Carrie Stamps

STAMPtember Party!

WHO'S READY FOR STAMPtember?!?

I know I am! I could not be more happy to be a part of this year's STAMPtember Celebration with Simon Says Stamp. They sent me one of their exclusive new STAMPtember stamps sets to play with and share with you. I can say, I had so much fun with it and it is going to work great with so many of the things I already have in my stash! 

The stamp set is Circle Sayings. It is a sentiment set and each of the 6 sentiments in the set is a circular design. That inspired me to use the theme of circles to create backgrounds for my cards on my Gel Press using found objects that are circular. 

Check out the stamp set, see the backgrounds come to life and get turned into cards in the video below. 

If you can not see the video on this screen, you an also watch it over on my YouTube channel. 

What do you think of all those crazy gel press prints? If you are new to making Gel Press prints just remember sometimes a crazy looking background is perfection once you die cut it or add a layer to it and give it some love with stamped images. 

Check out MORE of this EPIC STAMPtember party over on the Simon Says Stamp Blog. And be sure to use the code below when shopping to get an amazing deal, a FREE stamp set! But hurry, this free stamp set offer ends on 9/4! 

Shop STAMPtember HERE!

Now, let's take a close up look at each of the cards I made with the Circle Sayings stamp set. 

Here you can see the lovely hand written style of the sentiments, perfect for a hand made card. 

Each of the sentiments has the solid line going partially around the sentiment for a fun look. Another thing that makes this set so affordable is that you do not have to buy a coordinating die set to go with it. Just pull out your circle dies or punches to do the job. 

You might be like me and have some circular dies that have decorative edges and those dies are going to go with this new stamp set too. You can see here I have used a die set from my stash to layer under my sentiment for a nice POP.  

The circular object used to make the background on this card is splatter! Splatter drops are mostly circular, right?  And this has to be my most favorite of the TONS of backgrounds that I made. Be sure to watch the video to see them all being created. 

On this next card I used three different prints! 

I love that the Circle Sayings stamp set has holiday images, sometimes you don't want to buy an entire Happy Thanksgiving stamp set. Sometimes you just need the sentiment and you can use that to add to a card made with things you already own, like this one. 

This background is the result of a few layers on the gel press and involves the use of a stencil to pick up died paint. Which happens to be my Favorite technique on the Gel Press.  Again, you can see it all in the video. 

Even a simple circle layer behind these sentiments elevates them. 

Speaking of elevating things, try doing a gel press print on a book page fore a fun and unique look that takes your background up a notch! 

For the last card I had to do it, I had to make a shaker. Shaker cards are my jam. And these circles are perfect for it!

A little shaker window is such a fun touch to a handmade card. This one was simple to make with the help of Circle Shaker Pouches by My Favorite Things. The Circle Sayings at approximately 2" in diameter fit in them perfectly! 

My favorite circular object to use on my Gel Press for YEARS has been bubble wrap, so I had to use it for these cards, and see how delish it is!!! 

There are 3 more sentiments in this set that I have yet to make cards with, so stay tuned for that. I will be back with that video in about a week. 

Below you will find the supplies I used to make todays cards. 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me share in the excitement of STAMPtember with you! 

 

 

 

Spellbinders May Club Kits Hop

Hello sweet friends! Today I am hoping along with some of my fellow Spellbinders designers, celebrating the May Club Kits! 

Every month Spellbinders goes out of their way to make sure the club kits are amazing. And this month is no exception. The attention to detail in the kits is outstanding and gives the maker so many options when creating. 

One of my favorite things about the club kits is that they can easily be used together and are fabulous enough to stand on their own. 

For my project today I am going to be using 4 of the club kits; Large Die of the Month, Glimmer Kit of the Month, Embossing Folder of the Month, and the Clear Stamp and Die of the Month. 

All of these kits have something to do with stitching, but then again, you can use them without stitching! 

This card has so many fun things on it. Gel Press Print, stitching, hot foiling... 

