The Creative Flow Blog Hop – Hello Spring

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – The Creative Flow Blog Hop – Hello Spring

Thank you for joining us on our Creative Flow Blog Hop. Each month we are set a challenge to creatively stretch our imaginations. The products we have used are all available in the current Annual and/or seasonal Stampin’ Up!® catalogues. To hop along, please use the buttons at the bottom of the post to keep hopping. And this month’s theme is ‘Spring is sprung’.

I don’t know about you, but for me, nothing says ‘spring’ more than flowers. So today I’ve got for you a set of super cute, 4 x 4″ notecards.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Stampin' Up! Number Of Years Stamp Set - Hello Spring Set of Notecards 2.JPG

Spring notecards dimensions:

  • In Colour cardstock: five pieces, one of each colour, 4″ x 8 ” scored in half at 4″ (20,3cm x 10,1cm scored in half at 10,1cm) + scraps for die cutting
  • Whisper White cardstock: five panels 3″ x 3″ (7cm x 7cm)
  • Linen Thread five pieces, 20″ length each
  • Pearls: 15 mini pearls, 3 for each notecard

For the base of my little notecards I decided to use, soon retiring, 2015-2017 In Colours. I stamped each card base with a ‘dotty’ stamp from Number Of Years Stamp Set in Versamark.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Stampin' Up! Number Of Years Stamp Set - Hello Spring Tip Top Taupe Notecard

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Stampin' Up! Number Of Years Stamp Set - Hello Spring Cucumber Crush Notecard

I stamped each 3 x3″ Whisper White panel using Writing Notes background stamp. I’ve used Cucumber Crush, Mint Macaron, Blushing Bride and So Saffron x2. Next, in the middle of each panel, I stamped a little bouquet of flowers, from Number Of Years Stamp Set. This is a two-step stamping set, so I first stamped the foliage using Pear Pizzazz and Wild Wasabi ink pads, and next I added the flowers in So Saffron, Pool Party, Watermelon Wonder, Blushing Bride and Wisteria Wonder.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Stampin' Up! Number Of Years Stamp Set - Hello Spring Watermelon Wonder Notecard

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Stampin' Up! Number Of Years Stamp Set - Hello Spring Delightful Dijon Notecard.JPG

I die-cut my bouquets with stitched circle die and adhered a leftover piece to the card base. I also die-cut five scalloped circles: one in each In Colour. Next, I layered each bouquet with a scalloped circle and adhered them to the card base with dimensionals.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Stampin' Up! Number Of Years Stamp Set - Hello Spring Mint Macaron Notecard

Sentiments come from Crazy About You Stamp Set and I stamped them in coordinating colours once my cards were assembled. For the final touch, I added mini pearls to some of the flowers. I also created cute little bows using Linen Thread and added them to the cards using glue dots.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Stampin' Up! Number Of Years Stamp Set - Hello Spring Set of Notecards 3.JPG

I’m really pleased with my little notecards and I think they fit the theme perfectly. But just a little reminder that In Colours 2015-2017 will retire soon (end of May) so if you love them I would really advise you to stock up on cardstock, Designer Series Paper, and ink refills as they surely will be sold out way before the end of May. Click the picture below to check the entire collection.

In Colours 2015-2017

Now be sure to hop along to see more inspiring projects. Your next stop is lovely and talented Jerim.

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day

New Adventure Card For GDP076 Case The Designer Challenge

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – New Adventure Card For GDP076 Case The Designer Challenge

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Hello and welcome everyone! Today I’m back with my entry for Global Design Project. This week’s challenge is to CASE lovely and talented Kylie Bertucci. And oh, boy! What a brilliant card it is!

Phew, I did it! To be honest I really thought I won’t make it this week. Lately, I’m so exhausted it’s unbelievable. Living with MS alone isn’t easy, but working night shifts on top of that truly wreak a havoc in my body. And even though I only work two shifts per week, sometimes I am so drained I need to recover for a couple of days before I get back on track. Then I have to pick up on things at home that have to be done, spend some quality time with hubby and daughter…and by the time I’m ready to sit down and create, another week roll on…crazy vicious cycle isn’t it haha

But today I woke up with ‘this idea’ that I just had to turn it into a card. So I jumped out of bed, brew myself a cup of chicory coffee, done my Bible reading and sneaked straight into my ‘cave’. I’ve used a really fun technique called ‘layered embossing resist’.

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New Adventure Card dimensions:

  • Daffodil Delight cardstock: 11-6/8″ x 4-1/8″ scored in half at 5-7/8″ (29.7 x 10.5 cm scored in half at 14.8 cm)
  • Whisper White cardstock: 5-7/8″ x 2-1/2″ (14.8 cm x 6.4 cm)
  • Pumpkin Pie cardstock: 2 strips 5-7/8″ long and 1/2″ wide approx (14.8 cm x 1.3 cm)
  • Soft Sky cardstock: 3-1/2″ x 1″ (9 cm x 2.6 cm)
  • Whisper White Baker’s Twine: 6″

The bright colour combination I’ve used is inspired by this month’s Colour Your World Challenge.

colour-your-world-challenge

To create this fun background (and a focal point of my card) I decided to use the clusters of leaves from Perpetual Birthday Calendar Stamp Set.

For the first layer, I randomly stamped few clusters of leaves using Versamark ink on Whisper White panel and heat embossed them in clear. Once it’s done, I inked the panel using Soft Sky Ink Pad.

