the ends of each of my loops on their sides into the glue to form a rosette and set them aside to dry for a bit. I cut one of the Holly accent pieces out of blue card and attached it to my main card in the corner. Once my rosette was dry, I carefully applied glue to the top edges (this will run a bit but no problem) and I sprinkled it with the Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Jewels. These are fab for this as they are chunky and blingy. I added a white button with blue Bakers Twine to the top to cover all the centre pieces and finally glued it atop the blue Holly accent piece. To complete the card, I cut the largest size of the Grand Scallop rectangles in white card, matted my card with this and added some pearl PVA glue dots to each of the scallops.
You can see the card here when it is opened and made into an easel. With only the bottom attached, it allows the front piece to be folded downward and propped on to the sentiment on the inside of the card. I added some rhinestone swirls to the side of the sentiment for a bit of bling. A bow of vintage ribbon was added to the front of the card with a fancy button from my craft stash. This card was a very quick and easy card if you are a bit time challenged. I hope you have some time now that Christmas is behind us to give it a go! All for now, Sue x
Here is her Christmas tree, her very own Sesame Street themed tree (I bet you have never seen one of those before!) LOL This photo and the other two pictures above and below this one, by the way is a picture of the pictures because I couldn't get my scanner to work so it is a bit grainy. This tree was probably the fattest real tree I have ever seen as it was only about 4 ft. tall! It had multi coloured lights on it so it was very fun when lit up too! All the kids in the neighbourhood really liked this tree.
The pic to the left is of my Christmas tree today (at least one of them). It is all done in copper and gold. I know it is an unusual choice for a Christmas tree, but I really do like it. When I moved here, my other half had only a few ornaments and one of them was this copper and gold velvety ornament with a sort of harlequin pattern on it. You can see it in the close up below to the left side of the tree. I really liked this ornament so I decided to go from there and this is where it ended up! I added a few things every year to it, but I think it is full up now. I do like my trees busy and full of stuff (kind of like my cards!)
Hi there blog friends! Yes this card is actually purple, white and black, honest. I started with the backing paper (another one of those that I purchased while in Florida at an amazing shop called Scrap and Stamp Art Studio in Inverness if you ever get out that way!)and using the dies that I had on the last show, I began with the Fleur de Lis rectangle cut in black. I did use a bit of white card behind it to set it off. I cut two of the postage stamp dies in lilac and matted them with white card also. I used the die as a template and followed the inside of it with my white inksential pen to give them a little accent. I stamped my sentiment, cut it out using the fancy tags and inked it using Dusty Concord Distress ink before I took it out of the die so it would have a soft frame. I had some purple felt so I cut a spiral blossom from it for my flower (don't you just love that die, I sure do!) I added a bow using the white frilly edged ribbon and put my felt flower in the centre. The card was in need of some piercing and a couple of decorative pins to really dress it up and finish it off. Now it looks like a Sue card, huh?! LOL I hope everyone has all their Christmas shopping sorted and you can spend the next few days relaxing and enjoying. No, me neither! All for now, Sue x
Good morning all, I know it is so close to Christmas and I should be posting Christmas cards for you, but I have always been a bit of a rebel of sorts so no green and red! How 'bout pink and grey today? I like this card as it could have just as easily said "On your special day" and be used for a wedding or anniversary card, don't you think? I think the white organza flowers really give it a romantic feel too. I started with a beaded circle die cut in dark grey for my focal element. I cut a lacy oval die in a pale grey and layered it on top. The pink die was cut from the fancy tag die set then I cut it in half so that I could arrange the two ends to be peeking out of the top and bottom of the lacy oval. It wasn't quite long enough without cutting it and separating the two pieces. Then I cut two of the lacy squares and layered them in a diamond fashion. I stamped my sentiment before cutting the smallest one and inked it with Tattered Rose Distress ink while still in the die. I decided to do the layout on a diagonal cut for interest. The bottom half of the card was embossed with the Ornate Diamond embossing folder and then lightly sanded to bring out the pattern a bit more. I added the roses across the diagonal line between the two papers and added some pearls and ribbon which I wove between them. Still wanting a bit of that romantic feel to come out, I added some pearly swirly bits to the sides of my focal element. The card was matted and layered and paper pierced to complete the card (because I never do that, huh?) LOL Oh and that is not an oil stain in the corner, it is another of my infamous shadows, you can almost make out my head in this one! I know what is going to be the top of my resolution list in the new year. 1). Learn to take decent photos!!!
