Spellbinders and Fun Stampers Journey!

Hello friends!  I’m sharing something very exciting today with you! 

Fun Stampers Journey and Spellbinders are coming together on November 1^st, 2018!  Now your favorite die cut company, Spellbinders Paper Arts,  has paired with Fun Stampers Journey to offer more hiqh quality stamps and dies.  Here are a few fun facts about FSJ!

1) FSJ stamps are made in the USA of deeply etched red rubber for a perfect impression every time.

2) Our thin metal dies are made of steel to give you clean cuts time and time again, without warping or dulling. And, they’re coated in FSJ green so they're easy to find!

3) We offer over 50 exclusive colors – matching cardstock, ink, ribbon and accessories makes creating easy!

4) Over 50% of our stamps have coordinating dies – no more fussy cutting!

You can see all of the products here 

And now for my projects.  I chose this gorgeous Adore Him stamp set and matching die bundle from Fun Stampers journey and paired it with the stunning Spellbinders Shapeabilities Grand Arch 3D Card Etched/Wafer Thin Die set.

Isn’t this pretty?  And it was really quite easy to make.  I simply die cut all the pieces from the Grand Arch 3D card dies, and used distress ink on the back panel to create a dramatic sky.  Then I stamped the images from FSJ in black, and die cut them with the coordinating dies.  I assembled the entire card in a matter of minutes.  This card is pretty simple, but packs a punch!

I couldn’t resist making a second card with this lovely set.  I made a long card for this one.  I inked up my background and then simply stamped the silhouettes of the three wise men approaching Bethlehem.  Again, a pretty easy card, that is very dramatic and lovely to give someone during the holiday season.

I hope you all will check out the new products from Fun Stampers Journey.  Each item is linked below (affiliate links used at no cost to you)

FSJ Adore Him Stamp Set

FSJ Adore Him Die Set

Spellbinders Grand Arch 3D die set

Spellbinders Grand Cabinet 3D die set

Thank you for stopping by!

Jacquie

Spellbinders Small Die of the Month Club

Hi friends,

Today I want to share a few projects I made with Spellbinder's Small Die of the Month kit for October.  But first, let me tell you about the club itself.  Spellbinders has several different monthly kits, one for each budget and taste.  The projects I am sharing today were made with the small die kit.

It is a great value! Membership Includes:

• Exclusive Set of Small Versatile Dies that cut, emboss, deboss and stencil. Size is similar to Die D-Lites.
• Project Inspiration: Each kit will feature project ideas with at least one detailed how-to instruction tutorial each month.
  
• Member Benefits & Savings: Receive exclusive member pricing in the Spellbinders store. Plus receive access to deals, savings, and gifts - only available to members

My first project is a fun Fall themed card using the acorn die pieces and a piece of junk mail. I received the beautiful leaf flyer in my mail. I trimmed it down to A2 card size and set it aside.  The Spellbinders small die kit this month has some great fall themed dies.  I love the acorn.....its so beautiful and ornate.  I cut it out of gold paper and mounted it on top of the vellum strip I put on the card.  Easy and beautiful!

 For the second project, I made a cute place card setting that I plan on using at Thanksgiving.  I took a vellum envelope and cut the top off with a pinking shears. I then wrapped the envelope with some burlap ribbon, and added the "Give thanks" die to the ribbon.  I think this will look so pretty and elegant on my holiday table!

The last project uses a watercolor panel that I added a bit of gold to.  I added the greetings and acorn die cuts to the card and I have another quick and easy Thanksgiving card.

I hope you liked my projects today!  Thank you so much for visiting!

Peace,

Jacquie

New Spellbinders - A Charming Christmas

Hello there crafty friends and welcome back!  Tis the season for working on Christmas cards!  I know it is only early September, but getting a head start on cards is always a good idea as we all get so busy as we get closer to the Holidays.

I had the chance to play with some GORGEOUS dies from a new collection from Spellbinders called A Charming Christmas by Becca Feeken.  You can see the entire collection here.

  Today I made some very simple, yet elegant cards using the Shapeabilities Holly Jolly Christmas die set from Becca Feeken.  This die set is amazing with so many possible combinations.  For the cards I made, I first watercolored some card panels using Colorbursts to get a vibrant background.

