Shadow box anniversary card

I took a break from assembling the card parts I had created to make a special anniversary card for a dear family member.  This has required much thought and effort to create something special.  I searched through stamps, dies and photos to stimulate my creativity.

The front of the card was made with a Hero Arts background die and some metallic cardstock that has been in my stash for years.  The sentiment is gold embossed on vellum, then mounted over the background.  Edges of the vellum were cut with a Poppystamp border die.  The heart is cut from gold vellum with a Spellbinder die.  The numbers are stickers.

The shadow box inside was created from heavy cream cardstock.  I printed the photo of their wedding day from my computer.The frame around the photo was created with a Spellbinder die and the opening cut with Hero Arts Infinity oval dies.  I added some Swarovski crystal accents that I have been hoarding for years.  They add an iridescent sparkle to the frame.   The sentiment is from a very old wood mounted rubber stamp by Alias Smith & Rowe.

Combining dies with backgrounds

After creating a pile of alcohol ink backgrounds recently, I looked for dies to combine with the backgrounds to create cards.  I remembered buying some dies for this purpose, but couldn't find them.  After 3 days of searching, I almost convinced myself that I had dreamed that I bought the dies.  This is all it took to motivate me to search once more.  I found them all together, unused, with the back of package facing forward.  Here are the first 2 cards I've made with one background, cut in half.

This die is by Memory Box and gives a nice view of the scene between the trees.  I used the double stitched rectangle dies to create the frame around the scene.

The birthday card is a shadow box card.  The desert scene die is from Hero Arts.  The front of the card is stamped with an old unmounted rubber stamp and colored with colored pencils.  The circle frame is cut with a set of dies from Karen Burniston called Crosshatch circles.  I also have her Crosshatch Oval dies.  They make a lovely accent.
The Happy Birthday stamp is from Stamp a Mania.  The sentiment on the inside was made up from individual word clear stamps.  This card is for my brother who is currently undergoing chemotherapy.

I have more dies and backgrounds, so will continue to work with them to create new cards

Playing with alcohol inks

I've had the original alcohol inks for many years, but haven't used them in quite a while until recently.  I've been trying to remember how I used to create with them.  I soon realized that I needed some new colors and ordered them, along with some of Tim Holtz newer papers - Yupo, Brushed Silver, Silver Sparkle.  I also pulled out some of my very old glossy white paper.  Then, I started creating large messes.  Here's a few of my recent creations.

I've also been collecting new dies that I can use with these backgrounds.  Here's some that I have been working with.

These cards aren't finished, but still a work in progress.  I have more elements that I'm trying.

I'll keep playing and see what finished cards I can create.

Another alcohol ink card

I learned the technique for this card and my previous post from Jennifer McGuire's blog.  It seems that I link to her blog frequently.  That is because I learn so much from her.  My only problem is that if I need to order something she has used, the companies are frequently sold out - probably because many other card makers also follow her blog and she makes things look so easy.

Since I had to wait for the Tim Holtz Silver Sparkle cardstock to be available again, I had time to order some new dies also.  I also ordered some new colors of alcohol ink, but they haven't arrived yet, so I used what I had on hand.

The border die and the sentiment die were both made by Creative Expressions and ordered from 123 Stitch.

Alcohol ink card

Today I finished up a card for a dear family member with a recent breast cancer diagnosis.  The background was made with alcohol inks on Tim Holtz Silver Sparkle cardstock, made for alcohol inks.  The tulip die is from Simon Says Stamp.  The gold decorative strip is made with a Memory Box die and the sentiment is a stamp & die set by Elizabeth Craft.

The inside message is a wood mounted rubber stamp from Verses Rubber Stamps.

Card parts assembled

This afternoon I assembled card parts into cards.  I have been creating backgrounds, flowers and frames.  Today I assembled a few of the parts into cards.  Most of them have no sentiments added yet because I'm not sure how they will be used.  The first 4 have backgrounds made from alcohol inks on glossy paper.

These last 3 cards, on ovals, are made with this die on watercolored paper.

Die cut frames

I recently purchased some Art Impressions dies (rectangles and ovals) with double stitching.  I learned that they arrive attached to each other with small wires.  Before cutting them apart, I discovered that I can cut the entire set and get a lot of double stitched frames.  I used them to cut frames in several colors to have on hand to go with my backgrounds.

These parts will be combined to create cards, along with other die cut flowers, butterflies and sentiments.  I will also be working on more backgrounds to use for cards, using alcohol inks and watercolors.

Bird Bath watercolor, again

After I made these cards with what I had on hand, I decided to go to Art Impressions and watch their video on how to use these bird bath stamps.  I realized I needed buy some more supplies.  Here are the sets I used in this card.

In addition, I used ink and watercolor brushes, watercolor paper, dies, etc.

I used Distress inks instead of markers to color the stamps.  I added an embossed layer under the main image, but think it's a bit busy.  I'll try again another time.  It seems nothing is as easy as it appears when others do it.

Sympathy card

 

I took 2 photos of this card.  The first one was taken with my camera and the second one was taken with my phone.  I was trying to show the shimmer, but it still isn't visible in photos.  I used Tim Holtz Brushed Silver Alcohol Ink cardstock.  The color is added with Alcohol Pearl Inks.  The shimmer is lovely in real life, but not in photos.  The butterfly was made in this post and is attached only at the middle (body), leaving the double sided wings to be lifted.  The frame is made using 2 sizes of double stitched rectangle dies from Art Impressions.

This sentiment on the inside is made with a very old unmounted rubber stamp, so I don't know the source.