Hi blog friends, a warm smile is exactly what this card gives me. It doesn't even need much explanation as it is straight forward and easily replicated if you would like. I used an assortment of papers that all had a butterscotch colour to them and pared it with black for a sharp contrast. The black back piece was cut using the Fleur de Lis rectangle die. I cut out a heart circle and used one of the smaller postage stamp dies to cut a frame for my sentiment. I did ink around the edge of the opening just slightly to highlight it too. I added a big bow made from the frilly edged ribbon, a black button from my craft stash and a couple of decorative pearl pins. I finished the card by adding some faux stitching lines around the edge using a fine tip black marker. In case you are wondering, the background paper had the print already on it, it wasn't a stamp, but just enough to add a bit of interest to the card. I wished I had timed the making of this one for you, but it was a really quick card to make and I think it is one that would definitely work for the males in our lives, don't you think? All for now, Sue x
Good morning my crafty friends, today I would like to share with you a card that I was really happy with when I finished, but did not have a clue where I was going when I started it! I purchased a pad of papers that were all cream and navy in their patterns while I was in Florida. I just wanted to have a play with them so that is where I started. My cards are somewhat predetermined in that I am restricted to certain dies and products that I need to use, this is no exception. Luckily I had some chipped sapphire distress ink on the show to use so the papers were a nice fit so I was off and running. I used the In Spades border on the top and bottom of the card and used the small piece of the die to "clip" to the edge of the card. I think it makes a really nice accent on the top and bottom. I cut a beaded circle die in navy blue and layered it with the lacy oval die that I had cut into a frame so that the blue would show through. I stamped my sentiment and cut it with one of the lacy circle dies and inked it while still in place in the die. I mounted it cross ways to complete my focal element. I cut a spiral flower out of the navy blue card so that I could have some balance and added another flower which I made from the cotton hemp ribbon. If you have never used this ribbon, it is quite versatile as you can stamp on it, emboss your stamp and it makes several different styles of lovely flowers too. I added some foliage in cream, a couple of decorative stick pins and a swirly pearly spray (sorry about the reflection there) to complete the card. I have a close up pic for you below. I have tried to do this recently to compensate for my atrocious lack of photographic skills! See my shadow in the pic above, I just don't see them until I need to put them on the blog! No moonlighting as a photographer, huh, I guess I will stick to card making! LOL Well I hope you like the card in spite of all of that! All for now, Sue x
I added a black and red plaid bow from ribbon in my craft stash. A black button with Bakers Twine and two decorative pearl pins complete the bow.
Good morning all! I love the simplicity of this card and I bet you are stunned, no ribbons! See, sometimes I do know when to stop! LOL I stamped my trees in black archival ink and clear embossed them on the left hand side of the card. I stamped the large tree again on black card and white embossed it this time. I also stamped one of the medium sized trees and embossed it in white on the right. I cut the large tree stamped in black just past the tree trunk and lined it up with the exact spot with the white embossed tree. I taped them together then cut all the outside edges even. I added white snow dots and a star using the white Inksentials pen on the black card. I added black pen dots on the white card. I matted this entire piece with black card that I pierced around the edge. I stamped the sentiment and cut it out using one of the fancy tags. I cut another of the same die in black and added it below the tag with the swirl facing the opposite direction. It added a nice shadow but with a little added interest too because of the swirl detail. Interestingly, my photo shows another shadow above the tag so it looks almost framed. I pierced all the way around the outer white mat layer to frame and finish the card. Clean and simple, what do you think? All for now, Sue x
Hi everyone! I am using the Postage Stamp die set today which I really like and I think has a lot of potential. This card, though more feminine as is, could easily be altered to suit a masculine recipient, don't you think? A change of colour, remove the messy bow and stick pins and voila!That is one of best features of this die set, I think, that it lends itself to so many different looks and layouts. I went with an aqua and chocolate color scheme on this one as I love those two colours together, they always just seem to be pleasing to the eye. I used the In Spades border and cut two of them so that I could thread my viontage ribbon through them and have them border my focal element. I tucked the ends around the back of the card and secured them and added the bow with a sticky glue dot. I cut out two of the Postage stamp dies with the two largest in the set, one inside the other to cut a frame. Since these were the same size and I wanted them to look like they had been interlocked, I had to cut the dies in a few places and then reassemble it so it looked like it was going underneath the second die in places. If you have a good look at the close up below, you can see that I could not have achnieved this look without cutting them (or the help of Houdini! LOL) I stamped a sentiment for the centre of the dies and inked it slightly with Frayed Burlap Distress ink and mounted it on 3D foam pads. The background used some coordinating papers that I had in my stash, but the name had been cut off already, so sorry. I really like the simplicity of this one, I hope you do too! All for now, Sue x