On the red panel, I used gold ink, and I sponged some on to add some shine.  I then die cut the frame out of gold foil paper, and I also cut out the Merry Christmas die in the same foil paper.  I adhered with a liquid adhesive, and then mounted on a top folding card.

The second card was made the same way, except I used silver foil cardstock, and I cut out some holly leaves that are included with this set and added them to the frame.

For the last project, I cut out a card panel in white, and I left the center in.  I mounted it on a clear box, that holds a set of cards that I created to give to someone as a gift.

This die set is so easy to use, and helps you to create a lot of cards, very quickly.  I like that....after all, we all have so much going on during the holiday season.

Be sure to check out the entire new collection from Becca Feeken for Spellbinders.

Peace,
Jacquie

New Inked Messages from Spellbinders

Hi there crafty friends!  Today I’m sharing some cards with you made with NEW Spellbinders products as part of their new release, Inked Messages from Stephanie Low.  These beautiful Tattoo inspired drawings are sure to spark your creativity!

You can see all the full collection here at:
Stephanie Low Inked Messages Collection
Spellbinders

(affiliate links used at no cost to you)

I created two projects for this release.

The first one features the Fare Thee Well stamp and die set from Spellbinders.

  To make this card, I stamped the feather images multiple times and the horseshoe “good luck” image once.  I colored them all with Copic Markers and added fun details with a white gel pen.  I used a rainbow of colors, because rainbows are good luck, right?

I used the Spellbinders Hemstitch die circles to cut an inset circle on the card panel.  I arranged my feathers in rainbow order and glued them down.  I popped up the good luck sentiment inside the circle.  To finish off the card, I mounted my card panel on red cardstock, and added rainbow coordinating jewel embellishments to the project.

For my second project, I used the One day at a Time stamp and die set from Spellbinders.  I stamped and colored the pocket watch image using Copic markers.  I used the coordinating die cut to cut it out.  On my card panel, I lightly sponged some gray ink on, using a dotted stencil  I added a little bit of ribbon on the card, and popped up my image on the top.  I finished it up by stamping the greeting over the top of the stenciling.

That’s it for today!  I hope you like my cards and I encourage you to check out this fun new collection from Spellbinders here.

Thanks for stopping by,

Peace,
Jacquie

  

Altenew Garden Treasure - AECP All About Layering 2

Good morning friends!

Today I'm sharing the latest projects I made for the Altenew Educator Certification Program.  These projects were inspired from what I learned in the All About Layering 2 class at Altenew Academy.

First let me explain a little bit about this class.  Basically, all the lessons were how to layer some of the newer Altenew layering sets. 

One thing I learned is how forgiving many of these sets are. 

While it is possible to achieve perfection on each layer, it's not always necessary because sometimes, the art is in the imperfections.  Does that make sense? 

Now, on to today's projects.

I used another all time favorite Altenew set, Garden Treasures, for these cards.   I started as I usually do by stamping several of each of the elements on cardstock, and then cutting them out.  I stuck to the color palette from the Glacier Caves ink collection.  I stamped some of the flowers starting with the lightest color, Arctic, and then I stamped some using the next lightest, Caribbean Sky.  This way, I feel I got more depth, and while the flowers all coordinated beautifully, the colors were not all the same value.  Some are darker, and some are lighter.  I experimented with different variations on the same color scheme, and I love how they turned out.  Instead of using black or just a color as my outline, I decided to stamp in Versamark and use Altenew Antique Gold Embossing Powder for my outlines.  For the smaller flowers, I just left them white, I added no color to the embossed outline.  The leaves were stamped using the Green Fields collection.  I did use the coordinating dies for cutting all of these out.

For this card, I wanted a simple, elegant backdrop for my flower arrangement.  I used the Altenew dotted scales cover die.  I probably overuse this die, its a favorite.  It's just so pretty, and such an easy, effective way to jazz up that background!

For the greeting, I simply stamped in Versamark on to a scrap of white cardstock, and embossed with Antique Gold.  I really did not want to cover much of my flowers up (they are so pretty), so I trimmed down the piece to make a simple banner to house my greeting.

