Carrie Stamps

2 Glimmer Hot Foil Plate 2 Foils 1 Card

I am back with another Christmas card using a background from my BEST GLIMMER HOT FOIL PLATE video.

I paired up a Gel Press Print and the Scattered Dot Glimmer Hot Foil plate with Aura foil to create this background. My goal was to use another Glimmer Hot Foil plate for this card, the Merry Christmas Tree Glimmer Plate. This plate set was designed by Sharyn Sowell. I once saw a video of how she creates/designs her dies. It was amazing. She cuts them from paper with scissors. Like a very intricate snowflake. I was in awe and knew, based on that video that I wanted to own some of her dies or Glimmer Plates. They are works of art truly. You can watch the video that hooked me right HERE.

Now let's take a look at the card for today.

You wouldn't know it to look at this card, but it too a lot to get it done. It was one of those cards where everything I tried did not work.

Watch the video to see what I mean and let me know if this has ever happened to you.

I am glad a stuck with it and ended up with a card that I like.

I love when you turn this card in the light you get the waves of rainbow over the background and the tree goes from blue to silver. I really do have a lot of fun with that Glimmer machine!

Did you catch the last video I did with another background from the BEST GLIMMER HOT FOIL PLATE video?  You can watch that one HERE and tune in next week for a Halloween card with the background that I double foiled over a Gel Press Print.

Making Christmas cards this early in the year gives me mixed emotions. I am sad to let summer go but I am looking foward to fall. I love fall, it just seems to go so fast and then it's winter and then Christmas and I am never as ready as I want to be. So now I am happy that I am one Christmas card closer to being ready. See, I am all over the place!  How about you, do you like making Christmas cards in summer?

Below I have listed and linked all the things I used to make today's card. Thank you for your support, when you shop these links you are helping to support this blog and my YouTube channel at no cost to you.

 

Thank you so much for taking time out of you day to visit my blog. It means so much to me to get to share my creations with you. If you have any questions I am here to help!

 

EASY Gel Press Prints for Card Making

I am excited for today's video, it combines one of my favorite techniques with my August Stamp Set of the Month.  My August Stamp set of the Month is Sunflower Daisy by Altenew.  I love making my own backgrounds and for todays backgroud and the techinques I am going to be showing you is Gel Press Printing!

You will want to check out the video first to see how I use the Gel Press to make some distress and layered backgrounds. And then I will make a card with a Gel Press background.

Thank you so much for watching, don't forget to click over to the video on YouTube and comment on the video for a chance to win this card.  Now let's take a look at the card closer.

What I love about the Gel Press backgrounds is that it has so much depth and texture and interest. No two prints are alike, so even if you repeat what you did before you will always get variations making for a one of a kind background. 

The background helps to support the amazing blooms stamped from the Sunflower Daisy stamp set. Look closely and you can see all the detail in these flowers.  That is because this stamp set is a layering set. You stamp 4 images over the top of each other to create the large flower. Isn't it amazing?  I love how these flowers look.

These flowers were stamped with Altenew inks. Their ink pads are sold in sets of 4, so I know when I grab the Warm and Cozy set of Orange inks they are going to layer together perfectly. That makes me so happy. I did how ever add a brown layer (Milk Chocolate ink) to each of the flowers to give them more of a fall feel.

The large Grateful sentiment is from HoneyBee Stamps, the set is also called "Grateful".  I love it combined with the smaller sentiment on this card.

Each week I have taken on the challenge of adding something to the inside of the card. This week was no exception.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Be sure to come back next week for my September Stamp Set of the Month reveal. And another set of videos with lots of fun ideas.

Below I have listed and linked all the products I used to make this card. When you click on my links you are helping to support this blog and you YouTube channel at no cost to you. THANK YOU, I appreciate you!

 

 

Glimmering Sentiments 5 ways

Today I am sharing 5 ways to use the Glimmering Sentiments Hot Foil plate set by Spellbinders.  This is the July Glimmer Hot Foil set of the month. This set features 5 sentiments that you can hot foil and matching dies to die cut each out. But I wanted to show you a few other ways to use this set. A lot of these ideas will translate over to other hot foils plates as well.  To really see how to do these techniques, make sure you check out the video posted after the photos of each card.

1 - Foil and Cut

So first I have to show you how to use the Glimmering Sentiments as intended.  Hot Foil the sentiment onto card stock and cut it out. For 4 of the projects I used the foil that came with the Glimmering Sentiments, it's a silver pewter color.