You can see it come together in this video.

If you can not see the video up on this screen, you can also catch it right here.

I think my favorite part of this card is the background. I used the Faux Stitched Embossing folder to embossed a Gel Press print. I was then able use a sanding block to sand off the top layer of paint. I LOVE the how it turned out. 

The THANK YOU on this card is from the Large Die of the Month. There are several words that you can put with the large and stitchable "you". If you are feeling like stitching, this die cut also looks great with out. 

The sub sentiment that I hot foiled on my card, celebreate you today, is from the Glimmer Kit of the Month. This month's glimmer kit, Stitched Glimmer Butterflies, is the most versatile kit! There are two different butterflies you can make in this kit. I used the half butterfly, there is also a full butterfly. And you have so many options for dressing up their wings. You can hot foil the wings, stitch the wings, add a layer to the wings, make a window in the wings. I made a window into my wings. And in this months kit there are 4 sentiments that you can hot foil. One of which says, You give me butterflies! 

I used the clear stamp of the month on the back of the card. There is a sentiment in that stamp set that says Stitched with Love, I thought it was a fun addition to the back of the card. 

Now it is time to hop along! 

Giveaway:
To celebrate this release, we are giving away a $25 gift certificate to 3 lucky blog readers – selected from the comments on the Spellbinders blog. Giveaway closes on Sunday, May 15^th, 11:59 pm MST. The winner will be announced on the Spellbinders blog hop post the following Wednesday. The winner is responsible for shipping costs, duties, and taxes.

 

Here is the entire blog hop line up:

Spellbinders Blog
Bibi Cameron
Becca Feeken
Sandi MacIver
Yasmin Diaz
Kelly Taylor
Jennifer Kotas
Jean Manis
Jill Hilliard
Virginia Lu
Carrie Rhoades - YOU ARE HERE!
Sandra Nagel
Alanna Moses
Ilina Crouse
Linh Van
Hussena Calcuttawala
Rosemary Dennis
Birgit Norton
Michelle Short
Melody Rupple

 

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share my creation with you! Below you will find the supplies I used for this card. 

 

 

Affiliate links have been used, at no cost to you. Affiliate links are a collaboration between online shops and makers. When you shop these links the retailer gives a small percentage of the sale to the maker, at no cost to you. It is a great way of supporting your favorite businesses and the makers who inspire you. Thank you for shopping my links. Sharing my creations is my favorite thing to do and you have helped make it possible.

Slimline Floral Swag Die

Today I am sharing one of the new Slimline dies from the latest Trinity Stamps release in a 5 minute card making video. 

The die is a beautiful Floral Swag. It's dainty and so pretty. I added over the top of a gel press print in white. 

Watch the video below to see it come together. 

If you can not see the video up on your screen, you can also catch it over on my YouTube channel right HERE.

When you have such a beautiful die like this it is easy to make a card. This die steals the scene! All I needed was a sentiment and of course some gems to finish it off. You can find all of the gems I used at the Trinity Stamps shop, under embellishments.

Below I have the video where I share and review the entire Enchanted Wood release, incase you missed it. 

You can also watch it on my YouTube channel if you cannot see it on this screen.

Below I have linked all the new products for you to check out. 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by, tomorrow I will be sharing two cards made with window sheets and my FAVORITE stamp set from this release!!! 

Affiliate links have been used, at no cost to you. Affiliate links are a collaboration between online shops and makers. When you shop these links the retailer gives a small percentage of the sale to the maker, at no cost to you. It is a great way of supporting your favorite businesses and the makers who inspire you. Thank you for shopping my links. Sharing my creations is my favorite thing to do and you have helped make it possible.

 

5 minute card videos

Have you seen the newest videos on my YouTube channel?  5 Minute Card Videos. Along with my other full length videos I will be sharing shorter videos of one card being made. A quick and easy watch that is fun and inspirational.  You might even learn a few tips and trick along the way. 