I had enough flowers left over from my stamping so I made a second card.  The background here is a bit different...I first used a blending sponge to create an ombre effect using the Altenew inks (they blend like butter!)  Then I covered that with the Watercolor stripes cover die. (this is another die I use constantly, goes with everything!)  I stamped my greeting on the stripe above my floral arrangement.

Supplies Used

Altenew Stamp Sets: Garden Treasure, Beautiful Day

Altenew Coordinating dies: Garden Treasure

Altenew Cover Dies: Watercolor stripes, Dotted Scales

Altenew Ink Collections: Glacier Caves, Green Fields

Altenew Embossing Powder: Antique Gold

Embellishments: PPP Droplets

Thanks for joining me today.  I am really enjoying the classes at Altenew Academy.  While I am not a new stamper, I am finding all sorts of inspiration in these self paced classes!  I hope you enjoy my posts....if you do, please leave me a comment.  I love to hear your thoughts.

Peace,

Jacquie

Winner! Spellbinders Blog Hop

Just popping in here to announce the winner of the $25 Gift card to Spellbinders from the Hop last week.
The winner is:


Karen Lambert said...

Absolutely beautiful....as always.

May 16, 2018 at 11:23 AM

Congratulations Karen, please contact me for your prize!

Altenew Vintage Flowers - AECP All About Layering 1

Hi there Crafty friends!  Today is my first post as a participant in the Altenew Education Certification Program.  To say I merely "love" Altenew and their stamps would be an understatement.  I have been a stamper for a very long time, and I've also taught many stamping and scrapbooking classes over the last 20+ years.  Several years ago, I stopped stamping.  We were building a new house, life was busy, etc.  I always felt like I needed to get back to it, but I was putting it off.  I happened to be looking at YouTube for a "how to" video involving something else, and I came across a video from Jennifer McGuire showing these beautiful layered roses being made using a MISTI stamping tool.  I was mesmerized...these stamps (and that tool) were AMAZING!    By the end of the week, I had ordered both items.  It was April 2014, and I had discovered Altenew for the first time!  I really wanted the Vintage Roses set that Jennifer had used, but it seemed to be out of stock everywhere, so I ordered the Vintage Flowers set....and the rest, as they say, is history!

I thought it only fitting to use my very first Altenew stamp set for my first project in the AEC Program.

ALTENEW VINTAGE FLOWERS - ALL ABOUT LAYERING CLASS 1

I started this card by stamping the branch included in the set on a piece of 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch Bristol Smooth cardstock. I used my MISTI stamping tool for this to get good impressions, and I stamped twice because I wanted the branch a bit darker.  Then I took the base layers of the small flowers and arranged them all over the branch, and then closed the lid of my MISTI and picked up the stamps all at one time.  I used the lightest colors on the base layers.  I arranged the top layers on the flowers, and stamped them all at one time using a darker, coordinating color from the Cherry Blossom Ink collection.  For the larger blooms, I stamped each layer out carefully on some scrap cardstock and cut them out.  I fussy cut mine, but there are coordinating dies available for this set, I just do not have them yet.

I placed my cut out blooms on the card and then took and arranged the leaf clusters on the card to see where they would look best.  I stamped all three layers of the leaves using the Green Fields ink collection.  I love the gorgeous contrast the greens give this card!  I used some foam tape to pop up my large blooms on the card, and then added a greeting in the bottom left corner.  I finished off the card with some pretty jewels as embellishments!

Supplies Used

Stamps:  Altenew Vintage Flowers and Altenew Peony Spray (sentiment)

Inks:     Altenew - Layering ink color collections - Green Fields and Cherry Blossom, Branch-Evening Gray

Embellishments : Pearl White Jewels

Lastly, I really enjoyed this class.  It was a great refresher on how to use these beautiful layered sets!  I was really happy to dust off my very first Altenew set and make a pretty card!  I highly recommend any of Altenew's classes - you can click here to find out more about the Altenew Academy!

Thank you so much for joining me today!  If you like what I've done, please be sure to leave me a comment, and also click follow to see future projects as I embark on my Altenew Educator series journey.

Peace,

Jacquie

Spellbinders May 2018 Blog Hop

Hi there crafty friends!  I'm so excited to be part of the awesome Spellbinders blog hop this month.  Today we are featuring wonderful inspiration using products from Romancing the Swirl by Becca Feeken  and Perfect Match by Debi Adams .  

