Glittery Snowflake

This card is for todays Less Is More challenge which for the second Saturday of the month is a OLC. This weeks theme, Let It Snow.

The snowflake is made with a set of sticky rub-ons from Close to My Heart that I bought a year or two ago. When I saw todays challenge I decided to blow the dust off the package and actually give the embellishment a try.

the picture doesn't do the glittery snowflake justice, it's really pretty IRL because the glitter has a lovely range of blues to it. The sentiment is from Verve stamps using a chalk ink from colorbox. The lovely pearls are Kaisercraft the color is demin.

This next picture is a close up with the light hitting the card from an angle.



I made another card using Serene Snowflakes and purples, but then I saw Vicky's snowflake submission and our cards are almost identical; so I'll remake mine later cutting it up so I can use layers (not for LIM obviously). :)

Thanks for taking the time to stop in; looking forward to seeing all the lovely creations.

Memory Box Dies

Over the last few weeks I have seen a number of crafters using the ornament, snowflakes and Christmas tree dies from Memory Box and everyone seems to agree; gorgeous dies but hard to glue down because the dies are so finely detailed. I've struggled with the ornament and Christmas tree die as well but think I have fixed the problem.

Last week I bought some adhesive sheets to make one of those Holtz 12 Days tags. Once they arrived, it struck me that this might be the solution to the Memory Box dies. I gave it a try last evening and am pleased with the results.

I made three attempts; one using gold foil and one with a metal sheet and one with card stock.

The foil attempt didn't work at all. There wasn't enough strength in the foil/adhesive combination and the diecut didn't make it half way out of the die before tearing. I continued on just to test it and the same problem came up when removing the open cut areas.

The second attempt was card stock. The ornament worked beautifully, the tree was a huge disaster. Personally I don't think that die is deep enough so while it did cut through the card stock, it didn't cut completely though the thin layer of adhesive. When trying to free the open areas, the adhesive wasn't cut all the way through and pulled on the diecut areas. :(






My third attempt was using some thin metal sheets that I had purchased eons ago. This medium worked so well I ended up cutting two from the metal sheet. Once I had the die cut free of all the bits, the adhesive backing made placing the cut very easy. It's a stong bond; both cuts are attached to bases that are covered in embossed iridescent ice and I have tested the bond in several ways and its firm.

To bond the metal and card stock to the adhesive I cut equal sizes of both then starting at one end of the adhesive, I peeled back the edge placed it on the metal/ card stock edge. Using the brayer, I rolled the adhesive along the metal/card stock as I pulled the backing off. This really helped to keep the tape to medium smooth and bubble free. Added bonus, I finally found a use for my brayer!!



I placed the die and metal into the Bigshot; added a folded sheet of computer paper between the metal and the top plate then cut the die. I add the paper because my plates are so old, the cut marks can sometimes transfer to the item being cut. Since metal is very sensitive I knew adding the paper would keep the final cut clean and free of the marks. I took the same steps with the card stock. Once cut, the removal of the open areas was really easy. I think the weight of the metal made it easiest to remove the open areas.



The completed ornament is the first metal try; the one without the bling is the second one and I'll finish it up tonight. Both cuts will be used on Christmas cards. Not sure which direction I'll go with the card stock ornament.



So for anyone that may not have discovered this idea yet, and plan to give it a try, please let me know if you get the tree to work. I'm more than a bit disappointed in that one right now.

Supplies:
The metal sheets were probably purchased at Recollections; so they might be available at Michaels.
The adhesive sheets were purchased Ellen Hutson LLC: Be Creative Tape Sheets by Skoowang
They also carry all the Memory Box dies, DP and stamps.

Babe It's Cold Outside ......

..... and raining! YEAH!!!! Finally. I'm a winter person and as such love the cold, rain and even the snow. I also love fall and spring; but definitely winter is my favorite. It's been raining since yesterday morning off and on; I think the highs are in the 40's, maybe low 50's. After the miserable summer we had I am enjoying this gorgeous rainy weather. Sadly it won't be enough to overcome the huge drought we are suffering through, but at least it will save me from having to water my foundation this week.



So enough of that; below are the last of any cards I'll be doing in green. I have two more in the making, but again, they need to dry. I might post them later this week. Oh and no more trees for me, this is the last of my tree stamps. LOL!!

The first card is stamped in Old Olive onto Shimmery White card stock. The stamp is called Holly Jolly Christmas by Unity. The gorgeous ribbon came from Micheals and the glitter is by Glitter Ritz in Grasshopper. It's hard to see in the picture, however the two larger tree centers are popped up. I tried the heart in red on the sample card, but it ruined the monochromatic theme instead of adding a "pop" of color. Glad I tried in on a sample first. :) The layout is a modified case of a card my friend Linda Keal made back in April. Seems I case her wonderful cards alot, as well and hit her up for techniques. I'm so glad to finally have someone that stamps so close to me.



The second card was for last weeks SCS color challenge. I'm posting it looking for help/input; this card refuses to come together. I love how the image turned out, but I am lost on how to layer it. As of this moment; I don't even like the scalloped die frame anymore. Any and all input or ideas on how to save this card from the trash is welcome. Oh and if you think it works, please tell what it is that works, truly I'm just lost with this one. So frustrating. (Stamp is retired Illuminations by SU; stamped in Gold embossing powder, colored with Pear Pizzazz and Crumb Cake)

Thanks for popping in. It's dinner time here and I still have a few chores left, so I won't be back on line tonight.

Hope all my blog friends are well and have a good week.

Hugs,
Carole

Going Green ......

Mandi and Chrissie are tapping into my favorite things these last two weeks. Last week was bling and this weeks Less Is More is a color challenge to use green.

This little card is made with a cling set by Penny Black; however I have already misplaced it in the chaos of my craft room so can't let you all know what it is called. Should I find it tomorrow, I'll edit this post.
EDIT: Thank you Mandi for finding the name of the set; it's Winter Wonders. I used SU!s Shimmery White and Lucky Limeade card stock with VersaMagic chalk ink (Tea Leaves). The bling is a mix of pearls and rhinestones from Zva and look wonderful IRL. That pretty much covers this one.

I have three other cards on the table, two of them drying, and one from last weeks SCS color challenge that received much needed input from a fellow stamper so I could finish it.

Thank you for stopping by,
Carole

Pear Pizzazz Trees

This card is for SCS Color Challenge #351 (Pear Pizzazzz, White & Craft) and my final submission for Less Is More #43 (A bit of bling). This little card has left behind heaps of destruction. It has been torn apart at least half a dozen times since Tuesday leaving fallen scraps of paper, bling and embossed trees littering the floor around my table. Unfortunately I dropped my Cuttlebug machine and it landed on the handle and the whole thing came apart. I managed to snap the casing back on, but nope, it's definitely broken. :( I still have the Big Shot but must admit that I prefer my smaller CB. Oh well, the plus side is that now I have a bit of space for something else. Silver lining and all .... gotta love 'em.

About the card:
The card stock is SU!s retired Kraft and 2011 In-Color Pear Pizzazz. Sentiment is SU!s Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped with Early Expresso. The trees are a die and embossing folder set from Cuttlebug that is made up of three trees and a Santa shaped like a tree. The lovely bling is by Zva and the puffy snow is Liquid Applique.

It think that covers it. Thank you for stopping by and I hope every one has a great weekend.

Carole