Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Stretching Your Embossing Folder and Stamp: DIY Paper Flower

We had a wonderful long Memorial Day. My husband cook out tasty food for 3 days! He is the best cook ever 😀 We also went driving on our Jeep at State Park close to us and love the wonderful days we had. Just love warmer days!!

I have been playing a lot with my new embossing machine. Last weekend, I gathered all the courage I had to stretch the use of embossing folders with stamping. So… here’s what I did: stamped and embossed 3D paper flower. Check out these 2 embossed paper flowers I used them on 2 shaker cards I made for my friends:

I used this simple shaker card tutorial to make this cards. The sentiments I used are from The Happy Couple stamp set and Joyful Birthday stamp set. I stamped them with Black Pigment Ink Pad. First card, I stamped the anniversary sentiment on a piece of velum, added some glitter embossing powder, and heated it with my craft heater. The second card, I stamped the birthday sentiment on the base card, centered the position that would show in the frame. I got the metallic multicolor sequins and beads at Walmart only 🙂

I love those flowers on the cards, and I thought they would make my scrapbook layouts pretty, too… so I made more of them with different colors and pattern. And I took some pictures how to make them:

First stamp the petals from Hello Bloom stamp set on a piece of White Daisy Cardstock. I used Sorbet, Juniper and Pear Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads.
Run it through embossing machine. For these flowers, I used Chevron Embossing Folder and WRMK Evolution Advance machine.
Then cut them and curl each petal gently using Quilling tool.
Use Liquid Glass to put them together. You only need a small dot in the middle of each petal.
Made a little bow with Baker’s Twine Neutral Metallic, Cashmere. And add it in the middle of the flower using Liquid Glass.
Then add button (or gems) to finis the flower.

I hope you enjoy today’s cards and tutorial! Don’t forget you still have 5 more days to get the sweet deal of Scrapbooking Month and my 1st Anniversary Party with Close To My Heart.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fun crafting day!

=====================================

I link up at:

Inspire Me Monday Week #125

Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop #77

Creative Spark Link Up Week #3

My Favorite Things Link Up Week #15

Posted on Friday, May 23, 2014

Five Minute Friday: Close

Close. That’s the prompt word for this week Five Minute Friday hosted by Lisa-Jo Baker. She is one amazing God’s woman who encourages a lot of women to write something using the prompt word every Friday she provided. Just write in 5 minutes and you will be surprise what will flow out of your heart. Check out this week link ups on Lisa-Jo’s blog and be encouraged!

Start.

I have been missing the moment to be close with my parents. Be close to them in person. Honestly, after being away from them for over 6 years, I am still have the need to be close with them. Though I am thankful for Skype where we can chat and see each other. But it is just different.

This is not a choice. Not a decision to make.

But I am here with my husband and 2 daughters. God provides wonderful families and friends.

After 6 years, I learned different meaning for “close.”

Close it doesn’t have to be in person.

Close it doesn’t have mean distance.

Close means though they are far, but they are always there in my heart and mind.

Close means I can see through my faith that God is in there.

Close means dependence on His presence.

Close means being with Him.

Stop.

Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2014

It’s A Celebration!

Last week my husband got me BIG SURPRISE, a new embossing machine, WRMK Evolution Advanced on their launch day and it arrived on Monday! I was super excited and tried it right away. What makes me super happy is that all Close To My Heart Embossing Folders fit perfectly on this machine. And today I would love to share with you the second graduation card I made for a friend:

I cut Black Cardstock (1386) to make 4.25″x5.5″ base card. Then I cut a piece of 4″x5.25″ of White Daisy Cardstock (1385) to emboss it using Quatrefoil Embossing Folder (Z1926)

After embossing the White Cardstock, I colored the quatrefoils with CTMH Watercolor Pencils, Basic colors (retired), and then I wet it lightly & quickly using CTMH brush (retired). Then I heated it to dry using CTMH craft heater (retired).

When the watercolor background dried completely, I stamped the banner from Banner Wishes(B1438) stamp set using Black Exclusive Inks Mini Pigment Pad and heat embossed it with glitter embossing powder. Then I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set with Lagoon Exclusive Inks Mini Pigment Pad, heat embossed it with glitter embossing powder.

After all dried up well with craft heater, I added the embossed & stamped cardstock on the card based using a lot of Tombow Adhesive so that the cardstock would lay flat on the card. I finished my card with a banner and arrow border I cut out of Skylark Paper Packet (Z7177B) that I glued them using Glue Dots and then I added couple staples on them.

Card is done! Hope you like it and have a fun crafty day!

==========================================

I link up at:

Creative Spark Link Party #3

Inspire Me Monday Week #124

Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Merging Process

You might notice there are some different website watermark on pictures lately, that is because I am on the process of merging and transfering my craft blog to this one.

I hope, with my awesome husband’s help, this process will be done at the end of May. And starting June at least, all posts will be on just 1 blog.

Would you please pray that we will have wisdom to choose the right name for my blog that will communicate my voice, purposes of my writings and ideas?

Thank You!

Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Congratulations, Graduate!

This month is special for a High School Graduate I know from our church! What an achievement in his life and now he is moving forward to Collage. To celebrate this graduation week, I created couple cards and this is one of them:

I cut Black Cardstock (1386) to make 4.25″x5.5″ base card. Then I cut a piece of 4″x5.25″ of White Cardstock (1385) to emboss it using Quatrefoil Embossing Folder (Z1926) with my new WRMK Evolution Advanced embossing machine (also for diecutting and letterpressing!), a surprise gift from my amazing husband! CTMH has 5 kind of embossing folders: Dot, Chevron, Quatrefoil, Damask and Stripe. Check them out here. I added the embossed cardstock on the card base using Tombow Adhesive (1514).

For make the hat, I cut 2″x2″ Black Glitter Paper (Z1829) and I punched hole using WRMK Crop-A-Dile. I made the tassel following this tutorial, easy and simple. Then I added the tassel on the hat and fasten it with yellow brad I got from Michaels a while back. I used Mini Glue Dots (Z341) to hold the tassel at the back and front hat.

Next, I cut the stripe banner shape from one of the pattern papers from Skylark Paper Packet (Z7177B) and I cut arrow out of the border. I added the Lagoon stripe banner on the card using Glue Dots (1772) to give a little bit dimension. I cut a piece of 3/4″ x 2.5″ from the quatrefoil pattern paper and stamped it with the sentiment from Banner Wishes (B1438) using Black Exclusive Inks Mini Pigment Pad (Z2503). While the ink still wet, I added some glitter embossing powder I got from AC Moore and then I heated it up with my craft heater (retired). Check out the pop-up and glittered sentiment! I have been having fun playing with pigment inks and glitter embossing powder 🙂 Then I added this stamped banner on top of the Lagoon stripe banner using Glue Dots (1772). The arrow small border I added using 3D Foam Tape (Z1151) to give more dimension looking.

Last step I added the hat using 3D Foam Tape (Z1151) on top of the banners, overlapping them a bit and finished the card with some Aqua Dots (Z1853).

You still have time to join CTMH National Scrapbooking Month and my 1st Anniversary Party until May, 31st, 2014! You only need to put an order of $50 or more and you will qualify to get:

Free To be Me Paper Collection for only $5 (retail value $11.95)
Stamp of the Month for only $5 (retail value $17.97)
An entry to win a special prize value $20 from me (choose randomly with Random.org)

Visit my store today!

National Scrapbooking Month: Free To Be Me Paper Collections