The background on this card is a gel press print that I made a while back using acrylic paint on the Gel Press and then pressing a texture plate into the paint before laying a piece of card stock on it to pick up the print. Can you see the seashell?  I love to pair my Glimmer Hot Foil plates with Gel Press prints. It is a match made in heaven!  My sentiment was foiled with Pewter foil and die cut with the coordinating die. Why that is so darn cool and deserves a spot on 5 ways to use this set is because having dies to cut out your hot foiled images is somewhat new. Not all Glimmer Hot Foil plates come with dies. So, if you have been hot foiling for a while you get excited about coordinating dies.

2 - Direct to Card Front

But you can use the Glimmering sentiments with out the dies, but the problem is how to line them up. In the video I show you how to make a template using the dies so that you can easily line up the sentiment and get it straight.

Again this background was created on my Gel Press using die ink. After braying out the ink I stamped into with the Post Me stamp by Fun Stampers Journey. I also removed a bit of the ink by pressing the Hearts a Flutter Gel Plate on to the inked Gel Press. Then I picked up the print with a piece of card stock. This print is a stand alone kind of print, it does not need much with it because it is so interesting to look at. So, I made a very simple card by just adding a glimmering sentiment. The foil I used is the Pewter, but the pink of the card reflects off it in certain lights. That's what I love about the Hot Foil, the light hits it as you turn the card and you can see lots of different colors.

3 - Direct to Card with a Frame

You do not have to use the coordinating dies to die cut, you can use them to make a frame around the sentiment for added interest. This made possible by using the tan embossing mat by Spellbinders. You can embossing any die into your paper by using this mat instead of a plate.

If you look closely at this card you can see there is an embossed frame around the sentiment, this makes it stand up a bit. Gives the sentiment a bit more interest.

Isn't this Gel Press print so fun?  I love the distressed look you can get on a print made on a Gel Press.

4 - Make a Window

Use the die for your sentiment to die cut a window. This a fun design to make with any stamp and die set so I knew it would be fun to do with the Glimmering Sentiments.

This time I used Teal Foil, since I was die cutting away a piece of the front panel that had blue in it I wanted the sentiment fill in the missing blue. You could easily make this into a shaker card, but if you want the card to be a bit more simple and quick raised up window is fun!

This background is not a Gel Press print but was made with shaving cream. You can see how I made this background in this video.

I always think that shaving cream backgrounds look like a sweet treat so I used the Cool Treat die set by Concord & 9th to die cut my Snowcone to accent this card.  It is so darn cute!

5 - Glimmer Resist

Did you know that Glimmer Hot Foiled images resist ink?  Hot Foil an image onto card stock and do you favorite ink blending over the top. The ink does not stick to the foil.

For my ink blending I use Distress ink; Seedless Preserves and Peacock Feathers. Where they over lap I was able to get a bit of purple. And these colors went perfectly with the Confetti Sparkle elements and so I had to turn this background into a shaker card!

I hope you have learned a little bit about hot foiling and have some new ideas to try. Below is the video where I show you each of these techniques and show you the making of each card. The backgrounds were not made in this video, but if you want to see videos on Gel Press print making check out my Gel Press videos here; Toucan Paradise on the Gel Press, Rainbow Glimmer Unicorn Card (also features the Glimmer Hot Foil system), Gel Press Surprise Prints.

Below I have listed and linked all the things I used to make today's cards.  When you click and shop these links you are helping to support this blog and YouTube channel at not cost to you, THANK YOU!

 

Thank you so much for taking time to stop by and let me share my creations with you, it means so much to me!

 

 

 

 

Toucan Paradise ~ Concord & 9th

It's time for another C9 Feature Friday!  That's the day Concord & 9th share the creations by the guest designers of the month. I am thrilled to be one of them for the month of July!  This weeks share is with the Toucan Paradise Bundle. A super cute stamp set featuring an amazing toucan stamp, which I used on both of my cards today. I also pulled out my Gel Press to make unique one of a kind backgrounds for these cards with ink and the foliage stamps from the same stamp set.

You are going to want to watch the video for these cards to see all the different things I did to make these backgrounds. You'll find it near the end of this post. But I used ink pads from Altenew to smoosh ink on to the Gel Press. Then I used the foliage images from this set to stamp into that ink. The ink I picked up I stamped onto a card front. I was also able to use another card front to pick up the stamped on ink from the Gel Press for another background.  Which I ended up stamping on and using for the gift card holder on the inside of this card.