My latest 5 minute card video features the Gel Press and stamps and dies from Trinity Stamps.  I made two bright and cheery Slimline Easter cards with a shaker element.

You can watch it right here. 

If you can not see the video up on this screen, you can also watch over on my YouTube channel. 

And here's a close up look at these cards, you can see the shaker window and the fun gel press backgrounds I made. 

The background on these cards was the most fun to make. I stamped over my gel press backgrounds with slimline stamp sets from Trinity Stamps, aren't they so cute! 

If you love these cards, you should see the set I made last easter with these same two sets. Watch the video right here. 

I love that both the Slimline Chicks and the Slimline Bunnies stamp sets come with coordinating stamps to complete your card! 

If you like these 5 Minute card videos you should check the other two I already have on my channel. 

Inky, Fuzzy and a Lift The Flap

4 Bar Full Panel Shaker Card

And if you are interested in the supplies I used to make todays cards they are all listed for you below. 

 

Affiliate links have been used, at no cost to you. Affiliate links are a collaboration between online shops and makers. When you shop these links the retailer gives a small percentage of the sale to the maker, at no cost to you. It is a great way of supporting your favorite businesses and the makers who inspire you. Thank you for shopping my links. Sharing my creations is my favorite thing to do and you have helped make it possible.

Paper Piecing with Gel Press Prints

Hello there my stamping friends! You may have seen my recent post and video where I made several Gel Press backgrounds for some cards with the Painted Peony stamp set. Well, when I made a bunch of prints like that it adds to my beautiful stash of ever growing Gel Press prints.  So, I have a goal to use more of them. One of the ways I love to use my prints to to do paper piecing with them. And the new Slimline Center Burst die set by Trinity stamps is the perfect die for paper piecing. 

In the video below I not only show you the paper piecing and the making of this card but a quick demonstration on how to make a Gel Press print like the ones I used for the card. 

If you can not see the video up on the screen, you can also view it right here. 

And here is the card I made doing paper piecing.

The background on this card was made using the Slimline Center Burst Die, cutting different Gel Press backgrounds and adhering them to an 8-1/2" x 3-1/2" panel. I love the variety of textures! It makes for a stunning background. This die makes for stunning backgrounds will all kinds of papers, printed papers, textured card stock, foiled papers, ink blended panels, alcohol backgrounds, and I am sure there are others. 

I also paper pieced the rainbow, sun and the "loved" part of the sentiment. 

The So Very Loved stamp set is just darling. I love how Love Dani designs her images for Trinity Stamps with sentiments and images together. And they are always inspirational! This time Trinity Stamps took it to another level! They created an amazing die set to coordinate that allows to you add layers of die cutting to bring visual interest to a stamped image, or even use on it's own! 

Below I have listed and linked all the things I used to make today's card. 

 

Affiliate links have been used, at no cost to you. Affiliate links are a collaboration between online shops and makers. When you shop these links the retailer gives a small percentage of the sale to the maker, at no cost to you. It is a great way of supporting your favorite businesses and the makers who inspire you. Thank you for shopping my links. Sharing my creations is my favorite thing to do and you have helped make it possible.

 

3 Faves on the Gel Press

Hey there stamping friends. It is time for the last episode of my May Stamp Set of the Month series, featuring the Painted Peony stamp set by Concord & 9th. 

I love pairing florals with Gel Press Prints. There is something about adding soft pretty flowers to a bit grungy background that is so appealing to me. For my Gel Press prints I am sharing 3 of my favorite things to use on my Gel Press prints to create texture. 

Check out this weeks episode and see these prints and cards come together. 

If you can not see this video up on the screen, you can also view it right here. 

If you missed an episode in this month series I have each of the episodes linked for you below: 

Episode One - Color Combinations for Painted Peony

Episode Two - Layered Background Stamps with Layered Painted Peony

Episode Three: Painted Peony Vintage Style

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the four episodes over on my YouTube channel to be entered into the GIVEAWAY!  Concord & 9th is sponsoring this months episode and giving one of you a $25 shopping spree to their shop! Everyone who comments on each episode will be entered. Winner will be announce on May 31st on my Community tab over on YouTube. 

