Friends Help Friends

My second card with the We All Have Baggage collection by Sheri Ballantyne for Spellbinders, features the Retro Suitcase and Sentiments set.

I think this little suitcase is my favourite of the collection.  The tiny details make this so much fun to assemble.  Since I chose a floral pattern for my case, I didn't add any of the cute sticker designs that are included in the stamp set (stay tuned for next time!).

I used the Hemstitched Rectangles dies to cut out some white cardstock, with the citron shade underneath.  The sentiment is one of five included in the set.  I used the Delicious Desserts dies to cut the flower.

The collection will be available from Spellbinders in April/May, but can be ordered immediately from the Papercrafter's Workshop website.

Life is Short, Buy the Purse.

Such a great sentiment!  This is my first card featuring the brand new "We All Have Baggage" collection designed by Sheri Ballantyne for Spellbinders.

This is the Designer Purse die set.  Check out the detail on this!  You can see below, that there are several different flaps, clasps and handles - so many possibilities.

The sentiment set is actually by Hero Arts, a sister company of Spellbinders - and is called "Keep Calm Sentiments".  Check out the wonderful phrases!

I created a Distress Oxide ink blended background using Squeezed Lemonade, Cracked Pistachio and Lucky Clover.  I found cardstock from Concord & 9th that matched, along with some ancient Close To My Heart daisy paper.

The decorative frame is from the Hemstitched Rectangles dies, and the flower is from Delicious Desserts - both Spellbinders.

The collection will be introduced by Spellbinders in April/May - but is available now on the Papercrafter's Workshop website!

Introducing: We All Have Baggage!

I'm pretty excited to share with you a new crafting collection designed by my wonderful (& talented!) friend, Sheri Ballantyne in partnership with Spellbinders.  This is "We All Have Baggage", a selection of dies and stamps in support of our mental health, with some really beautiful sentiments, and an uplifting overall message.  

It's many months in the making, and no small accomplishment.  There are two stand alone dies, two stamp and die sets, and a sentiment stamp set.  Scroll down to see the group of cards that I made in honour of Sheri - which I will post individually later.  Meanwhile here are a few photos of her launch party!

Showing the collection in the Spellbinders catalogue!

And a selfie with yours truly :-)

Here's my card set!  This was a blast to make.  There's a bit of a green glow to my craft room right now...

Spellbinders won't be realeasing it until April/May, but the collection is available right now on the Papercrafter's Workshop website.

C is for Cozy Toes

I'm playing along with the Alphabet Soup challenge on the Papercrafter's Inner Circle Facebook group today... the Feb letters are C and D.  So this is C is for Cozy Toes and Concord & 9th.

I got this sweet Concord & 9th set a few months ago.  My kids, nieces and nephews are all at the age where they and their friends are having babies, so I think this will get a lot of use.

The set comes with a bunch of sweet stamped patterns to create the sock designs, and then the dies to cut them out.  I paired them with the Art Impressions Baby Boy paper pack.

You can find the stamp/die set at The Papercrafter's Workshop!

Glimmered Thought You Knew

Pulled out my favourite new press plate, "Thought You Knew" - an exclusive to Crafter's Home stores.  This time I tried it glimmered with gold foil on a cream square, and it turned out beautifully!

I matted it with some gold cardstock, and adhered it with some 3D adhesive to a teal square.  The base paper is ancient October Afternoon paper - one of my favourite companies.

I used a couple of die sets from my stash to create the flowers, pulling out colours from the background, then used two pink Copic markers to colour in the heart.

You can find this plate at the Papercrafter's Workshop.

Glam Flourish & Vine

My second project using the December Betterpress Society plate, 'Flourish & Vine' has a bit of a glam thing going on...

I pressed the plate onto some pale mossy green cardstock using Lisa Horton's metallic Solid Gold ink, then pressed it again on a couple of scraps of the same paper.

I used the included die to cut out the center of the heart, and fussy cut out a bunch of sprigs or individual leaves from the scrap pieces.

I adhered them onto my main panel, allowing the edges to curl up for a little texture.  

I used my new Glimmer machine to hot foil one of the sentiments onto a square of the same cardstock.  My main panel was cut down with a stitched edge rounded rectangle die that was just a little smaller than A2 size, and was attached to my brushed gold cardstock base with 3D foam adhesive.  I made sure that the sentiment was centered under where the heart opening would appear.

A few gold pearls finished things off nicely!  You can get a Betterpress Society subscription from The Papercrafter's Workshop.

