Rainbow Peonies

 Last one for a while!  These are the whole reason that I bought this press plate set.  This is the Lush Peony Bouquet from Alex Syberia Designs.  The amazing Mona Toth is on their design team, and did three of the most beautiful cards I've ever seen (you can see them here!).

I have copied her outright - so can't take any credit for these, but am beyond thrilled with my results.

The image was pressed using Betterpress Black ink onto regular white cardstock.  The plate comes with three coordinating stencils, which make it so easy to achieve a polished finished product.

The flowers are stenciled using only three inks, that all overlap to give the rainbow effect.  A pale aqua, yellow and pink.  The leaves are stenciled with two colours of green.

I used two different rectangular dies to cut out two of the images, and adhered them to a white card base with 3D foam adhesive.  The third card was left as a single layer panel, but give some black ink spatters.

I used three different sentiments that were hot foiled in gold on black cardstock, and added a few black gems.

Pink Peonies

 When I pulled out the Lush Peony Bouquet press plate a few days ago, I pressed and glimmered a bunch of images, so you're going to see a lot of these over the next while!

I hot foiled the plate with gold foil onto some pale pink cardstock, then used the coordinating stencils, and a mix of Distress and Pinkfresh Studio inks to colour it up.  These come together so quickly.  I used my Beam paint to splatter some gold over the florals.

I used a decorative rectangle die to cut it out, then added foam adhesive to attach it to my base.  The glimmered sentiment was also attached with foam dots.

Monochromatic Blues

My second project with the May Betterpress Society plate, Brighten Foliage is done in monochromatic shades of blue.

I had just recently purchase the new colours of Concord & 9th ink/cardstock, so I chose the Bluebell cardstock as my base, and pressed the leafy frame in Bluebell ink.  *The C9 cardstock is fairly thick, so I got some really great texture from the press!  Before I removed the frame plate, I placed the Hello plate on top of it to determine placement - then counted the grid squares on my Betterpress chase so that when I removed the frame plate, I counted and knew exactly where to place the Hello plate.

Hello was inked up in Capri ink.  I wanted a little more contrast around the edges of my panel, so used both shades of ink to blend softly around the outside.  I used both colours of cardstock to die cut a bunch of small flowers that I adhered around the hello, and added some silver gems to the centers.

You can get a Betterpress Society subscription from The Papercrafter's Workshop.

Lush Peonies!

The first of many projects to come using the lovely Lush Peony Bouquet press plate and stencils from Alex Syberia.

I glimmered it with Rose Gold foil on a textured peach cardstock, then used the coordinating stencils and inks from Pinkfresh Studio to colour in the image - so quick to get such amazing results!

I matted it on a coordinating green cardstock (the photos aren't amazing, the colours aren't quite this bright in real life), then added a foiled sentiment with 3D foam adhesive.

Painted Cosmos Backdrop

 The Cosmos Backdrop was probably the 2nd press plate that I owned, and it is still my favourite one.

I pressed with Betterpress Black ink onto Canson XL Watercolour Paper, then pulled out my Gansai Tambei paints.

I need to paint more to improve my skills!  But am still pretty happy with this one.  I used a rectangle die to cut out the middle, then matted it with a slightly larger piece of black cardstock that I adhered back down with some thin foam adhesive.  

The sentiment is from the One Word Greetings Dies by Kristina Werner.

Wish Upon a Dandelion

The 'Wish Upon a Dandelion' stamp set is one of many by Pigment Craft Co. that I bought last summer after the company had gone out of business.  Still love everything they did, and will be using my sets for a long time.

I started by stamping the Script all-over background stamp from Hero Arts on my white cardstock using Tattered Rose Distress Oxide ink.  I stamped and layered the images using Oxide inks, leaving a spot for the sentiment included in the set.

I used the Nordic Frames dies from The Greetery to cut out my panel, and attached it to some green cardstock using 3D foam adhesive.

Jumbo Berry

I circled back to an set that I've had for a while, since it's berry season!  This is the Jumbo Berry set from Pigment Craft Co.