For card 2, I inked up the foliage images and stamped them directly onto the Gel Press and picked up the print with another white card front. There was still some residual ink left over from the last print giving the background a very light green tint.

I added to this background by stamping the centers or solid flower image inside the dark pink flower outlines I stamped onto the Gel Press with a light pink ink, Frosty Pink by Altenew. And then I wanted to add a bit of yellow so I used the cluster of triangles image to fill in some of the open spaces with Citrus Burst ink.

The last print I made on the Gel Press was to clean off the ink left on the brayer after spreading the ink for the first print. I then stamped into that ink with the small cluster of triangles image. This print was very subtle when pulled off the Gel Press. Perfect for stamping these leaves on and cutting out as an accent for the inside of this card.

Another way I used the Gel Press is to stamp a reverse image of the Toucan. You are going to have to watch the video to see how I made his beak!!!

If you'd like to see the making of these cards here is a link to the video:

If you have not done so already I'd love for you to subscribe to my channel, I have new videos every week. And I will be back next Friday for another C9 Feature Friday set of projects! And on Monday for part 4 of my Stamp set of the month series for July!

All the supplies I used are listed and linked for you below. When you use these links it helps keep this blog and YouTube channel going at no cost to you, thank you!

 

 

Thank you for stopping by, I am thrilled to be sharing fun things with the newly released Toucan Paradise bundle from Concord & 9th, be sure to tune back in next Friday for another post featuring another new release from Concord & 9th.
Want more videos on Gel Press backgrounds? Check these out: Rainbow Glimmer Unicorn card: https://youtu.be/SCH6DooHEZ4 Honey Bee Stamps Seashell Shaker card: https://youtu.be/d3L_fZFyuuE Gel Press Surprise Prints: https://youtu.be/82EwVtjAoaM

Radiant Flower Glimmer Hot Foil

I am in love with the June Glimmer Hot Foil kit of the month from Spellbinders. This month's kit has flower plates and dies to cut the flowers out, as well as a roll of pink foil!

I loved using the Scattered Dots plate on top of a Gel Press background that I decided to try that technique with this new set of plates.

The Gel Press print I used for my flowers was created using acrylic paint on a Gel Press. I spread the paint out on the plate with a brayer and then used a piece of burlap to create texture in the paint. Then I laid a piece of card stock on top of this paint to pull it up and create the print. If you'd like to see print making in action, check out THIS VIDEO where I create some prints and turn them into cards.

Now I have a very unique print I can use as a background, or in this case to hot foil flowers and die cut them out for my card.

I had a roll of pink foil on hand, but the foil that came with this kit is lighter. So, on my card I decided to use both. They work great together and I love having the two tones of pink side by side.

Here you can see the darker pink foil on the small flower and the lighter pink on the large flower.  I love that the foiled image is almost pressed into the card stock. And the shine is so much fun! I also used the dark pink foil on the center piece for the biggest flower. I did not have any green foil for my stem, so I used Gold foil on top of a green gel press print.

And can we talk about this background!?!  It is the new Herringbone background stamp by Concord & 9th. I am IN LOVE with it! 

The die cut sentiment is also from Concord & 9th, Little Thoughts die set is the free gift with purchase for the month of June.  I die cut it from Gold Mirror card stock.  And finished off my card with some gold hearts from the same die set.

You can watch the making of this card below. This video is from a recent Facebook Live, you can follow me on Facebook here.

I have listed and linked all the products I used to make today's card for you below. Affiliate links have been used at no cost to you.

 

Rainbow Glimmer Unicorn Card

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This card is packed with fun things!  It starts out with a Gel Press Background, then I throw in a Glimmer Hot Foil layer over that!  And I have some Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker coloring on the Magical Unicorn stamp set.  Pretty sure I can not go wrong with all these great things!

Check it out for yourself, in this video.

You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel HERE. I post new videos every week.

Let's take a closer look at today's card.

This card started with the rainbow background, created by brayering 3 liquid colors onto the Gel Press.  The three colors I used are; Candy Apple, Lemon Drop and Cool Pool.  When you brayer these, they blend together and create the orange and green. Once the colors are blended you lay a piece of card stock on top and press gently onto that Gel Press. Peel it up to reveal your one of a kind print.

Then I took that print and added a layer of hot foil!  I used my new favorite Glimmer Hot Foil plate, Scattered Dots. Having the gold dots over the top of the rainbow background it what makes this card so special.