Now let's take a closer look at the three cards I made in this episode. 

I am sure by this photo you can tell what one of my favorite things to use on the Gel Press is, Burlap. Pressing Burlap into the paint on a Gel Press gives you such amazing texture on your print. And I love how it looks with these orange peonies. 

This print is more subtle, but it uses one of my other favorites to create texture in the paint, a potato produce bag. It creates an irregular pattern as it is such a fine material that it moves a little in the paint. I picked up my textured paint with a book page for this card, and I love the results. For this card I used only the small flower from the Painted Peony stamp set and it is stunning in this light purple color!  I used the Rose Petal collection of inks from Altenew on these flowers. 

This last card uses one of my all time faves for creating texture, bubble wrap!!! It is so much fun to use and press down on, you have to give it a try. If you are not that familiar with Gel Press print making or want to learn more about it please check out my other Gel Press videos HERE. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I love sharing my cards with you! 

Below I have listed and linked all the things I used to make todays cards. 

 

Affiliate links have been used, at no cost to you. Affiliate links are a collaboration between online shops and makers. When you shop these links the retailer gives a small percentage of the sale to the maker, at no cost to you. It is a great way of supporting your favorite businesses and the makers who inspire you. Thank you for shopping my links. Sharing my creations is my favorite thing to do and you have helped make it possible.

Dare 2B Artzy + My Sweet Petunia Hop

Hello my stamping friends. I am excited to be here today to share a blog hop with Dare 2B Artzy and My Sweet Petunia. It is a fun collaboration because I love Dare 2B Artzy images and I can not create with out my MISTI.

As part of this hop there are some GIVEAWAYS, for you my faithful followers! 

Dare 2B Artzy and My Sweet Petunia are both giving away $20 gift certificates to their shop!  

And even better, a gift for every one... use the code FALL10 at both shops to get 10% anything you order! 

Have you played with the new style MISTI yet?  I am in love with the changes they have made, making my favorite stamping tool even better. My favorite feature is that the door is now slightly bigger than the base, making it so easy to open.  I also like a that there is a place for my magnet to hang out where it is out of the way. The corners are rounded off and not sharp any longer. I love the darker grid on the door making it even easier to see and place my stamps. The etched ruler on the outer edges is very sharp. So, I can definitely say getting the new one is worth it! 

For my collaboration project I used my new MISTI and Gel Press to do some reflection stamping. And as I thought it might be hard for me to try to type up and explanation as to how I did it I thought a video demonstration was in order. 

 

If you can not see the video above you can also view it right here. 

Let's take a closer look at the card with the reflection. 

I used my new favorite Dare 2B Artzy stamp set for this card, Just Chillin'. I just love that polar bear and penguin image. 

I used Copic Markers to color in the top image and to add a bit of color to the image on the bottom I used Colored Pencils. 

I almost never make one layer cards and masking scares me, so I have to say I am very proud of this card. 

How about you? Do you make one layer cards very often? 

If you like this card you might also like these other cards I have made with this set. 

Just Chillin Slimline Cards

Pink and Black Penguin Christmas Card

And now it is time to hop along and see what the other creators have made for this hop. 

The next stop on the hop is Ilina's blog, you will love her style and what she created for this hop! 

If you get lost on the hop I have the entire blog hop list for you below. Make sure to stop and leave a comment as you hop letting the creators know what you think of their projects. This will give you more entries into the giveaways. Both the Dare 2B Artzy Shop and the My Sweet Petunia Shop are giving away $20 gift cards to their shops.  Winners will be announced on the Dare 2B Artzy blog on November 6th.

Kendra

Ceal

Melody

Karen

Tonya

Susan

Tasha

Lydia

Carrie - YOU ARE HERE!

Ilina

Jennifer

MISTI Blog

Sandi MacIver

D2BA Blog

Below I have listed and linked all the supplies I used to make today's card. 