You should have arrived here from the amazing Olga!  

My projects are all from Romancing the Swirl today.  I have created 5 cards from this fantastic collection.  Be sure to read all the way to the end to get the blog hop list, and also get details on a giveaway to Spellbinders!

My first card is a lacy card front using the Shapeabilities Flourished Square dies. I watercolored the flower bouquet Spellbinders die cut and then set aside.  I used the swirl die to make the card front, then added some layered Nestabilities hemstitch circles as a place to put my birthday greeting.  There are so many possibilities with this die set....it's simply lovely!

This card features the gorgeous Shapeabilities Trefoil Crest die. I made a simple shaker card and added some rose gold sequins for this anniversary card.  I often like to take a die and frame out my shaker.  The card is simple, and elegant, and perfect for an anniversary!

There are lots of layers and details in this elegant card.  I did some inlaid die cutting using the Shapeabilities Flourished Square die set to make the center panel. I layered it with some vellum over a piece of patterned scrapbook paper.  The top layer is shimmery cardstock.  I added some pearls as the perfect embellishment. 

This simple card makes a bold statement using the Nestabilities Hemstitch Circles on a bright purple card stock panel.  I watercolored the flower die cuts from Spellbinders and added them for a simple, yet pretty touch on this friendship card. 

This last card features a bold and black swirl cut from the Shapeabilities Flourished Square dies laid over a lovely watercolor background.  I love how the black just pops against the watercolor.

Thanks so much for joining me today!  I have provided links to my supplies.  The links are affiliate links, which means that if you decide that I have inspired you, and you purchase something, then I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.  Your support means a lot!

GIVEAWAY

To celebrate this release, Spellbinders is giving away a $50 gift certificate to a lucky winner. Please leave a comment on Spellbinders blog by Sunday, May 20th 11:59 PM EDT for a chance to win. The winner will be announced in the blog hop post on Spellbinders blog the following day. Winner is responsible for shipping cost, duties and taxes. 

I am also giving away a $25 gift certificate to Spellbinders to one of my blog readers.  Please leave me a comment and I will announce a winner next Tuesday.  Please note, that the winner is responsible for shipping cost, duties and taxes.

BLOG HOP

Spellbinders

Becca Feeken

Yana Smakula

Melissa Phillips

Elena Salo

Hussena Calcuttawala

Olga Direktorenko

Jacquie Dean

Nichol Spohr

Enza Gudor

Zsoka Marko

Jennifer Gallacher

Keeway Tsao

Emily Midgett

Thanks for joining me today!  Be sure to check out everyone's blog.  Your next stop is the fantastic Nichol!  

Peace,

Jacquie

Alcohol Ink flowers with Spellbinders Small Die of Month Kit

Hi there friends! 

Today I'm playing with the April Spellbinders Small Die of the month kit.  These kits are a great value and an inexpensive way to add to your Spellbinder's die collection.

This month, the dies are one of my favorite things to create with...FLOWERS!

For this card, I first made a few specialty papers.  I started with glossy cardstock, and I made a few different combinations with Alcohol ink.  I love the look of alcohol inks and I really enjoy the process.  I have built up a small stash of pretty alcohol ink papers that I have created...no two are alike!

I cut the flower pieces out of my paper and sat down and created my garden. 

I used my Spellbinders Prizm die cutter....it is the perfect size for this project!  It's very convenient to have this on my desk, literally, at my fingertips.

I built my flowers and then mounted them on black card stock.  I made a "grass" border with some scraps.

For the final touch, I added some clear drops to the flower centers to give it even more dimension.

That's it for my card today!  I have provided a link below where you can find the supplies. 

Spellbinders Small Die of the Month Kit

Peace,

Jacquie

Birds Singing Happy Birthday with Spellbinders

Hello there friends!  I've got another card today using a beautiful die from Spellbinders.

The die is the Shapeabilities Birds Singing border die by Sharyn Sowell.  It is a beautiful botanical element that is PERFECT for a longer card,  a mixed media project, junk journal or even a scrapbook page.  

