Plum Blossom (one of eight new Cuttlebug embossing folders)

I can't seem to stop adding Cuttlebug embossing folders to my collection.  I find the textures that they add to be so appealing.  One of the newest collections to become available is the "Asian Bundle" which coordinates nicely with the Pagoda Cricut cartridge.  Here is a LINK to the page on the Cricut.com site where you can see more information about the bundle.

There are eight folders in the bundle, four are 5 x 7 inches (Plum Blossom, Oriental Weave, Kimiko, Bamboo) and four are A2 size (Japanese Scales, Mandarin Screen, Koi, Lanterns).  I am not sure if they will be sold separately - I have only seen sold them as a bundle at this time.

I ordered these folders from Creative Express and they arrived yesterday.  The one I was most eager to try was the Plum Blossom, so I decided to make a quick card.

I realized that this folder coordinates nicely with the widest border folder from the "Just my Type" set.  I embossed most of the front of an A2 card with the Plum Blossoms folder, leaving an area about an inch or so wide for the border.

You could just leave the card plain - it is simple and elegant and would be nice for notes of all sorts.  I added a thin strip of blue glitter cardstock between the two embossed sections and used the "Thank you" from the Cuttlebug "With Gratitude" A2 combo emboss and die set for a sentiment.   The butterfly is the Martha Stewart "Royal Butterfly" punch.


Just a quick post tonight - I have been working on a few "secret" projects that I can't show you just yet (but I think you will like them!).  It is really cold here - at least we expect this weather in New England.  I hope all my friends in the South are staying warm.

A Busy Birthday Weekend (& a simple card)

I am no longer the mother of a teenager - it's hard to believe, but our youngest son turned 20 on Saturday! The weather here was very hot and humid. It was also the day of our neighborhood cookout.



I am happy to say that there were cupcakes! One neighbor brought this fantastic cake and cupcakes for dessert. Our newest neighbor, a ten day old baby girl, was at the cookout for a while and I got to hold her - that sure brought back memories!



Our no-longer-a-teenager son requested watermelon instead of a cake, so we added candles to the watermelon (why not?)! It was a nice way to finish a hot day.

When I was cleaning up my scrap space, I came across the piece of cardstock I embossed to try out the new Cuttlebug folder "Victoria" - so I made a quick card.



I had partially embossed a 4 x 5 1/4 inch piece of cardstock - leaving a "blank" area on the short end. I used my Scor-Pal to create two straight embossed lines at the end of the design area.



I wanted to use this sheer ribbon on the card - it can be tricky to adhere this sort of ribbon without any adhesive showing.



The best solution I have found is the narrowest size (1/8 inch) of Scor-Tape. This tape is super sticky and easy to apply and it won't bleed through the sheer ribbon as a liquid adhesive might. It is also much more reasonably priced than the red liner tape I have purchased at large craft stores (only $3.70 for 27 yards). Here is a LINK to the page on the Scor-Pal site if you want some more information about this tape. It comes in various widths and I use it for many projects - particularly boxes and bags where you need a strong hold.



Whenever I attach a piece of embossed cardstock to a card I put the adhesive on the card itself so I won't "erase" any embossing with the pressure from my ATG or tape runner.



To be sure that the corners are stuck down properly I put a glue dot or two on each corner.



Here is the card - it was pretty but I thought it needed something more to finish it.



I added three of the large Martha Stewart pearls I used on the gift cards I posted a couple of days ago. They added just the right finishing touch.

Sometimes I feel like I have too much "stuff" in my scrap space but I find that you do "need" a lot of different things. On this very simple card I used three types of adhesive to get the result I wanted. Sometimes having a variety of choices is best.

Don't forget to check out the Mystery Challenge projects at the Custom Crops site on Monday. I am not sure exactly when they will "flip the switch" to reveal the articles but I can't wait to see what everyone made!

I have also been working with a new product that I am eager to share - look for a post in the next day or two. I am still making samples to show you - there are so many possibilities - I think you are going to love it!

Whitewash Embossing

I really have become fascinated by the Core'dinations cardstock. Earlier this week I shared a card I made using the "black magic" variety (here is a LINK to that post).



Today I thought I'd show you the "whitewash" Core'dinations cardstock (here is a LINK to their site where you can see all of the varieties).



When I did the "black magic" card, I used this sanding block - which was really too fine a grade and it made it difficult to remove the color quickly. A blog reader (hi Marjorie!) wrote to me to say that she had used an nail file (emery board) and that it worked very well. So I tried that and it was faster and easier (I did break it as you can see above!).

When I went to get a link for the Core'dinations site I discovered this tip on the home page:

If you really want to get the most out of your new Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock make sure you sand it with 150 or 180 grit sandpaper. If you're using another grit, you're either missing out on the vibrant ColorCore or causing yourself extra work!

It always pays to read a manufacturer's site to find their recommendations for using the product! So for my next card I will raid my husband's workbench to find the right sandpaper.



I used my new Celtic Knot A2 cuttlebug embossing folder. I cut the piece of Core'dinations whitewash paper to 4 x 5 1/4 inches to layer on an A2 card. I had some Bazzill cardstock for the card base that is very close in color to the core color of this piece of Whitewash cardstock.



Here is a closer view of the embossing and sanding.



This is a complicated design and it looks good from both sides - there is embossing and debossing on each side to create the pattern of the knot.



When I want to put an embossed layer on a card I put the adhesive directly on the card base so I won't press too hard with the tape gun and flatten the embossing.



Since it is difficult to get the tape exactly where the corners will fall on the card, I put a small glue dot at each corner to keep the corners firmly adhered.



This design will work for a vertical (above) or horizontal (below) card.



I thought the design was so pretty that it would be best to leave it plain with no embellishments. These would make lovely notecards.


