Gold Leaf - Part Two

This one belongs to the same article as the one posted yesterday. The technique for this card is simple. Apply to the card or acetate double sided adhesive, it could be just tape or sheets that you can die cut or just trim. Then, I just stamped the Winter Scroll with black StazOn Ink on the front of the acetate so it floats.

Gold leaf - Part One

Last year this card was featured in Craft Stamper as part of an article I did on gold leaf, actually the fake stuff, as it would be a bit too expensive to use the real stuff.
For this particular card, I use Stamp and Bond embossing powder, something I did not get on at all until the super stamper Kim Reygate taught it to me, do not over heat it and the fresher is the powder the better -ie old powder no good. Also, it was Kim that told me to use gold Perfect Pearls over the top to cover up any gaps without gold leaf.
The message is a PaperArtsy stamp and the Scroll is from Penny Black called Winter Scroll.

Birthday Wishes

Because I was born on Christmas day, birthday cards that have a winter feel appeal to me. It may sound a weird combination, but that is what I like.
For this card I used Enchanting Trees stamp set from Craftwork Cards, click here to see the rest of the images for the set. Copics for the colouring in, and Rock Candy Distress Glitter Glue. About that glitter glue, let me show you a close up.


The Rock Candy glitter glue is very, very subtle, nothing like Stardust Stickles. BUT, it is gorgeous specially for someone that is not very glittery like myself.
The message is from the first Simply Sayings that craftwork Cards manufactured which were blck printed on white card, which is ideal to color in. Alternatively you could use the ones foiled in silver or gold.

Circle Essentials and the punch sizes

Last week I got the parcel containing my latest stamp sets. One of them being the Circle Essentials.You can find them in shops all around the country including The Glitter Pot and Artbase. They look like this on the web:

Unfortunately, I have been extremely busy with deadlines and family so I haven't had the rpoper time to actually play with them -ie make a card-. But I could not resist stamping all of them to check they all work! So, I decided to show how the circles fit into the different punches and nesties. I know there are more combinations but this is using the punches or dies that I had at home.


They all can be punches with 1" but they wont have a white edge around them. If you would like that effect the best sized punch is 1 1/8", which are manufactured by Eksuccess. the bottom examples are used in combination with different shaped punches: star (Stampin Up, large) Square 1 1/8" (EKsuccess) and Scallop Square (StampinUp).

They are all in this set the same size which is slightly larger than the ones in the Mixed Sentiments and also larger than the two that appear on the Wording set - the birthday set.

If you have make any cards using any of the products I have designed whether it is Craftwork Card stuff -Messages In Circles or Buttons, Floral Damask or Floral Christmas- or the stamps -Mixed Sentiments, Circle Essentials...- please leave a comment with the link. I would love to see what people are creating with them.

By they way, I used Versafine Ink Satin Red (there is a reason, as I used Spanish Moss for the Wording Stamp and Blue Lagoon for the Square Essentials). And

Letterpress effect

I did have a system so I could know which cards I had posted photos of and which ones I had not. However, when I had some trouble with blogger last time I decided to use online albums, Picasa to be exact, which works great. But I did that hastily without thinking about my system.
The result is that now I have got loads of photos online and in my computer and I am not sure which ones I have shared. So, from now on you may see some repeat cards. It is not you it's me!
I wish I had more time and energy to actually explain how to make cards, but the truth is I hate writing instructions so I only do when I need to, ie for an article just because that is part of my job. But I can share that the background were don with the Snowflake Impresabilities.

Do you watch Stricly Come Dancing? It wasn't until last year when I started to watch it from my computer -we don't have a tv!-. It was my friend Julie -as in Julie Hickey- who actually talked me into by passing comments here and there about how much fun it was. Last year I was home for week one so I watched it online. I soon became addicted because I LOVE to dance, not ballroom as I don't know how, but pretty much everything else. I really enjoyed series Six and was quite happy with the outcome.
This year I am watching it again online either live or on the iPlayer on the Sunday and I am enjoying it as much or even a bit more than last year just because in each couple I like either the celebrity, the pro, or actually both. Yesterday there was a bit of an upset as one of the clearly better dancers was voted off. Personally I could not warm myself to the celebrity, but I like very much James Jordan the pro dancer not as best pro dancer but because he is one of the few -with Vincent and maybe Brian- who has some masculinity dancing. The other dancers are great, I consider some of them even better, but I don't see them as males dancing just as dancers, if it makes any sense.
The funny aspect about all this Stricly thing is that once I watched about ten minutes of the Spanish version, Mira quien Baila, and it confirmed what I already suspected: UK TV rules! Spanish, unfortunately, is a thousand miles behind.

Even more Sequins

Using one of my all time favorite stamp sets, this one from Banana Frog.

More Sequins

Sequins, again

A few weeks ago, I posted a card that featured sequins from an article in Cardmaking and Papercraft. Well this is another card from that set. I must apologize for the low quality photo, often happens that I finish a project and it is very dark so natural light available, and the artificial that I have is not very good for accurate colors.
By the way, the paper I used for this card is a Pebbles Inc one that it is from either last year or from the year before. I love the color combo and the delicate patterns.

This months in Carrdmaking and Papercraft

This article has 12 different cards all shaped in Christmas trees, bubbles or presents. I was lucky enough to use Eskimo Kisses for it as when I did the article the line had not reached the shops. Now is available in most shops that stock Basic Grey, which are many.

Copics

Sometimes, it is nice to treat yourself!