After stamping and fussy cutting the images, I used a slimline die to cut the green plaid paper, adhered them down and then tied a gingham bow around it all.

The sentiment set is called Berry Sentiments, also from Pigment Craft Co.  I tied one onto the ribbon, and popped the other up with 3D foam dots.

Pattern Play in Blues

I really love the Pattern Play die set from Concord & 9th - and it's done exactly what I hoped - given me a bunch of cards that are gender neutral.

Both of today's card designs are ones that I've done before, but if it ain't broke, and all that.  I just try out a new colour combo, and it all looks new.

I used sentiments from the You Are Everything press plate set, that were hot foiled in gold on black cardstock.  Four more for my stash!

Brighten Foliage

Yes... I do think this is an odd name for a Betterpress plate??  The May Betterpress Society plate is called 'Brighten Foliage'.  Not really sure what it means... but it is lovely!

My first project with the plate was a simple one.  I pressed it in Betterpress Black ink on a Porcelain Cotton Card panel, so it has wonderful texture!  I used an Art Impressions font set to cut out Happy from some Concord & 9th cardstock, then glued them together, overlapping slightly.  I wrapped some metallic gold thread around my panel several times, then added a gold foiled sentiment and some gold pearls.

You can get a Betterpress Society subscription from The Papercrafter's Workshop!

Cards 4 Cancer Patients

There is a new Facebook group called 'Cards 4 Cancer Patients', for Canadian card makers to create cards that will be given to patients in hospitals.  *I believe there is an American group as well if you search for it.  I've started to prep a package of cards to send off later this summer, or whenever my envelope is full.

I pulled out some (ANCIENT!) papers from my craft room to make up some bright, encouraging cards using the Awareness Ribbon & Sentiments set designed by Sheri Ballantyne for Spellbinders.

This is the perfect set to cheer people on, and comes with a whole bunch of different sentiments.  I have four done so far, and I love being able to use up some pretty older papers.

If you're interested in the die set, you can find it at The Papercrafter's Workshop.

Quilted Cards

 I adore making sewing themed cards!  I pulled out the gorgeous October Afternoon 'Farmhouse' papers (from many moons ago...), and got busy die cutting.

The frames and squares are the Quilted Frames Dies from Waffle Flower - a little finicky to assemble (don't look too close!), but the result is so lovely.

I used the Needleworker Tool Kit dies from Spellbinders to cut out all the notions - using some brushed silver cardstock for the metallic items.

I had some already pressed sentiments using the You Are Everything Betterpress plate, done on cream cardstock with black ink, and added them with some foam adhesive.

Newsprint Lilies

 This paper is so ancient, I can't even tell you when I bought it!  Happy to be using it to create another card using the April Betterpress Society plate, Cascading Lilies.

It's a very thin paper, so I pressed it with Betterpress Black ink, and an extra shim - worked beautifully.  I cut the entire image out with a stitched rectangle die, then added some Dried Marigold and Bundled Sage ink to the image with blending brushes - just to make it stand out a little.

Finally, I added a hot foiled sentiment from the You Are Everything plate set, attached with 3D foam adhesive, plus a few gold pearls.

You can get a Betterpress Society subscription from The Papercrafter's Workshop.

Hot Flash Happy Hour!

What a fun stamp set name... by Unity Stamp Co.  

I coloured her up with Copic markers, and die cut her with the Essential Arches dies from Spellbinders.

Sentiment is from Uncorked by My Favorite Things

Lilies on patterned paper

My second project with the April Betterpress Society plate, Cascading Lilies was done on patterned paper.  I found several pieces of patterned paper in my stash that were 'calm' enough to support a pressed image overtop of the print.  This was an old paper from Graphic 45.

I wanted to keep it tone-on-tone, so used Betterpress Tawny Brown ink, and did a little ink blending over the flowers and foliage with Vintage Photo Distress Oxide ink.

I used Spellbinders Hemstitched Rectangle dies to cut out my image, then layered it over a cream pearlescent cardstock with some 3D foam adhesive.  I used the same cardstock to press the sentiment, which I cut out with the coordinating die.

You can get a Betterpress Society subscription from The Papercrafter's Workshop.