Fleur Impressions

And more stamped images from my craft room!  These are the Fleur Impressions and Oopsie Daisy flower stamps from The Greetery, arranged in the cute Just Mason Around jar.

I again pulled out the Knit Wits stencil, and used it with some ink blending of Tattered Rose and Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide inks.  Sentiment is Perfect Sentiments from Pinkfresh Studio, gold embossed.

Budding Beauties Autumn

Current mission is using up some of those bits & pieces that I had previously stamped, that are sitting in my craft room.  I have more than a few :-)  All but the sentiment (Spellbinders) are from The Greetery.

I began with some ink blending with Tattered Rose and Worn Lipstick Distress Oxides.  I used the Knit Wits stencil to add a little texture overtop, using the same inks.  Just Mason Around is a fun multi-step stamp set that creates the mason jar, and all of the florals are from the Budding Beauties Autumn stamp set.

I added spatters of gold paint to my card, then stacked the You Are Everything Betterpress sentiment over a mat of glitter cardstock.  A few gold pearls finished it off.

Petite Criss Cross

I recently acquired the Petite Criss Cross press plate from Spellbinders.  *I love anything sewing themed for cardmaking, and thought this would be a great background to coordinate with products that I already have.

I foiled the plate onto some pale peach cardstock with some copper foil, then added the smaller frame from Hoopla Oval by The Greetery.  I inked and spattered the frame a little to make it look more like a wooden embroidery hoop before gluing it down.  The floral bits are all from the Embroidered Blooms die set (also The Greetery) that I had cut out previously for a project - always happy to use up a few leftovers.

The hardware for the hoop was cut from some rose gold metallic cardstock, as was a halo mat for the sentiment.  The sentiment is from the You Are Everything Sentiments press plate, pressed in Copper Pot ink.

Flourish & Vine Valentine

My third project with the December Betterpress Society plate, Flourish & Vine is going to be my husband's Valentine!  The lovely heart shape makes a very elegant one, and I had the idea to do cardstock strips under the opening.

I wanted rainbow order, and in my head this was more of a pastel look, but ended up being dusty looking shades (which I'm good with!).  I adhered the strips onto an A2 sized piece of black cardstock.

The image was pressed with Betterpress Black ink onto some warm grey cardstock, and I pressed the sentiment from the Sealed Cord and Faux Seal Sentiments set.

I used my Art Impressions Rounded Edge Stitched Rectangle die to trim down my panel a little, and adhered it to the base with some thin 3D foam adhesive.  A few iridescent jewels finished it off.

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

Sweet Leaves Valentine

I have owned the Sweet Leaves Frame stencil & die set from Pinkfresh Studio for a while, and had stenciled up a panel, and never used it - until now!  I still make valentines for my adult children, and decided this would be a pretty one for my daughter.  I used the coordinating die to cut out the images, not realizing until I was assembling the card, that the frame actually has a right side up - I thought it was the same in either direction.  You can see across the middle, where the die/stencil don't line up!  Oh well, my daughter will still appreciate the colours and sparkle.

A Quick Valentine

I needed to put together a last minute valentine for an elderly relative that I was visiting today, so I dove into my stash to see what I had on hand.  I pulled out a couple of papers from Lawn Fawn's Let's Polka in the Meadow pack, and cut one into a large heart.

The flowers are all from Fleur Impressions by The Greetery, that I already had stamped and ready to use in my craft room, so I was able to decorate my card quickly, and finished it off with a gold 'love' die cut.

Thought You Knew!

I'm sharing my favourite new Spellbinders press plate today!  This is the 'Thought You Knew', which I purchased from The Papercrafter's Workshop.

I made two 5 1/2" square cards, using some ancient Lawn Fawn rainbow paper!  I pressed the plate onto some Prism Watercolour paper with Betterpress Black ink (a 3 1/4" square), then painted them in ombre fashion with Picked Raspberry and Peacock Feathers distress ink.

I used a fine paintbrush, and painted in the 'shadow' edges on each word, with the ink at full strength, and it really made the words pop!  Plus I used some glittery gold paint to paint in the heart.

I cut a slightly larger square of Brushed Gold Treasured cardstock from Spellbinders as a mat, and adhered it down to the card base, one of them on an angle.

The pressed images were adhered with 3D foam adhesive.  I've used two different floral stamp sets from The Greetery, Oopsie Daisy and Fleurs - both of which I had stamped and ready to go, to decorate my cards, and added a few iridescent pearls to one of them.