Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2017

To My Dearest Friend

Hello everyone… there will be more that one blog posts today since it is the first of the month 😀 Let’s start with the new challenge this month!

If you love Hero Arts products, then this challenge is for you! a2z Scrapbooking will give a $25 gift certificate to one lucky winner who play long and follow the rules (read it here). You can spend the gift card at a2z Scrapbooking Store that packed with amazing Hero Arts products.

And this month theme is: ANY SHADE OF RED. The Design Team share their projects for this month challenge on the blog here. We hope to see your projects with Hero Arts and link it up here until the end of February.

I created a mixed media card using Hero Arts Color Layering Dear, Christmas Clear Stamp Hero Arts Antique Rose Wood Stamp, and Hero Arts Tiny Flags Wood Stamp.

The background I created using Tomboa Dual Brush Pens with smooshing technique using acetate plastic and water to build the shade of red background. I dried it well with craft heater and then I heat-embossed the tiny flags with WOW! Bonding powder and DecoFoil Gold transfer sheet.

I stamped the flower with Versafine onyx black on a white cardstock and using craft knife, I cut out some of the petals. I added some 3D foam adhesive on the cut out petals and GlueDots on the other petals so when I added it on the card some of the petals will pop up to create a 3D look flower.

I finished the card with some clear gems in the middle of the flower and added the sentiment paper strip with 3D foam tape on it.

Here is the full list of supplies:

Hero Arts Color Layering Dear, Christmas Clear Stamp
Hero Arts Antique Rose Wood Stamp
Hero Arts Tiny Flags Wood Stamp
Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 847, 800, 755, 772
Canson watercolor paper
Acetate plastic
water spray
Tim Holtz Distress Crayons – Candid Apple
Versamark ink pad
WOW Bonding Embossing Powder
CTMH White Embossing Powder
iCraft DecoFoil Fold transfer sheet
Versafine Onyx Black ink pad
CTMH Archival Ink Pad
CTMH White Daisy Cardstock p
CTMH Black Cardstock
Clear Gems
WRMK craft knife
WRMK mini magnetic craft board
Fiskar paper trimmer
CTMH craft heater
ekTool nonstick micro tip scissors
Tombow mono permanent adhesive runner
3D foam tape
GlueDots
CTMH Liquid Glass glue

THANK YOU so much for visiting me today and have a fabulous day!

I also play along at:

Anything Goes Challenge Week 268 – 269

Simon Says: The Color of Love

HLS February Watercolor Challenge

Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2017

You Hold The Key To My Heart

Hello everyone… Today is the last day of January! Can’t you believe that? That means Valentine’s day is 14 days away… And I have another Valentine’s Day card that I want to share with you.

I created this Clean-and-Simple Valentine’s Day card using the A Jillian Vance Design – Valentine’s Day Stamp Set. Today, I am sharing a simple tutorial how to create this card at A Jillian Vance Design Blog. I hope you all will visit me there.

THANKS A BUNCH for stopping by. Have a fabulous day!

Posted on Monday, January 30, 2017

Whimsical Wildflowers Card For A Friend

Hello everyone… Today I am here to share a clean-and-simple card I made for a swap friend.

I am inspired by the color challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs blog – ODBDSLC282:

and the Friendship Theme and color palette from January 2017 Card Chain Challenge. The February CCC swap sign up is until Feb 6th! Check out details and sign up here.

I created this card with the ODBD – A Happy Hello stamp set, ODBD Custom Bitty Blossoms Dies, ODBD Stitched Ovals Dies, ODBD Whimsical Wildflowers Collection, ODBD Plum Pizzazz Paper Pad, and ODBD Boho Bolds Paper Pad. You can check all of them at ODBD Store for more info.

Aren’t they gorgeous colors for welcoming Spring? 🙂

That’s my card for today and I hope you like it. THANKS a bunch for visiting and have a fabulous day!

Posted on Friday, January 27, 2017

Life Is Short. Drink Good Coffee.