Hi guys! The past few weeks I have been using the Winter Trees stamp set for my samples. I haven't had a play with this set before, but what fun, don't you think! I made a quick faux pyramage card here and it only took very little time. I started with a piece of white card and I cut out a mask for my moon and placed it down with some removable adhesive. Using Chipped Sapphire Distress ink, I inked the background sky area. I wanted it to be rather intense and then fade out towards the background, but as I was doing this I decided to not do the entire background. I ended up with a circular sort of look to it and I rather liked it. I removed the mask and stamped the trees and sentiment with jet black archival ink. I lined up four alternating sizes of Grand Labels Eleven, centring them over the scene and taped them into place. I cut them and then removed them and added 3D foam pieces to the back of each ring, progressively adding another layer of it to each ring inward. The result is a card that looks like it has been properly pyramaged. I have included a pic shown from a side angle and you can see the layers in it. I cut a Grand Labels 23 as a background in white then used that die to draw around the edge and make a faux nestie in dark blue to mat it with and complete the card. This is a really fun and easy card to make if you get the chance. All for now, Sue x
Happy Monday all! If blogger is being kind to me then you should be seeing this post as I am half way over the Atlantic on the way back home to England. I will keep my fingers crossed and hopefully it will go up on the blog without a hitch! This is one of my favourite cards from the last bunch I did. I can't really say why but I was pleased with the way it turned out even if my photography doesn't do it much justice. I used one of the Grand Impressibilities to emboss the black background. I cut an aperature out using Labels 21 and then I cut a frame to mount over the opening for emphasis. I used a little touch of striped paper to add some colour and I apologise as I cannot recall either of the paper names I have used here. I used the coordinating pattern to cut the butterflyfrom the Fanciful Flight set and also to add some sprigs to the floral element. I like to use papers like that as it just feels more balanced to be able to bring it in again in another place on the card. The flowers were made by cutting the frilly edged ribbon down the centre. I used about 24inches for the largest flower and about half that for the smallest flower. Attach the redline tape to the cut edge so that it just covers the bottom of the ribbon by about 1/8th of an inch (just enough so it has something to tack on to). Fold the very corner down so that if the ribbon would fray, it will not show, then roll to get the centre of your flower. Once you have a small tube, then begin to add small gathers as you roll. This will cause the flower to open up more and begin to take shape. Do this to the end of your ribbon and try to keep the outside top edge of the ribbon relatively even (so the tape will be moving up the side of the flower a bit as you go). If your tape on the bottom of the flower seems too thick when you are done, you can cut it down with a pair of sharp scissors. I did try to do a visual tutorial for you on this and quickly realised that I cannot take photos and show what I am doing at the same time so I will need to enlist some help on this after I return.
Hi guys, I wasn't quite sure about posting this one as I wasn't completely happy with how it came out. I have decided to let you be judge and jury on it (be honest but be kind, I have very thin skin!) I have used the Parisian dies for this, but rather than having them hold hands, I decided to have them hug their background colour square. The edges of the die all tuck behind the green squares so nicely, I haven't even glued or taped them in place. Using the small fleur de lis die from another set, I used it as an accent for the centres of all the squares. The sentiment was stamped and cut out with one of the Parisian accent dies, then I cut two more, one in turquoise and one in olive card. Those two were cut in half and layered behind the original by just mounting them outward a bit each time and taping them in place on the back. I cut two Parisian border die pieces and used them on the sides of the card and laced the frilly edged ribbon through them as a holder for my bow. I added a button and some twine for the centre of the bow (as I always feel they look naked otherwise!). Okay, what's the verdict, what would you think if you received this one in the post? All for now, Sue x