To create the second layer I stamped and heat embossed my leaves in clear again and sponged my panel in Tempting Turquoise. For the last layer, I stamped my leaves in Dapper Denim. Next, I used iron and regular copy paper to remove embossing from the panel.

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I added strips of Pumpkin Pie cardstock under my panel and adhered it all to the card base.

The sentiment is from Wild About Flowers Stamp Set. I stamped it in Dapper Denim on a piece of Soft Sky cardstock and cut one of the ends diagonally creating and wrapped white baker’s twine around the other end. I adhered it to the card base with dimensionals.

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So this is it from me for today. Very simple card and so different from my usual style, but I quite like it. And I hope you like it too.

As always, I really want to encourage you to visit the Global Design Project challenge blog to see other beautiful projects from all around the world. Just click on their logo below to visit the website

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day,

Roses and Dragonfly Thank You For A Smile Card for GDP#075

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – Roses and Dragonfly Thank You For A Smile Card for GDP#075

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Hello and welcome everyone! Today I’ve got for you a card I created for this week’s Global Design Project theme challenge: Winged Creatures. I’m bit late to the party but thankfully not too late.

I’m a big fan of detailed die-cutting and had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while now, just never had enough time to try it.

In this card, I’ve incorporated two die-cutting techniques – inlaid die-cutting and partial die-cutting – using a couple of detailed die sets: Rose Garden Thinlits Dies and Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits Dies.

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Roses and Dragonfly Thank You For A Smile Card dimensions:

  • Sweet Sugarplum cardstock: 11-6/8″ x 4-1/8″ scored in half at 5-7/8″ (29.7 x 10.5 cm scored in half at 14.8 cm)
  • Whisper White cardstock cut into two panels: bottom one measure 5-6/8″ x 4″ (14,5 x 10,2 cm) and top one 5-1/2″ x 3-7/8″ (14 cm x 9,8 cm)
  • Blooms & Bliss Designer Series Paper: 5-1/2″ x 3-7/8″ (14 cm x 9,8 cm)

anna-stampin-cave-stampin-up-dragonfly-dreams-bundle-rose-garden-thinlits-dies-inlaid-partial-die-cutting-technique

To create my card I started with die-cutting.

I wanted this small dragonfly to be in the foreground of my die-cut panel so  I run it through my Big Shot first.

For this technique, you first want to die-cut the image you want to have in the foreground of your card and you work your way backwards. Everything you die-cut later will appear to be ‘behind’ this first image.

Once it has been die-cut, I removed the dragonfly die and die-cut and I placed the rose die on the panel. I placed it the way that some parts of the die overlapped the negative space where dragonfly was die-cut previously from.

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Again, I run it through the Big Shot and very carefully removed my rose die-cut from the die, being careful not to lose all the separate pieces as I will need them all to inlaid them back to my panel. I die-cut two more partial roses (one at a time) from the same panel, every time making sure they overlap the space of a previously die-cut image and saving all the little die-cut pieces. I arranged all my die-cut on the desk, so I knew

Once all the images were die-cut, I adhered what was left of the panel to the Blooms & Bliss DSP piece. And now the fun began: I had to inlay all the die-cut outlines where they came from.

anna-stampin-cave-stampin-up-dragonfly-dreams-bundle-and-rose-garden-thinlits-dies-inlaid-partial-die-cutting-technique

The easiest part was to inlay the dragonfly outline. From there, I worked my way through the roses in the same order I die-cut them. Once I was done, I matted my detailed panel with slightly bigger Whisper White piece and next mounted it onto my Sweet Sugarplum card base.

I masked bottom part of the sentiment ‘Thanks for the smile and everything else’, stamped it on a strip of Whisper White cardstock in Basic Black Archival Ink and cut it into a banner. I also cut a banner from Sweet Sugarplum cardstock and adhered them both to my card, offsetting slightly.

anna-stampin-cave-stampin-up-dragonfly-dreams-bundle-and-rose-garden-thinlits-dies-inlaid-partial-die-cutting-technique

I was pretty happy with the outcome but I had a feeling that something was missing. So I masked the detailed part and all the edges of my card, and I added some tiny speckles in Basic Black and Sweet Sugarplum. Few rhinestones wrap up my card.

I hope you feel inspired and that you give this technique a go. Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day,

How-To: Partial Die-Cutting To Extend Your Square Dies

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – How-To: Partial Die-Cutting To Extend Your Square Dies

Couple of weeks ago I posted on my blog this lovely card and I had an enormous response, and questions on how I turned a square from Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies into the rectangle.

I hoped to post it earlier but as always life got in the way. But finally, I got around to show you how I did it. The technique is called partial die-cutting.

By no means, I didn’t invent this technique. It’s been around for a long time and is usually used to create pop-up elements or intricate borders.

To create a rectangle I took a piece of cardstock and my square die. I’ve used Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, but you can use any thin square dies for this technique.

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I placed the die, with the cutting edge down, on a piece of cardstock. I set the top plate of my cutting sandwich so that is only partially over the die. The portion that is under the top plate is the part that will get cut out. I run it through the Big Shot.

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Now I lined up my die with this partially die-cut piece. It’s not difficult at all, as cutting edge of the die slip right into the grove.

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And again I placed the top plate so that it’s only partially over the die. Just this time my partially die-cut piece and is on the side that won’t be cut. I run it through the Big Shot.

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And voila, you have a stitched rectangle! But as I mentioned before you can use any thin square dies for this technique.

I hope you liked my short ‘how to’ post and that you’ll use this technique to stretch your dies.

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day,