For this card, I first cut out the birds singing on to a smooth white cardstock.  I colored the different elements using my Copic markers.  The colors I used are as follows:
Birds: B000, B01, B04
Roses: R21, R22
Leaves: YG03, YG06
Flourishes: Y01, Y08

I used foam mounting tape to mount the entire piece to a textured cardstock panel and then added my greeting.

A very simple and quick card, made possible by this gorgeous die from Spellbinders.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I've provided a link below to the supplies I used.

Shapeabilities Birds Singing Border Die

Peace

Jacquie

Card creator floral cards with Spellbinders

Hi there friends!  Today I have a few cards to show you using a very versatile die from Spellbinders!

This die is the Card Creator Flower Garden from Sharyn Sowell.  It is a set of 4 dies that includes a beautiful floral frame and outline die, plus a tag and leaf accent. This die set is great because you can pretty much create a quick card in a few minutes.

My first card, I used the die on Bristol Smooth card stock.  I used some light messy watercoloring to color the flowers and leaves.

I cut out the tag accent and leaves.  I stamped a greeting on the tag, and I colored the leaf accents with watercolor.  I added a few water drop embellishments and then used foam tape to mount the entire piece on a top folding card panel.  Easy, and SOOOOO pretty!

The second card was made almost the same way, but I cut out two panels from the flower garden die, and then I cut out the roses from one panel and colored them with some light watercolor.  I mounted those, and the leaf accents to the panel to add some more interest and dimension.

Thank you so much for stopping by today.   I have provided a link to supplies below.

Spellbinders Card Creator Flower Garden Die



Peace,
Jacquie

The Love Tree with MISTI and JOY CLAIR STAMPS

Hi there friends!  I’m here today using Misti and Joy Clair to show you something I made using alcohol inks.  Alcohol ink has really been around awhile.  I’ve used it for years, and while it was not used much in recent years, it is back and very trendy!

 

Let’s talk about how I made this card.  The first thing is I used glossy cardstock (not YUPO paper).  Alcohol ink on glossy cardstock does not move as much, and since I wanted a bit more control over where the ink went, I used glossy cardstock that I had in my stash. (for many, many years I might add!)

I stamped the beautiful Love Tree outline from Joy Clairstamps in versamark using my MISTI stamping tool.  You don’t have to have a MISTI, but it really helps as you do not want to smear the ink on this glossy card.  I heat embossed the tree in gold embossing powder.

I put some alcohol ink on a plate (just a few drops) and then I used an older fine paint brush (nothing fancy or special, just an older, cheap one) to “paint” my tree with Teakwood alcohol ink.  I needed to add some dimension so, I dropped a little blending solution on the plate, and added it a little at a time.  I used watermelon ink to fill in the heart sections on the tree.

For the background, I used a totally different technique.  I dropped a few colors of blue (Sky, Turquoise, Stream) onto a felt pad and then dabbed it on with an ink blending tool.  I didn’t like how it looked at first, so then I added some blending solution to my felt pad, and moved the ink around until I got the look I wanted.  I also created a line of grass along the bottom, using Limeade alcohol ink.

I used my heat gun to dry the ink.  I am very careful to use the heat sparingly, as this stuff is flammable, and I also don’t want to warp my paper.

I stamped the greeting in versamark (again using the MISTI for precision) and heat embossed it in gold.

The Love tree set from Joy Clair includes these bunches of hearts that make adorable leaves.  So, I stamped those with red pigment ink, and clear embossed those, and the birds were stamped in black pigment ink and embossed in black.

That's it for today!  I plan on using more alcohol ink in the near future!  Please leave me a comment and follow me so you don't miss anything!

Peace,

Jacquie

Rainbow Hello card using Joy Clair and MISTI

Hi again!  I'm back again with another fun card from Joy Clair stamps using my fabulous MISTI tool.

 

To make this card, I used my MISTI to stamp the floral from Joy Clair Hearts and Smiles set with Versamark ink, and then I white heat embossed the image.  I loosely water colored the card panel using some Distress inks and a water brush.  I stamped the Hello Sunshine from Joy Clair Hello Sentiments set in Versafine black, and then added a few jewels (in rainbow order of course) to my card.

That's it for today, it is a LOVELY day here where I am, so I am going to go out and enjoy it!

Peace,
Jacquie