Flower Soft Country Village Cottage

Flower Soft has "card toppers" which are pre-printed designs that you can embellish with their miniature flower embellishments. The one used here is one of the Country Village Cottages. Of course, you can also stamp a design and embellish it with these miniature flowers.

Just lightly add glue to the areas where you want to add flowers (if you add to much glue, the flowers will clump up and not look as nice). Pick up some flowers in the color you want, and sprinkle them over the glue. Add other colors as desired.

For the grass, the ultra fine Flower Soft worked better. Click here to see what's in stock from Flower Soft.

Dreamweaver Tie Card

We always have a hard time making a card for a man, but Dreamweaver has come out with a tie stencil that makes a really nice card! These cards were designed by Dreamweaver, but I wanted to share the ideas with you. Dry emboss the tie stencil and then, for the card on top (black/gold tie), lay the card down with the Tie stencil over the embossed image and then put the Stripes stencil on top, either horizontally or vertically and stencil with black ink. Then change the direction of the stripes stencil to make the plaid design.

For the card with the diagonal stripes, lay the Stripes stencil at a diagonal on top of the tie stencil and then use a dauber with ink to add your stripes. Notice how the colors have a graduated effect, so you want some stripes to be darker than others. See the cards below for other variations. Notice how changing the direction of the stripes as well as using color varations can change the look of your tie.

Visit our online store to find these Dreamweaver stencils at www.injoystamps.com

Dreamweaver Peacock with Metallic F/X Sample

I must admit that I don't have much time to make cards, but I like to share about various tips & techniques that I learn from other people. I saw this card from Dreamweaver that uses their new Metallic F/X mica powder and just LOVED the colors!

Lynell Harlow, the owner of Dreamweaver told me that they used copper embossing paste and the following metallic F/X:

Sapphire
Purple Satin
Glacier Lake
Kiwi

Apply the copper embossing paste to the stencil, and let dry. Once dry, place the stencil back in place and stipple Metallic F/X mica powders with a stencil brush (these are much smaller and firmer than the larger stipple brushes and allow you to have more control over where the color goes).

Click here to purchase the Metallic F/X Mica Powders.

Holly Berry House Autumn Leaf Medallion Sample

Holly Berry House medallion designs look best when embossed in gold. Here's a beautiful design just in time for autumn cards.

1. Emboss the design several times on different colors of cardstock. The number of times depends on how many layers you want to achieve.

2. Cut out the designs. One of the designs will have the complete image. Cut off more of the design for the next layer (see the image with the green glitter). Cut off even more in the next layer (see the layer with the yellow/gold glitter). Continue until you have the number of layers that you desire.

3. Add adhesive. We used Art Glitter's Designer Dries Clear adhesive with the fine tip to make applying the glue much easier. Apply the glue to one section of the design and then add one color of glitter. Continue adding glue & glitter until the design is covered with glitter. Remember that the parts of the design that are covered by another layer do not need glitter.

4. Set aside to dry. When dry, add pieces of foam tape between the layers to give a 3-D effect and you will have a beautiful card!

Click here to purchase the Holly Berry House Autumn Leaf Medallion rubber stamp.

McGill Dimensional Punches

McGill has come out with some new dimensional punches. Basically, you punch out the shapes and then put the pieces together to form a picture. The dogs on the left were all created from one punch: the dimensional dog punch.

You'll notice that each dog has pieces with different colors. All you need to do is punch out the shapes using different colors of paper.

If you don't want to waste paper, you can just turn your punch upside down and put the paper in the area of the design that you want to punch and just punch out that section.

I wanted to highlight this technique because you can do this with other punches also. Try mixing & matching colors to make your own fun & creative designs!

Click here to purchase the McGill Dimensional Dog punch or to see what other McGill dimensional punches are available!

Hero Arts You Light Up My Life Lamp Cards

This card & the following instructions were designed by Nancy Taylor from Hero Arts. It's not one that you'll find on their web site, so I wanted to take this opportunity to share it with you.