The coloring was lots of fun. I really enjoy coloring with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers on Bristol Smooth paper. They blend so nice!  Arteza markers are very similar and I use those too, just as I did in today's video. I have linked both sets of markers for you below, as well as all the other products I used to make today's card.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think I should to with the five backgrounds I made in the video.

 

 

 

SUPPLIES:

Surprise Gel Press Prints and Cards

Do you love surprises?  I do! If you know something and are dying to tell me, I'd rather you didn't and wait to be surprised.  I think it all stems back to the summer I was turning 12... I was getting a ten speed bike for my birthday.  And if you are a child of the late 80's early 90's you totally understand how RAD that is.  Well, my little sisters knew how out of this world this gift was too.  They were too excited and just had to tell me. When my birthday came, any dreams of me being a famous actress were shattered.  Because at the end of the elaborate scavenger hunt my parents planned for me, my poor acting gave away the fact that this totally awesome gift was not the big surprise it was suppose to be.  My sisters got in trouble and sent to their room.  But I got the worst punishment of all, I got to ride my new bike... all. by. my. self.  So, the big life lesson 12 year old Carrie took away from the ten speed bike incident...I'd much rather be surprised and share in the fun with you than know in advance. 

What does that story have to do with my post today??? Well, one of my stamping friends, Amanda, knows how much I love Gel Press print making and so she brought me a bag of things she had collected.  She thought I would like to use them to make texture on my Gel Press to create unique prints.  This was months ago by the way.  But I never looked in the bag. I wanted the first time I saw the goodies to be on camera, when I was going to use them.  It's a good surprise, right!  Even the little surprises in life make me happy.  

If you want to see what was in the bag, the prints I made and the making of the four cards, check out the video on my YouTube channel, linked HERE. 

If you just want to see some cute cards made with Gel Press Prints keep reading. 

This fist card uses a background with a plaid like feel to  it. 

Every card in todays collection was splattered with Silk.  Silks are a die based product by Fun Stampers Journey with shimmer in them.  They come in cute little bottles like fingernail polish. You pull the brush out and tap the handle to get a splatter of this shimmery liquid. You can also paint with them, mix them with things, watercolor with them, etc. 

Another thing all of today's cards have in common is that they all feature the same stamp set, Color Pop by FSJ. This set has four sentiments, each using the word "color". I thought this worked perfect for my backgrounds.  I used a different sentiment from this set for each card. 

To dress this card up I tied on some Cool Pool Satin Ribbon, added some Journey Glaze to the sentiment and adhered some rainbow drops around my tag. 

This next card has a background with subtle texture, that some how reminds me of concrete. But the colors are way brighter! 

This background was the most fun, as I spread Modeling paste over it. Since I am not good a frosting cakes, this is the next best thing!  And the Cement Tile stencil is just amazing!  

Card 3 is black and white with a pop of color, one of my favorite kinds of cards to make. 

And there's even a stamp for such a card! 

The sun rays in the background of this card are embossed, and, surprise I did it with a die!  Watch the video to see how I was able to do this, using a cool embossing mat by Spellbinders. 

I think this last card is my favorite of the four. 

Probably because I LOVE rainbows.  And this subtle pastel rainbow background is dreamy.  I added to this background with a piece of cardstock that was headed to the the recycle bin and repurposed as a stencil, another little surprise! 

If you are starting to feel like, man, I just really need to check out this video, which is what my secret hope is, I posted to this blog post for you.  Plus, I am wondering, is anyone going to comment on my excessive use of commas? 

 

 

Another little surprise I have for you is an invite to join my facebook group, The Gel Press Journey.  I do live videos and shares there of all things Gel Press. Find it HERE and request to join in the fun. Thanks for stopping by, hanging out with me, and letting me share my creations with you. 

Below I have linked all the products I used to make the backgrounds and cards from today's post (except the surprise bag items). Affiliate links have been used at no cost you to, thank you for your support in letting me continue to share what I love as my job. 

Woodland Deer

Today's Christmas card is one I made for my Facebook group, The Gel Press Journey. 

The Gel Press Journey is a page for those who want to learn how to use the Gel Press to make their own backgrounds like the one I used in this card. 

It is a ombre polka dot background made using red and white paint, a Gel Press, brayer and stencil.  The snowflakes were stamped on top of the polka dots. 