 

Shop Copic Markers

 

 

Affiliate links have been used, at no cost to you. Affiliate links are a collaboration between online shops and makers. When you shop these links the retailer gives a small percentage of the sale to the maker, at no cost to you. It is a great way of supporting your favorite businesses and the makers who inspire you. Thank you for shopping my links. Sharing my creations is my favorite thing to do and you have helped make it possible.

Matchbook Shaker Window Card with Avery Elle

Hello my stamping friends. Today's card is part of a fun collaboration I did with my friend Lauren Taylor. Lauren and I have been following each other on social media for years, both loving each others style and recently started chatting more and are now on the Lawn Fawn Fans team together.  Recently Lauren saw the Glimmer Hot Foil backgrounds I was making with Opal foil and loved the look, so I sent her some backgrounds to play with. We then decided we should do a collaboration video. So, we are both using Glimmer Hot Foil backgrounds and an Avery Elle Peek-a-Boo stamp set (to two) to create a Halloween card. 

You can see my video below to see my creation come together. 

If you can not see the video above you can watch it here. 

You can watch Lauren's video right here. She made three adorable cards that you are going to want to check out! 

Now let's take a closer look at this Matchbook card.

This card measures 4-1/4" x 10-1/2", it is scored at 4-1/4", 4-3/4" and 9-1/2"

You then fold it just as if it was a matchbook. Staple the bottom 1" flap so that you can then tuck the front flap into it. I like to cover up the one inch flap with patterned paper so that the staples can not be seen from the front.  

This matchbook card has a shaker window on it, meaning the circle is cut into the card base so that you can see through the shaker to the inside of the card. 

Here is what the card looks like open and you can see my fun size bag of m&m's tucked in there. Such a fun way to give a Halloween card. 

I then used my leftover circles to make a tag. 

I just could not waste that fun paper and thought a tag to tie on to a bag of goodies would be lots of fun. I used the witch again, because there is just so many fun ways you can color her in! 

I had so much fun doing this collaboration with Lauren. A challenge always gets my creative juices flowing. 

 

You can watch the video where I made the background I used on this card and tag right HERE.

If you want to learn more about Gel Press Prints you can watch my videos on print making right here.

All the supplies I used to make these projects are listed and linked for you below. 

Etsy Embellishment Shop

 

 

 

Affiliate links have been used, at no cost to you. Affiliate links are a collaboration between online shops and makers. When you shop these links the retailer gives a small percentage of the sale to the maker, at no cost to you. It is a great way of supporting your favorite businesses and the makers who inspire you. Thank you for shopping my links. Sharing my creations is my favorite thing to do and you have helped make it possible.

 

Crimson Fall Glimmer Hot Foil Kit

Today I am sharing the Crimson Fall Glimmer Hot Foil kit of the month from Spellbinders. 

This month's kit is an amazing plate that can cover the entire front of an A2 sized card by hot foiling it twice. 

There are also two sentiments in this set; Happy Fall Y'all and Hello Pumpkin

And every Glimmer Hot Foil kit comes with a roll of foil, this month the foil is Blush. 

You can see this kit in action in this video where I make two fall cards, pairing up this plate set with Gel Press prints. 

If you want to find out more about the Gel Press I have a lot of videos on print making right here. 

Let's take a closer look at each of these cards. 

The Gel Press print I used here is a more subtle background but has the look of weathered wood. I thought t was a great look for a fall card. I used Polished Brass foil and foiled the leaf plate twice to get this look. Quick and easy for a stunning background. 

For the Happy Fall Y'all sentiment with Copper Foil, which has a metallic brownish look to it. I thought it complimented the background quite well. 

I used the Happy Harvest stamp set by Fun Stampers Journey to accent today's cards. I just love that scarecrow! At the time of this post this stamp set is currently on sale!!! I colored up the images with my Copic Markers, cut them out and added them to the corner of the card. I then embellished the card with orange and yellow rainbow drops, my favorite gems to use on all my cards!!! 

