Split Channel Card

Hi crafters!  I have a lovely channel card to share with you today.  I had this card sample with me at Ally Pally  last weekend and had lots of questions about it.  I did say that there was a video for it, so this perfectly timed!  I hope you enjoy it!  I have missed taking some extra photos of it too somehow, so sorry about that!

Wednesday Weekly Card Giveaway

 Hello bloggers!  Time for another giveaway card and I have selected this one that I demoed back in July on the Justrite shows that I shared with Julia Watts.  I started with the background and inked my Checkerboard Pinpoint embossing folder with Clear Perfect Medium.  I ran it through my Grand Calibur with a piece of black card, transferring the ink from the folder to the floor of the folder design.  I covered the card with clear embossing powder and heated it for a glossier look, which helped the raised pattern stand out more.  It just gives a bit of interest to the background without being overwhelming.  I wrapped a piece of dusty rose satin edged organza around the card in both directions and taped the ends to the back.  I tied a double bow and added it to the intersection with glue dots.  I topped the bow with a black crystal sparkler and made two matching stick pins as well.  For the focal element, I stamped the Rose Bouquet stamp by Justrite using a Black Archival ink pad on to coconut white card.  I cut it out with my California Collection Decorative Frames Set B die and inked it with Victorian Velvet while still in the die.  I removed it and stamped my sentiment (from the Rose Bouquet set as well) in the open area below the flowers.  The stamp itself is actually larger than the die and it cut off part of the leaves, so I stamped it again on a separate piece of card and cut out a few of the leaves and the flowers separately.  I used the leaves  added on top to cover the parts where the stamp was cut off.  It just makes it appear more finished that way.  I gave the flowers a bit of dimension with a ball stylus and added them atop the first stamped set.  I used Distress markers to colour the entire image and extra leaves. I added a bit of Diamond Snow to the flowers for bling too.   I added my focal piece with foam to the centre of my card.  To complete the card, I added a pierced white mat layer, then a thin black mat and a final whit mat.  The finished dimensions are 7 1/4" x  8 1/4" in size.  If you would like to be included in the drawing to win this one, just leave me a comment (directions are on the side of my blog if you have never done it before).  I will draw a winner and announce it on Saturday's blog post.  All for now, Sue x

3D Bow Beauty

Hello my crafty friends!  I am back playing with my Austrian Collection dies and my favourite Iced Snow product.  It is a match made in heaven for me!  I hope you enjoy today's video featured card.

Finished dimensions are 7" x  8" in size.  All for now, Sue x

Congratulations!

 Hello all!  What a weekend!  I am dead on my feet, but had a great time!  I always enjoy meeting my blog family and there were loads of you there this time so it was great fun!  I didn't take very many pics this time, but I will try to get the few I did take up on the blog sometime later in the week for you to see.  For today's card, I have used the Austrian background and this is the same technique as the card I posted on Saturday, but with a small change in products.  I used a piece of black card and covered it with a sticky adhesive sheet.  I ran it through the Grand Calibur with my Austrian background.  I did, however, use the centre oval and cut out that section.   I peeled up the fall away pieces and gilded the exposed sticky areas using Calypso gilding flakes.  I removed the remaining backing paper and covered the exposed area with Midnight Snow.  It is sort of like a black version of Iced Snow.  It tends to sit very flat though where as the Iced Snow is more dimensional.  You do need to burnish this well with your fingers and make sure it is well stuck.  I did have a few stray bits that you can see in the close ups. Funny thing is that I couldn't see them when I took the pics, but on the computer they are very visible in the close up shots.  It's times like this I know just how bad my eyesight really is!  I added mounting foam to the back.  On coconut white card, I stamped my sentiment from the Bold sentiment set by Creative Expressions.  I used the inner die to emboss the piercing around the edge.  I mounted the background over it so it was recessed.  I made a flower out of rust satin ribbon where I snipped into the ribbon at intervals, then heated it to melt the sections.  I added tape to the bottom and rolled it.  I seated it on some black seambinding and added a stick pin.  I finished the card with a white pierced mat layer and a thin black mat and a final white mat. The finished dimensions are 7" x  9" in size.

Now for all the announcements!  First up, the winner of the Wednesday Card Giveaway is:
Jacquie J!!!


Now for the Comment Game Winners!  This week's winners are:
Dorothy Mutafopulos!!!
Val Jones!!!
Sue Dunn!!!

For the extra qualifying post of Wed., Sept 17th, the winner's are:
Lesley S!!!
Denise Bryant!!!
Janice Brummett!!!