The other star of this card is the deer, die cut from the Woodland Deer die set by Spellbinders (currently on sale for $9.44). 

All the white parts on this deer I colored with a white gel pen. The eyes and nose I colored with a brown marker. 

I'm very happy with how this card turned out and am a big fan of making my own background with my Gel Press for one of a kind cards. If you want more information about  using the Gel Press and my page The Gel Press Journey, click HERE. 

Thank you for stopping by, I'll be back soon with another Gel Press Print Christmas card! 

Turkey Day Card

If you follow my blog then you might know that I love to make prints on a Gel Press. Having unique one of a kind backgrounds that I made is so much fun! It has added new a level of creativity and artistry to my paper crafting. BUT, sometimes I make a print that I don't really like. Well, not all is lost. I took one of those prints, it was plain and there was not a lot going on, so I stamped the Color Me Fall background stamp on it. And that was the start of this card. 

You can see what the print looked like before going on the card on the right. From that point I colored in the images with colored pencils. Then I sponged with edge of this panel with Oatmeal Cookie ink to draw the eye into the center. 

For the Turkey I used the Holiday Box Window Plates die set, I die cut the turkey shape with the details die inside of it from Cocoa Powder card stock. Then I glued that to another Gel Press print and die cut it again, using just the outside turkey die. 

To make my turkey POP, I coated him with a layer of Journey Glaze. 

If you want to learn more about the Gel Press you can click on the Gel Press category on the right hand side of my blog for more ideas. I also offer Gel Press 101 a getting started series of videos and printable PDF which is part of my Gel Press Journey Facebook page. Find out more about Gel Press 101 here. 

I have linked all the products I used to make this card below for your convenience:

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit my blog! If you have any questions do not be shy about reaching out. I am glad to help.  

It's Cold Outside Christmas Card

Time to share the Christmas card I made on Monday night with the It's Cold Outside Stamp Set of the Month. 

It is very similar to yesterday's Fall themed card. I also made this background on my Gel Press with the Buffalo Check Stencil. I love the matte look of the acrylic paint on my card stock and it has a bit of texture that you can not get with ink. 

 

I added some snowflake elements to this card by stamping a snowflake background on the green circle using the Cold Snap stamp by Spellbinders. 

The black snowflake element is 3 die cut snowflakes from the Snow Flowers die set by FSJ. I just glued the three snowflake together to make it a thicker element. Once in place on the card I covered it with Journey Glaze. 

On the LIVE demonstration (see video below) I said that this month I would be making a card and matching tag each week with this Stamp Set of the Month. So, here is the matching tag for this card. 

It's very similar to the card. Take a close look at the sentiment. I added a shadow to the stamped image with a light gray colored pencil. Giving it a shadow and a bit of a vintage feel. 

This tag was die cut from the Special Day Tag Die set. After die cutting the tag, I added a hole in the top of the tag for my twine and a hole in each of the scallops at the bottom. 

What a cute set, I so enjoyed making a tag to match my card. Below you will find all the things I used to make these projects as well as the video to the Live demonstration of this card and the fall card.  You will want to see how I made the background for these on a Gel Press.

See the making of my first two card using the November Stamp Set of the Month, It's Cold Outside, here: 

NOTE: When you purchase the Stamp Set of the Month at my On-Line store then I will send you an exclusive card kit to make your first card with your new set on me!  Just email me your order number and the address that you want me to send the kit and tutorial to. (email: carrie@carriestamps.com)

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit my blog. I am here to chat if you have any questions and of course I'd love to hear your comments too. 

It's Cold Outside

Introducing the November stamp set of the month, It's Cold Outside!  It's is a set of 7 images with a coordinating set of 7 dies!  That's right every stamp has a die!  I love that! 

For this share of the Stamp Set of the month I made two cards during my Facebook Live video, one fall themed and one Christmas themed. Both with a Buffalo Check background that started out on the Gel Press. Today I am going to share the fall card. Be sure to stop by again tomorrow to see the Christmas card and I will be sharing a coordinating tag with that card. 

To create this background I used the Buffalo Check stencil by FSJ with Black Licorice paint on the Gel Press. I love the look of the matte finish acrylic paint with this stencil. It's not perfect and it gives the paper some texture. I finished off the check with some pin stripping. To create this look I used colored pencils and a ruler, simple and quick!  

My little fox, isn't he so sweet!!! I color him with colored pencils as well. Then sentiment I chose for this card is from the Hello Fall stamp set. I also used a background stamp, Color Me Fall to stamp the circle the fox is sitting on. 