For my second card I went with a brighter background. 

This time I hot foiled my background with Tangerine Foil. I just love the look of these leaves over a gel press print background. It would also look good over a watercolor or ink blended background. 

I use the Polished Brass foil for the sentiment. I love having a Hello Pumpkin sentiment!  So cute and so much fun!  The pumpkin stamp I used is also from the Happy Harvest stamp set. I colored three, inspired by the colors in the background. 

Again I added some rainbow drops to finish off this card, only orange gems this time. I love all the shine, texture and different mediums used on these cards. 

Now let's take a look at these cards side by side. For the card on the left I started with a background panel that measured 5-1/2" x 4-1/4". I then foiled it twice with the leaf plate.  You can see the leaves barely overlap, see the mid point on each side. I then trimmed this panel down to 5-1/4" x 4" to fit on my A2 sized card base with a border around the background. 

For the card on the right my background started at 5-1/4" x 4". When I hot foiled my background twice on this panel there is much more overlapping on the sides. I don't mind this look at all and I did not have to trim it once it was foiled to add it to my card base. But I wanted you to see the difference and know this before you begin foiling with this plate. Either look is good in my opinion. 

Below you will find all the supplies I used to make todays cards and if you want to learn more about Gel Press Printing you can find all my videos RIGHT HERE.

 

 

Affiliate links have been used, at no cost to you. Affiliate links are a collaboration between online shops and makers. When you shop these links the retailer gives a small percentage of the sale to the maker, at no cost to you. It is a great way of supporting your favorite businesses and the makers who inspire you. Thank you for shopping my links. Sharing my creations is my favorite thing to do and you have helped make it possible.

Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me share my creations with you. I love hot foiling!  You can see more of my Hot Foil projects here if you like. 

 

 

 

Whimsical and Wild Finger Painting on the Gel Press

Hello my crafty friends. I am getting messy in the craft room today. My inner kindergartener is coming out to play. I am doing some finger painting on the Gel Press!  No surprise, it was tons of fun!  

Since I am showing off the Whimsical and Wild stamp sets today, which are designed by Jane Davenport for Spellbinders, I wanted to combine mixed media with my card making style.  When I saw a finger painting video by Gel Press I knew I needed to do that for these cards. 

I started by making a swirly background that I could stamp my elephant on from the Elephant Dreams stamp set. Then I would be able to do a bit of paper piecing and not color my elephant the traditional way.  You can see the making of the print and cards as well in the video below. 

I'd love to know what you think of my elephant, cause I think it's fabulous. Using a Gel Press print give is so much texture, depth and interest that you can not get any other way. 

For my second card and the Giraffe Wisdom stamp set, I wanted to make a more intensional print, a giraffe print background. I started by making organic shapes with my finger and brown paint on my Gel Press.  I let that dry and brayered over the dried paint with a golden yellow color to pick up the paint. I am so tickled with how it turned out. 

To color my giraffe and the girl on the elephant card I used my Journey Color Burst pencils. I like the look of colored pencils with a gel press print. 

If you would like to see me finger painting and making these cards you can watch it all in the video below. 

 

 

 

 

All the supplies I used are listed and linked for you below. Affiliate links have been used, clicking them costs you no money and is a way for you to show support to the maker who inspired you. I thank you so much for choosing to click and shop my links and help me continue to bring you fun new crafty ideas. 

 

 

Thanks for spending part of your day with me, I'll be back again soon with more cute things. 

YouTube Mystery Swap Collaboration

I am excited to bring you Mystery Swap Collaboration with my friend Jen Hartsgrove of Katahdin Krafts! This is our first one, so be sure to let us know if you like it and want us to do more. 

Here's how it works. We each sent each other a mystery envelope with paper goods in it, the starting of a project. Die cuts, paper, embellishments, for example. 

With this Mystery Swap we are both going to make cards with the things we sent each other and with the things we received!  So, that is a total of four projects in two YouTube videos.  