Congratulations all!  Please email me at americansue1@gmail.com to confirm your address and claim your Comment Game prize.  All for now, Sue x

Love You

 Good Sunday morning all!  It is big bow day again today, but it has been awhile to be fair! LOL  I selected some dusty rose card from my stash (we don't have this shade in our range currently) and I watermarked it by stamping the Rose Bouquet stamp by Justrite all over the background.  I used a Clear Perfect Medium pad to create the watermarked effect, then heat set it.  I love this as it is very soft, but gives a nice interest to the card. Using a black Archival ink pad, I stamped my sentiment in the lower corner and added small pearls between the words.   I wrapped a length of dusty rose frilly edged ribbon around the bottom of the card and taped the ends to the back.  I tied a double bow and added it with a glue dot to the side of the card.  The bow was finished with a small pearl embellishment and a couple of stick pins that I made to match.  For the focal element, I cut a Decorative frame from my California Collection in white.  I used that as a backdrop for the Justrite stamped label seven image.  I stamped it in black on white card and cut it out with the matching Labels seven die shape.  While still in the die, I inked it lightly with Victorian Velvet Distress ink before removing it so it was toned in nicely with the card.  I mounted it with foam in the centre of the other die cut so you can just see it peeking out from underneath.   I finished the corners with several different sizes of flatback pearls as accents.  The rest of the card was finished with a white pierced mat layer, then a thin black mat and a final white layer.  The finished dimensions are 7" x 8 1/2" in size.  Don't forget, all the weekly winners will be announced on Monday's post.  All for now, Sue x

You're So Sweet (High/Low Technique)

Morning all!  This is a really simple card which I did to simply show off a lovely technique that I have been enjoying of late.  I didn't want to cover it all up with flowers so that you would really be able to see how it was done.  I started with a piece of black card then covered it with a piece of sticky self adhesive sheet.  Using the background from my Italian Collection, I ran it through the Grand Calibur.  Since the sticky sheet adds a layer of thickness to the card, the pass through the Calibur will easily cut through it, but probably not through the black card.  This is actually what you want for this technique.  If, however, it does appear to have cut all the way through in spots, before removing it from the die, place some cello tape over those spots so they will all stay together, then remove the die cut.  The back of it won't show and you want the entire piece in tact for this technique.  Next, using your pokey tool, simply lift away the parts of the design that would be the fall away bits, in this case,the roses and swirls.  It does take a bit of time, but the results are very pretty in real life.  Once they have all been removed, cover all the exposed sticky areas with gilding flakes (or glitter or mica if you prefer).  I used the Summer Meadow gilding flakes here for this project.  Burnish them into place using a Rubit Scrubit pad and lightly remove any excess flake.  Dust it away with a tissue before moving on the the next step.  Next peel up the remaining bit of the backing paper revealing the actual die cut pattern.  I used micro beads and dipped the entire piece to coat all the remaining sticky areas.  Using my finger, I burnished them down well, which also brings the background colour up stronger.  Now you have the results of the High/Low technique with the high being the micro beads and the low being the gilding flakes.  It makes for a spectacular bit of texture on your backgrounds, you will just want to run your hand over it, trust me!  I stamped my sentiment, embossed it in gold and cut it out with the tag from the California Collection.  I cut another tag in black, split it and used it as a shadow behind the original.  I mounted it with foam in the lower corner so it wouldn't cover too much of the background design.  I finished the card with a white pierced mat and a final solid white mat.  The finished dimensions are
6" x 7 1/2" in size.  Just a reminder, the weekly card giveaway winner will be posted on Monday's blog this week.  All for now, Sue x

Friday Double Day

 Hi bloggers!   While this sample card certainly isn't the most flashy, it is very striking in real life.  I started with a piece of Rich Green card and embossed it with the new Nordic Trees folder to give texture to my background.  Next I cut the Framed Noel die out of larger piece of white card, leaving a bit of a frame on the original piece of card that it was cut from, which I used as a frame for this.  I added the frame to the card with mounting foam and then used the Cosmic Shimmer white PVA glue to add dots around the edge of it.  I matted the Noel with a black square to make it pop and mounted it up a bit higher than my frame for a stairstep effect.  Next I placed a piece of sticky adhesive sheet on to white card and cut out the Noel again.  I trimmed the actual word section with a paper cutter, then peeled the backing paper off and covered it with Diamond Sprinkles.  I added some mounting foam to the back and placed it over the previously cut version.  I cut a Holly leaf with the matching outline done in black and added it to the corner with some Berry Sparkle PVA glue for the berries.  The card was completed with a white pierced mat layer, a thin green mat and a final white mat.  The finished dimensions are 7 1/4" x 7 1/4" in size.  Scroll down for card number two.

The second card today is quite an easy one.  I embossed a white background using the Checkerboard Pinpoint embossing folder for texture.  I matted it with a thin gold mat, the a wide white mat.  On the wide mat, I used the Cosmic Shimmer white PVA glue to create my paved pearl technique.  If you want to see technique in more detail there is a tutorial at the top of my blog.  I cut the Joy die out of white card and then the matching solid Joy die out of soft vintage gold card.  I glued the solid letters behind the swirly outline and added mounting foam to the back.  The bold letters are a perfect place for foam mounting tape pieces as well.  I placed it in the lower corner of the card and used one of the pearl snowflakes in the upper corner as an embellishment.  I finished the card with a thin gold mat and a final white mat.  The finished dimensions are 7" x 8 1/4" in size.  All for now, Sue x