To dress up this card I used some gold thread, which comes as an off white thread and gold twisted together. I unraveled it and used just the gold behind the circle. I added a wooden leaf element and some candy drops. 

You can watch the making of this card below, and the Christmas card as well!  

As with every Stamp Set of the Month, I will be back next Monday with another project with this set. This month I am focusing on cards and gift tags, join me next Monday night at 8pm MST on my Facebook page. 

I have linked all the products I have used to make both cards below for your convenience.

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share my creations with you. Remember if you purchase the Stamp Set of the Month, It's Cold Outside then you will get a card kit in the mail from me. All you need to do is send me an email with your order # and your shipping address. (email: carrie@carriestamps.com)Kit go out at the end of the month. 

 

October Besties Swaptacular Part 2

Welcome back for part 2 of the October Besties Swaptacular! 

Today I am sharing the card that I made with the collection of products that I chose and sent to Georgie. 

I sent Georgie the Gel Press background you see on this card, the Chambray Shirt Ribbon and the DIY enamel dots. 

I immediately thought of snowmen when I created this background with Liquid color and a stencil on the Gel Press. 

These snowmen and sentiment are from the Snowmen Days stamp set. I stamped them in Grape Fusion ink onto a Pretty Amethyst circle. I thought it worked better on this card to have them on colored card stock than to color them in.

So apparently Georgie had the same feeling about this background paper as I did because she chose to put a snowman on her card too, check it out.

You can see the post and video about this card on her blog HERE.  Isn't that skating snowman so cute!  And she even used the same snowflake die on her card that I did!!! 

Below you can view the making of my card. 

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share my creations with you. Please reach out if you have any questions. And of course I'd love to hear what you think of todays projects. 

Halloween night sky with the Gel Press

Today I am sharing one of the cards I created for The Gel Press Journey, a private facebook group for those wanting to learn about the Gel Press. 

This background is one from a post on 5 things you can do with prints you don't like. Originally this print was very purple with bits of green in it. It was just kinda boring. So, I decided to add to it and that is where the black comes in. 

To create more of a night sky I splattered Whip Cream Silk on it to create the look of stars. 

For the moon, I die cut a circle from the print and once mounted to the card base I filled in the moon with Journey Glaze to give it lots of shine. 

My favorite element on this card though has to be the tree. 

It's a die cut from the Spooksville Die set. The tree is cut from Pretty Pansy card stock. I then pressed it into a clear pigment ink pad and embossed it with my own homemade mixed embossing powder (3 parts clear embossing powder to 1 part Sparkle Dust - a very fine glitter). I added some Monster Eyes, bringing my little tree to life. 

I have listed all the things I used to make this card below: 

 

 

 

Find out more about my Gel Press 101 online class and my private group The Gel Press Journey HERE. 

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Liquid Color and a Stencil

The story behind todays card makes me smile. It all started at my Gel Press class, with some play. My friend Kimberly who was learning the Gel Press for the first time wanted to try using Liquid Color and Stencils on the Gel Press. Class was nearing it's end and much paper had already been using pulling prints with Acrylic paints, but we gave it a go. With print making you just have to play around, and some of the things you will not love and others will make you giddy. And the later is what happened with Kimberly!  

Now check out this print made using Liquid Color and a Stencil on my Gel Press. 

I LOVE this saying. What a perfect card to lift the spirits of someone who maybe facing big changes in their life. Change is hard but there is still a way to shine.  And sometimes the best way to do that is to PLAY, just like Kimberly did. Play and find that joy and share it, because it is contagious!  I had a blast making these prints. What do you think?  Maybe it's time to sit at the craft desk and just play! 

Supplies:  

 

Find out more about the Gel Press HERE. 

Besties Swap

Hey stamping friends.  Do you have friends that you have made because of stamping, or crafting?  Two of my best friends are my friends because of stamping. And I can not live with out these girls. I and LOVE that crafting brings people together and friendships are forged that last and mean something. Georgie and I met at a stamp party I did for a mutual friend over 10 years ago. And to this day Georgie and I are besties and love stamping together. Even though we live in the same town life gets busy and we don't stamp together as much as we want to.  SO, we came up with this swap.  I send her some things, she sends me some things. No rules. And then we both make a card with each others things as well as the things we sent each other. That way you can see what two different  people made with the same things. 