In the video you will see the unveiling of what Jen sent me. I will then make a card with those items. Then I will show you what I sent Jen and make a card with those same items. After you watch my video you then click over and watch Jen make her two cards with the same things. Sounds like fun to me!  

Since you are on my blog you get to see the finished cards and then watch the video. 

Here is the card I made using items that Jen sent to me. 

I items I used on this card that Jen sent me are the white Fram, the die cut cupcake pieces, the silver paper for the hearts and die the die cut "smile".  
I decided to take this frame and make a shaker card. If you look close you can see that it is two shakers in one. The center section has heart sprinkles in it and the outer rectangle has glitter in it. It's a party in a card!  

I had so much fun creating the watercolor background for this card. You can see the making of it in the video below. I used my Arteza watercolors and then splattered over the top of that with Silks.  I could just make backgrounds all day, love it! 

Now for the card I made used my Mystery items, the things I sent to Jen. 

I do think it is so funny that Jen and I both sent each other items that relate to food.  This die cut popsicle is one that I designed in my Silhouette Studio and die cut with the Silhouette Cameo.  I put that on top of a shaker card.  If one shaker card is good, a second one is even better!  I did make the background on this card as well, on my Gel Press and it is another of the things that I sent to Jen. 

My favorite thing that I sent to Jen are Rainbow Drops, the gems on this card. They are rhinestones that are semi translucent. Which means they pick up the color behind them. This excites me because I don't have to worry about them matching a certain color exactly. The red, for instance can look pink on a pink background, and red on a darker background. AND, there are over 700 gems in one container of Rainbow Drops. 

Now it is time to take a look at the making of these cards. Below is my video, and a link to Jen's channel so you can also check out her video and see what she made. I have not seen what she made yet, I will watch as you do when the video goes up. I love a surprise!!! 

 

Check out Jen's channel, Katahdin Krafts, and see her Mystery Swap video here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEWCMMwsF3OzKUp-KjuaVCw

We would love to know if you would like to see more of these swap videos!  Leave a comment below and let me know, should we do more Mystery Swaps? 

Below I have a supply list of things I used to make these cards. Affiliate links have been used, but do not cost you anything when you click and shop them.  It does help to support my blog and YouTube channel, so thank you! My hope is that when you are inspired you will click and shop the links of the maker who inspired you. 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for spending some time with me today! 

Eric Carle Inspired Prints and Card

Hello my crafty friends!  I am getting messy again today. You know how I love to make my own backgrounds and today I am taking that up a notch!  Do you know the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle?  That is the book that inspired today's project.

I wanted to play along with the current Lawn Fanatics challenge, a project inspired by a book, movie or song. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of my favorite books. And having just received the new A Bug Deal stamp set from Lawn Fawn an idea began to form. One of the things I love the most about this book and all of Eric Carle's book are the pictures. They are done in an amazing style. He paints backgrounds with free style brush strokes and makes patterns or texture in the paint with found things. Like the back of a paint brush, scratching into the wet paint to create lines. Then he cuts up these painting and makes collages to form the images in his books. This made me think of my Gel Press, and I started out playing to see if I could make Eric Carle inspired prints. 

Then I took those prints and die cut them and stamped on them to make the elements for my Very Hungry Caterpillar scene. 

I paper pieced the caterpillar, using the Gel Press prints I made, so that he has a red head and a green body.  After I glued those on to my caterpillar stamped and die cut from white paper I then colored around him with a yellow marker, as that is how he looks in the book.  He also has big eyes, so I used a black liner pen to make his eyes bigger.  

I also used some Lawn Fawn dies to make the grass, stump, and cupcake. All die cut from my prints!  The sun was die cut with a circle die and the rays are just 1/2" strips.   The cupcake had to have a hole in it, to show that the Very Hungry Caterpillar ate his way through one cupcake. In the book the images actually have holes in them just like this. 