A Few Notes...

No one has correctly guessed the cartridge or cartridges I used for the design I posted yesterday. I will add a few guesses that came by email rather than a comment so you can see all that have been suggested so far. I did not have a chance to test cut this design yet but I am confident that it will cut nicely

Jen and I have scheduled three classes for next week - with our time off for medical/personal stuff last week we didn't allow enough time this week for sign ups so we moved the classes ahead a week. We expect to have some new and different classes ready to go for the following week (we know that there are a number of you who have taken all three classes and are waiting for some new ones to be available). If you want to take the Getting Started , Basic Cards, or Wordbooks classes please register following the directions on the Let me Show you How to Do that blog.

I have recently received a couple of interesting packages in the mail - check back in a few days to see what was in them and what I do with the contents! (I wish one was a Gypsy to test - but no such luck...).

Elegant Embossing

I recently purchased some Coredinations paper at Joann's when they had a sale price of 6 sheets for 96 cents. This paper is made with a "core" of one color with another color on the surface. The paper comes in several varieties with different color combinations. It usually retails for 50 to 60 cents a sheet so this was a great price. Here is a LINK to the Coredinations website if you'd like more information about this paper.


I used the type called "Black Magic" for this card - the surface is black with another color below - in this case red.



I embossed a piece of the cardstock using my new "Victoria" Cuttlebug folder. Then I sanded the paper to remove the black layer and reveal the red on the embossed areas. I found the sanding took a while and I did have a lot of dust on my table when I was done. I ran the paper through the Cuttlebug a couple of times to enhance the embossing after sanding it for a while. I still didn't get all of the black off the raised areas but I think the effect is pretty.



I decide to use my sample piece to make a card. I used a dark green cardstock for the card base. I added a couple of pieces of white satin ribbon - taping them to the back of the embossed layer.



I tied a couple of short pieces of ribbon to the horizontal ribbons on the front of the card to imitate the look of actually tying the knots. It is much easier to get a nice effect by doing it this way (Robyn, The Pink Stamper, calls this the "cheater method").



To keep the ribbons in position, I placed a small glue dot under each knot.



When I add an embossed piece to a card, I always put the adhesive on the card itself and then add the embossed layer - it is too easy to "erase" or flatten the embossing with your tape gun if you apply the adhesive directly to the embossed layer.



I had a couple of embossed angels left over from my June ATC swap (above is a photo of that ATC) so I decided to use one for this card. With the dark green cardstock and red layer it was starting to have a "holiday" look. The angel is from the Joys of the Season cartridge.



The angel was embossed with the "Textile Texture" Cuttlebug folder. I used foam squares to raise the angel and make her "fly" on the card front.



Here is the finished card - very simple, but still interesting with all of the colors and textures. It is always fun to try new products and techniques - I think next time I will use a coarser grade of sandpaper and see if that makes the color removal quicker and easier.

For those of you who have been asking, Jen and I will be teaching a couple of Design Studio classes on Thursday and Friday this week- details are available on the Let me Show you How to Do that blog.

Embossed, chalked and embossed again...

I had lots of things going on today - I did some driving to help a neighbor, had several things to get in the mail, taught another "Getting Started" Design Studio class online and tried to catch up with my email (still working on that!).

I did get a bit of time to do some test cuts of designs that will be appearing soon and I also experimented with an idea I had for a card top.



I embossed a piece of white cardstock using the "stylized flowers" Cuttlebug embossing folder. Then I used some chalk to highlight the flowers in various colors and added some blue in the background. This looked fairly pretty but, I couldn't leave well enough alone....



I stamped the entire piece of cardstock with a Versamark watermark ink pad and added some "sparkle" embossing powder. Then I used my heat gun to set the second type of embossing on this card. It is so magical to watch the embossing powder melt!



I got a little carried away on the heat embossing and actually "over-embossed" and melted a section of the card top. I was not about to toss the whole project in the trash bin (you know how I hate to throw anything away!) so I got a bit creative. A long time ago someone told me that if you make a mistake, don't dwell on it - just "think recovery." So I started thinking...



I cut through the paper to eliminate the burnt section making the cut on a diagonal for some interest. I adhered the two remaining sections of the embossed cardstock to a blue base that I had cut slightly smaller than my green A2 card. (I didn't have my camera handy so there is not a photo of each step in my "recovery" process).

I added some pink ribbon to cover the "seams" between the embossed sections and the blue base and then stamped a sentiment in dark blue ink.



In the end - I had a card that I will certainly send to someone - and I learned a few things to help me improve on these techniques for the next time. After all - we learn best by trying things - so just go for it!

Elegant Embossed Gift Card Holders

Once I get going with an idea, I can't seem to leave well enough alone! I thought that these card holders would look great if I "prettied them up" a bit with embossing - so I tried it out!

For my first attempt, I took one side of the holder and put it into my cuttlebug folder - paying attention to where the design would hit around the scalloped edges.



Here is the embossed front of the card



As you can see here, I should also have paid attention to what would happen to the inside of the card.



So...I tried the other side using a different folder. Here is the outer part of the card



This is what it looks like on the inside - here you have more of the design showing so it looks like you "meant to do that!" There is still some room to write a message if you want to.



It doesn't really matter if you do the front and back differently - in fact, I think it makes it rather interesting.



Next I tried a different card with some different folders - this time being careful to emboss only to the exact edge of the front and back - here is the front



and here is the back (as you can see, some patterns work well in either direction and some do not).



This time the center section remained totally free of embossing



I even tried using the smaller embossing folders side by side with this result



The possibilities and variations are endless - these are just to get you started. I think some of these would be very nice for a shower or baby gift or lots of special occasions.

Once again, the files for these cards are in the original post.