Today I am sharing the card I made using the things that Georgie sent me. 

But first up check out what she sent me. 

And here is what I made with my goodies.  I loved the fall feel of these items and paired it with one of my current favorite stamp sets to play with, Happy Harvest. It has so many fun little images to go with the scarecrow as well as sentiments. 

You can find the making of this card here. 

Are you ready to see what Georgie made with the same supplies??? 

And if you'd like to see how she made her card click over to her blog, HERE.  She has a video for you as well. 

I have listed all the supplies I used to make my card below for easy reference.  

 

 

 

TAKE NOTE: INK PADS and CARDSTOCK is currently 20% off!  Find out about this sale HERE and take advantage before it ends on 9/30/18!

INCLUDED in that sale is the bundle at 25% off!  I already got mine, so excited about the Rainbow Drops being on sale! 

 

Thank you for taking time to stop and visit my blog, I love doing this swap with Georgie.  Stay tuned, we will be back on the third tuesday of the month LIVE on my FB page for another swap in October! 

 

 

Come back tomorrow, I will be sharing the items I sent to Georgie and the cards that we made. 

Gel Press Swap

Today I am sharing another card I made using a Gel Press Print that my friend and fellow Creative Team Designer gave me.  We actually swapped some prints to challenge each other and see what we could come up with. 

Here is the print as she sent it to me. 

For some reason I felt that this print had a tropical feel to it. Here is the card I made with the print.

Besides the print, I especially love the PomPoms in the center of the flower!  It's the first time I have used them and they are just too darn cute!  I do love some texture in my cards and the Gel Press print is the first layer of texture and the PomPoms are the second.  

I made this card for one of my friends and am hoping that she gets it in the mail today!  Lately it just seems to me like more people need some happy mail in their lives. I know it makes my day when I get a hand made card in the mail. 

If you are curious about the things I used to make this card I have it all listed out for you below. 

 

 

The PomPoms  are currently available as part of a discounted bundle at FSJ (sale ends 9/16/18), check it out HERE. Also, all ink pads and solid packs of card stock are 20% off at FSJ, check that out HERE. 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you are inspired to create and send out some happy mail too! 

Pink and Yellow on the Gel Press

Two of my go to colors of acrylic paint to use on my Gel Press are Pink and Yellow. Sweet Berry (bright pink) and Lemon Drop (bright yellow) paints by FSJ to be exact. I'll also throw in some Bubble Gum (light pink) and Citrus Cooler (orange) I have several prints that I have made with these colors and this week I created several cards with them.  

For both of these cards I press something into the paint after braying it on to my Gel Press the top card I used a rubbing plate, meant for preschoolers to put a paper on top of and rub with the side of a crayon to make a rubbing of a flower. The bottom print I used a produce bag that once held oranges. 

This cards was also made with a rubbing plate, both of which I found at the dollar store. I love finding things that will make cool texture and pattern on my Gel Press. If you are unfamiliar with the Gel Press is a plate made of gel, it soft and has a bit of squish to it. You make your own prints on it by braying paint or ink on it. Then you lay a piece of paper over that and pull up a print. If you want to learn more about the Gel Press check out Gel Press 101. 

If you have any questions about this card or the Gel Press, please just let me know. I have taken courses on how to use and am the creator of Gel Press 101. Below you will find all the supplies I used to make these cards. 

  

 

Thank you for letting me share one of my favorite crafty things with you, the Gel Press. 

Thankful Friends BONUS

The kits are in the mail and now I can share with you the BONUS card for my August Stamp Set of the Month, Thankful Friends. 

I love how this stamp set can go from cutesy to woodland. 

For this card I went all out, I wanted those who got this card kit in the mail from me to have a WOW card for their first card with their new stamp set. 

The background is stamped with the Pine Background stamp.  Isn't it gorgeous with Cool Pool Silk splattered on it. 

The circle that the squirrel is special paper, it is from a print I made on my Gel Press. After cutting out a circle from this print I embossed the circle with my Barn Wall embossing folder.  BUT here is the magical part, take a piece of fine grit sanding paper and sand off some paint from the raised areas of the embossed lines. These are the things that make my giddy!  

Do you LOVE the pinecones??? I adore pinecones to stamp, die cut, collect, decorate with!  I have several pinecone ornaments fo my Christmas Tree. So I have been making different variations of pinecones with this new die set and have lots of fun! 