The sentiment stamped onto the sun is from the Reveal Wheel Circle Sentiments stamp set. 

I also made a scene on the inside of the card that is like the ending of the book. 

You can watch the making of the prints and this card in my video below. If you have yet to do so make sure you click over to my YouTube channel and subscribe.  If you ring the bell next to the subscription box you will get notified each time I post a new video. 

 

Below I have listed and linked all the things I used to make this card. Affiliate links have been used at no cost to you. Thank you so much for stopping by and watching. I will be back again very soon with another cute creations to share with you. 

 

 

 

Gel Press Prints and Glimmer Hot Foil Mashup

Hello, I have a treat for you today! 

Two videos and 10 cards!  I had so much fun creating I had to turn it into 2 videos!  I started by creating Gel Press prints that would be the background for my cards. In the making of the prints I feature DIY stencils that are left over card stock from die cutting images. The prints turned out super cool. And then the thing that always happens when I make Gel Press Prints happened, I could not stop!  I was having too much fun playing.  In the first video below you get to see the making of these prints. And then there is a second video where I turn them into cards. 

Here's a peek a few of the Gel Press prints...

And here you can watch the making of the prints. 

 

 And then I pulled out my Glimmer Hot Foil system and some new plates from Spellbinders designed by Yana Smakula. The Polka Dot Strip and Yana's Sentiments. Both are great go to Glimmer Hot Foil sets that I will use time and time again. 

The look that you get when you Glimmer Hot foil over a Gel Press Print is not the same as when you hot foil on smooth card stock. You get more of a mixed media, grungy look.  I love combining the matte finish of the acrylic paint on the print with the shiny finish of the hot foil. It made for some really fun cards. 

Here you can watch the Glimmer Hot Foiling and the making of the cards. 

Now let's get a closer look at those cards! 

Card #1

Card #2

Card #3

Card #4

Card #5

Card #6

Card #7

Card #8

Card #9

Card #10

The process of making these cards was a lesson in just playing. From playing with the paint when making the prints to picking out the color of foil for the Polka Dot Strip to adding die cuts and embellishments to the cards. 

I would love to know which card is your favorite. And what do you think of Gel Press Prints with Glimmer Hot Foil? 

Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me share my adventures in creating!  You will find cool things I used to make these cards below. Affiliate links have been used at no cost to you. Thank you for your support! 

 

 

Gel Press Paper Piecing

Hello crafters!  Today I a fun one!  I am getting painty, with the Gel Press. I will be making two different backgrounds to use in todays card and doing some paper piecing with the prints I make. 

Watch and let me know if you think Gel Press print making is for card makers, is it for you? 

This is Episode 5 of January Stamp Set of the month series featuring the Peek A Boo Balloon stamp and die set. Let me set the scene. I picture a Saturday at the park and there's a Hot Air Balloon booth giving rides. The balloon is tethered so you don't have to worry about going to high, it just a taste of hot air ballooning. 

Here's the card, see if you can spot all the places I used Gel Press prints. 

You can see all the Gel Press print making in this video: 

 

 

 

First up, the sky background on this slimline card is a Gel Press print. I used die cut clouds from the Cloud Mat die as masks on my Gel Press. 

I also used several different Gel Press Prints to paper piece the ballon in a rainbow of prints. 

For the Market Stand, I paper pieced faux woodgrain print, which I also show you how to make in the video. 

Both the animals are from the Peek-a-Boo Pals stamp set and were colored in with Copic Markers. The hippo and monkey have to my faves!  

Once again I did a slimline card, a card that fits in a business sized envelope. 

Here are the measurements I use: 

Card Base: 9-1/4" x 7-3/4" scored at 3-7/8"

Card Front: 3-3/4" x 9-1/8"

You can find all the items I used to make this listed and linked for you below. 

 

 

Affiliate links have been used. Shopping these links means you help support this blog and YouTube channel, at no cost to you! 

Thank you for your support and stopping by to let me share my creations with you! 

 

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.

 

 

 

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