Can these cute little lamps be sophisticated? You bet they can. Did you notice that each lamp is accented with a different technique? The lamp with the cut out leaves and matching shade uses images stamped with a different ink, cut out and glued over the existing images. The middle lamp uses metallic Décor on the base for a dimensional accent. The lamp with the plaid shade uses a yellow colored pencil for a hint of light and a pearl heart for a lamp pull.

Instructions:

1. Stamp all the lamps in a dark brown ink from the Pumpkin Patch Ink Queue. Trim each lamp into the same size paper.
2. Stamp the lamp with the leaf base in a rust colored ink queue on a separate piece of paper. Cut out the shade and around the leaves (leave a bit of color around the leaves as you cut). Glue the shade and the leaves over the matching images on the lamp. Add metallic décor accents to each of the circles on the base of the middle lamp. Using a black fine point marker, add a chain (out of little dots) to the remaining lamp and a bit of yellow (to simulate light) with a colored pencil. Attach a pearl heart to the end of the chain.
3. After gluing the lamp images to a wide strip of Latte cardstock add a few wraps of twine around the bottom of the card securing the twine with a knot on the front of the card.

Tip:
Whenever you are going to add gemstones, accent hearts or other items with sticky back, try not to add over colored pencils. The pencils leave a bit of wax on the paper and the accents may not stick as well.

Hero Materials:

CH173		Hearts Accent Pearls
CH202		Pewter Metallic Decor
MS204		Colorbox Chalk Queue - Pumpkin Patch
PS572		Earth Folded Cards
LP176		Decorative Lamps

Other Materials:
White cardstock, twine, scissors, paper trimmer, yellow colored pencil, adhesive and a fine point black marker

Three Lamps Card

If you prefer bright colors, here's another card using the same lamp rubber stamps:

Instructions:

1. Stamp the lamps with black ink on a piece of Snow layering paper.
2. Stamp the images again with various colors of ink on Snow layering paper. Cut out the lamp shades and attach over the black stamped lamps.
3. Trim the Snow piece and mat with Carnation layering paper.
4. Stamp the Canvas Stripes with Poppy ink on a Daffodil folded card.
5. Cut a strip of Carnation layering paper and a piece of Poppy layering paper and attach to the folded card.
6. 1. Attach the Snow piece to the card and embellish with Colored Gems.
   Hero Materials:

   CH128		Lavender Gemstones
   CH129		Teal Gemstones
   CH138		Pale Pink Gemstones
   CG196		Canvas Stripes
   AF101		Memories Ink Pad - Black
   AF179		Chalk Ink: Iris
   AF180		Chalk Ink: Punch
   AF181		Chalk Ink: Poppy
   AF183		Chalk Ink: Cerulean
   PS556		Daffodil Folded Cards
   PS597		Carnation Layering Papers
   PS599		Poppy Layering Papers
   PS610		Snow Layering Papers
   LP176		Decorative Lamps

Click here to purchase the Decorative Lamps Rubber Stamp Set and other Hero Arts products.

Hero Arts Let's Chill Summer Card

Here's a cute summer card from Hero Arts (stamped by Nancy Taylor). You won't find this card on the web site, so this is a fresh, new idea!

Hero Materials:

CH212		Foliage Mixed Accents
CL438		Let's Chill
PS571		Sea Folded Cards

Other Materials:
Scalloped scissors, Memento Black Ink Pad, pens in a variety of colors for the tree/bird/fish, glue, scissors, brown and white cardstock, fine line pen

Instructions:

1. Stamp the tree, bird and 2 fish on white cardstock using the Mementos black ink pad. Color as desired with pens, cut out and set aside. The legs and hair swirl of the bird are created after the figures are attached to the card. Stamp the message along the top of a powder notecard in black ink.
2. Create a scalloped edge on Cerulean paper, adding a highlight along the edge with a blue pen. Adhere the scalloped paper and a single fish, (tucked under the scalloped edge), to the front of a powder notecard. Cut a wavy edge along brown paper to mirror sand and attach over the blue paper.
3. Glue the colored elements and add green jewels to the palm tree. Using a fine line pen add legs and a top swirl to the bird.

Tip:
Leaving a bit of white around each trimmed image makes it easier to cut and will allow the images to "pop" off the paper.

Click here to purchase the Hero Art's Let's Chill Poly Clear Set.