So other extra special touches I added to this card are a strip fo corrugated stock, I love how just a little strip of this specialty paper elevates my projects. And a few rainbow drops added an extra bit of shine that this card needed. 

I am excited for my customers to get these card kits and make this beautiful card, if I don't say so myself. As you can see making cute things with paper is my jam, it brings me joy and fills my cup!  I hope that my creations inspire you to create and fill your cup as well. 

If you're curious about all the cool things I used to make this card I am listing them below for you. 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop and visit my blog. Sharing my creations with you is one of my favorite things about my job. 

Martha's Pumpkins

Happy September, a lot of you have told me you are really looking forward to fall.  Well it is about here!  I am loving that the temperatures have already cooled down. I am planning on savoring every last minute of it, since fall goes by so fast and winter lingers FOREVER! 

A new month also means a new stamp set of the month!  My pick this month is.... Martha's Pumpkins! 

What I love about this set: 

It's pumpkins!  Pumpkins are cute and the word is just fun to say. 

There are pumpkins for halloween and fall. 

These pumpkins are decorated. 

This stamp set has coordinating dies! 

Now, about this card the yellow background is a Gel Press Print that my friend Marty McGee sent me when we did our Gel Press print swap. She also sent me this picture of the print being made on the Gel Press. 

Pretty cool right, she used stamps to add a bit of texture and pattern to the acrylic paint before pulling this print. 

I made a second card just like this one, but using a print I had on hand, and this time I used a cat sticker instead of the spider sticker. Both are from the Spooky Eve sticker pack. 

I LOVE the spectacles and eyes on this pumpkin, it really makes him look like he was just scared and so was the cat. 

You can see the making of this card on the video below. Every Monday night I do a live video featuring the stamp set of the month, make sure to find me on Facebook so you can join the fun and watch me LIVE. 

 

All the products I used to make these cards are listed below. 

Whenever I make a Halloween card I like to make sure it comes with a treat. This one holds a gift card on the inside with the help of the Gift Slider Die. 

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share my new favorite stamp set. If this set is one you love to and you purchase it from my online store, I will be sending you an exclusive card kit with this set, so you can make your first card with your new set on me!  

No such thing as a bad print

I am really enjoying getting to know the other designers on the FSJ Creative Team.  It just so happens that Marty McGee, who is on the team and is one of the other coaches I got to demonstrate with at convention in June, is also big into making Gel Press Prints!  So, we decided to send each other some prints and get creative. The on stipulation was that at least one of the prints had to be one that we considered to be "UGLY".  But Marty and I like to say, "There is no such thing as an ugly print, just an opportunity to get creative." 

Here is the "UGLY" print that Marty sent me.  

When I saw this print I thought of Halloween. And one of my suggestions when you are working with a print that you might find ugly is to stencil something over the top of it.  So for this card I pulled out my Designer Series Stencil to add to the print. And, I stenciled Modeling Paste on to this print. First, let me show you the finished card, then I will show you the step by step on how altered my print. 

First I taped my Gel Press print down to a scratch piece of paper. Then I taped the stencil down over the top of my print.  That way, nothing is going to move. 

Then I used a palette knife to spread the Modeling Paste over the stencil.  It's just like frosting!  Only it does not have to look perfect, so that is a WIN!  But, you don't have to be afraid to give this product a try, you don't have to be a mixed media artist to use this.  If you want something fun and new to add to your card making, this is just the thing!  It's super fun. 

So, the openings on the stencil will now be white and the areas where the stencil is will stay, letting my Gel Press Print background shine through. 

Once you remove the stencil, make sure you rinse it off under water or wipe it off good with a baby wipe. Then you need to let the modeling paste dry.  I did use my Heat Tool to speed up this process, just make sure you move it around like you would a hair dryer.  Holding it in one spot can cause the paste to bubble up.  But on a side note maybe there is a project in the future where you want to bubble up your modeling paste, so remember that. 

Once my background was dry I knew I could not use it with the background that white. So I decided to color it with PanPastels. I used the Silver and a Sofft Tool to apply it. It gave my background shimmer and darkened it up just enough. 

Then I had a fun print to use to make a Halloween card!  

Below are all the products I used to make this card, if you have any questions, please reach out and ask. I love to chat with my readers and help with crafting questions. 

 

If you'd like to see one of the prints that I sent Marty and what she made with it you can find that HERE. It's a really cute card with one of my favorite stamp sets, Thankful Friends. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing this print be transformed and are inspired to create, thank you for stopping by.