Hello everyone! I have been wanting to use my newest addition to my coffee stamps and dies stash… And today I have a CAS, Mixed Media coffee card that I would like to share with you 🙂

I use my new coffee stamp set and die, Anywhere There’s Coffee Stamps & Die Set that I got back in December. For the coffee cup, firts I cut out the cup with white cardstock and then stamped the cup and sentiment with black archival ink. The clear stamp makes it easier to stamp on a die cut becuase we can see through it. For the sentiment, I use the CUTplorations – Coffee Word Die that I cut out the kraft cardstock 3 times and stacked them together to create a coffee sentiment chipboard.

The background I created with mixed medium. First, I added some Vintage Photo distress ink on Tim Holtz – On The Go Cup and sprayed it with some water, then I added a piece of watercolor paper, and run it through my die cutting machine to emboss it. Then I added some thin layers of homemade white gesso on it.

I added some of the green and yellow Caribbean Color Bursts on it, and then sprayed it with Perfect Pearl mixture. That gives the pearly and sparkly look on the background. Using my craft heater, I dried that background and once it dried, I added some of the Vintage Photo distress ink all around the edges.

I added a cream cardstock on a black card base as a mat, then I added the watercolored, embossed panel on it. Using 3D foam tape, I added the cup and the sentiment chipboard.

Today’s card is a CASE card. I CASE Kathy’s Card, one of the Coffee Loving Cardmakers DT 🙂 Here’s her card:

THANKS A LATTE for visiting me today and I hope you all have a fabulous and caffeinated weekend! 🙂

I am playing along at:

CASEing DT Link Up Party #9 – CASE DT Kathy’s Card

CUTplorations January Challenge

STAMPlorations – Never Ending Anything Goes

HLS Mixed Media January Challenge

HLS Anything Goes With Dies Challenge January

NBUS Challenge 9

Simon Says: Anything Goes

Posted on Friday, January 27, 2017

Heat Embossing & Coloring On Vellum Tutorial

Hello everyone… Valentine’s is next month and you can see hearts and shades of red and pick are everywhere you go hearts. For sure you can feel the love is in the air 🙂

I use Joy Clair stamp sets: Candy Hearts and Dino Love, that released early this month. And I finally got a chance to create with them.

My card today is clean and simple using heat-embossing and coloring on vellum technique. I also share this tutorial how to create this Valentine’s Day card on Joy Clair blog.

Let’s get started 🙂

First, cut out the vellum paper into 4.25″ x 5.5″ (the size of regular A2 card). Then use the embossing buddy to cover your vellum paper with anti-static powder, stamp the hearts from Candy Hearts randomly on the vellum paper with embossing ink pad and add some of the white embossing powder.

I put the vellum on a show box lid and heat set the embossed images with my craft heater. Pre-heat your craft heater about 10-15 seconds before run it over the vellum paper. This way to avoid over-heating the vellum paper that can wrinkle or shrink the vellum paper.

Repeat the same steps for the cute sentiment inside the hearts.

Next is coloring the hearts with alcohol markers on the back of the vellum. You can use any coloring medium other than alcohol markers on vellum. On my card today I use my ShinHan markers.

Then using a ruler, rip the edges of the vellum for some texture. It is approximately about 1/5″ – 3/4″ on each side. If like, you can rip the edges without ruler. I used ruler because I would like it to be straight ripped edges 🙂

Add the vellum paper on the card base with vellum adhesive runner or with any dry-clear adhesive so it won’t show up on the paper.

I then decided to add a pennant banner for the sentiment. I cut out the pennant with pennant flag die, but you can start it with a rectangle and cut the dove tail to create the pennant.

On this pennant, I use the heat-embossing resist technique with distress ink and water. Stamp and and heat-emboss the sentiment from Dino Love, then add some of the distress inks on it using spongers (I used make up sponges). Then add some splatter of water, let it sit about 10-15 seconds, and dab it off with paper towel To reveal the texture on the background.

It is time to embellishe your card. On my card, I use matchin color twine. To hold the twine on the side-fold card, cut out tiny hole on the folded side of the card with non-stick micro-tip scissors. Then wrap around the twine 3 times through that hole and tied up a bow. I used a small dot glue under the bow.

I also embellished the card with some pink shades of sequins from my stash. You can use any embellishments to add extra sparkle on your Valentine’s card.