Woodford Vellum Window

     The new Reveal card die set from John Next Door has a 5inch gatefold as it's base, this goes perfectly with the Woodford die set that he released at the same time.

     Using the the two strips of what I think looks like Moroccan tiles, I cut a pattern in the doors, I did the same to two more pieces of card ready to line my doors. 

     On the inside of the doors I added some lilac vellum, it has a tiny stripe in it so I had to make sure both doors matched. Once the vellum was stuck down I added the two extra panels that I had cut, making sure to line up the pattern so the light would shine through.

     Although the pattern was pretty the doors looked a little plain, so I added some tiny silver holographic peel off dots from my stash.

     On the inside of the card I die cut the main Woodford die without any outer or inner cutting edges, just the pattern. Again I cut another panel just the same so I could sandwich some more of the vellum between them, paying special attention to the stripes in the vellum.

     To mount the greeting panel I used some grey card and a piece of lilac marbled paper and two of the centre dies in the set. This shape is so pretty but would also make great masculine cards. The greeting is die cut from silver mirri so it matches the outer dots, bringing the whole card together.

     It's not as fussy as it looks because the dies all line up so well, making it easy to create a pattern. On the window sill with the light behind it it looks rather nice. There will be a few more of these made for the card box, but I will leave the greeting until it's needed, it's always good to have a few cards put by.

Materials List   (available from your local craft shop)
JND170 - Reveal Card die set
JND172 - Woodford die set

S57262 - 3D PVA Glue from Stix2

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

UnstampaBelles - Thank you  Mum gave me my first creative inspiration

All Fun Challenges - Anything Goes

Dream Valley - More Than One Fold

Lemon Shortbread - Anything Goes

Seasonal Music In The Bag

     Christmas Craft Creations have a new challenge starting today, this month it's anything with music. As we get closer to the festive season I start to think of decorations and gift packaging rather than cards, so for my project I have chosen to make a gift bag that could be used for a December birthday if needed.

     I started with a large piece of watercolour card and a Chocolate Baroque stamp called Hark The Christmas Rose. I stamped it with Versafine Onyx black ink and began to paint it with Ditress Ink Crushed Olive. This was following an inspirational project by one of the Choc B design team, Rachel.  I loved the colours she used as it's so like the Hellebores growing in my garden.

     For the leaves I used Distress Ink Forest Moss to make them darker than the flowers. I was going to add some pale colour to the background but I knew I would probably make a mess rather than improve it so I left it alone.

     The stamens were coloured with Distress Ink wild Honey, but to add a bit of shine I used a Stix2 glue pen and some of their gold foil to the stamens.

     I trimmed the image panel and mounted it on some olive green card that's been in my stash for ages. This all lokked OK but it needed a gold mirri mat layer to make it zing.

     Mounted on to a Stix2 Kraft Gift Bag, with no greeting added it makes it either a gift bag for a winter birthday or for a seasonal gift.

      There is a lot of inspiration over at Christmas Craft Creations to help you and this month we also have a prize for the lucky winner, please remember to use our challenge logo in your post or you will not qualify for the prize.

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

Sparkles Christmas - Vintage

The 12 Months of Christmas - Anything Christmas/optional colours

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas

The Holly and Ivy - Anything Christmas

We Love Chocolate Baroque - Anything Goes     Top 3

Castle Reveal Card

 

     Today is the launch of a new die set from John Next Door called the Reveal Card, it has internal sliding doors that reveal the back panel when the front doors are opened.

      The outer cover and the inner sleeve were die cut from grey card to look like stone. To get some texture and increase the stone look I used an embossing folder, but as I didn't want an all over texture I used the open folder and a ball tool so I could be selective on where I embossed.

      For the inner sliding doors I cut from light brown card and stamped woodgrain in a darker brown. I did find with the inner doors I needed to cut a tiny bit off the height to aid sliding, this may be because I fixed the window sleeve a little to tightly, I would suggest you check yours before gluing.

     For the reveal I cut an arched window in the sleeve and added some ivy for a splash of colour and interest.

     The image is a piece of my artwork from a few years ago which I thought went well with the castle theme. I placed the window over the image and held it with clips until I had the image in just the right place, then I stuck the image down.

     The window sleeve was then stuck down in the centre of the back panel. I slid the doors in place and held them together with a small piece of stencil tape while I stuck them in place, this made sure they would still meet when the card was shut.

     For the front cover I used the 3D embossing folder called Quilted Blocks, I though it looked like an old studded door. Using Kraft card and some Distress ink to dirty it up, one embossed piece of card was enough for two door panels.

     For the hinges I used a Sizzix Tim Hiltz die and cut from Kraft card, to make them look a little more metallic I used Distress ink for the rust and gilding wax to look like brass.

     For a castle I thought the doors should have brass studs, so I used a pearl pen from Dutch Doobadoo, it's similar to pearl drops. 

     I was going to cut the hinges off at the edge of the card but they wrapped around to the back and met in the middle so beautifully, so I stuck them down.

     To help my doors slide a little more easily I added a gentle fold down the back, this means that the doors have less tension on the inner sleeve when they move, making it all run more smoothly.

     John has made a video to show how this card is put together which you can see here. For my card I didn't use foam tape, I scored a second fold very close to the first, both top and bottom of the sleeve to make a tiny tunnel for the doors to slide through. 

     I strongly suggest making this up in basic card to get the feel of it before you use your best card. Bear in mind that a textured card may make a difference to the slide of the doors, as will anything raised on the back panel behind the doors, this is speaking from experience!

Materials List
JND170 - Reveal Card die set
PCD304 - Quilted Blocks 3D embossing folder
JND129 - Mini Ivy die

656632 - Sizzix Tim Holtz Hardware Findings  (retired)

S57262 - 3D PVA Glue

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes/ optional Winged Things

Challenge Up Your Life - Dragon or Kite     Top 3

Crafter's Castle - Anything Goes

The Fairy and The Unicorn - Anything Fantasy

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything With A Critter

The Dream Factory - How To Train Your Dragon     Top 3

Winter Wishes

      As it's getting closer to Christmas I've been trying out some new, to me, techniques. Colouring through a stencil isn't new but it is when you use one of the new blending brushes from Crafts Too, they really are amazing little brushes for stencil use.

     I chose three shades of blue Distress Ink to go through my Sweet Poppy stencil, being metal they are nice and heavy but the soft brush is still perfect for getting into all the little bits. I also followed Lucy's tip about using a magnetic sheet under my cardstock to stop the stencil moving about...thanks Lucy.

     The moon is masked with some of Stix2 masking sheet die cut in a circle and tucked under the stencil. I also masked off all around the stencil because I wanted a wide white border.

     The stag is a Lavinia stamp, stamped in Medieval Blue VersaFine Clair. I used a stamp platform so I was able to stamp him three times to get a very dark image.

     The Winter Wishes was cut with some Tim Holtz dies and backed with some silver paper, using paper rather than mirri card means there is no lump under the words.

     I went through most of my blue card stash to find the right shade, I even tried the VersaFine pad, but it just wasn't quite right until I went over it with an alcohol marker.

     Matted onto the blue layer and then onto a white 7x5 card blank it's still thin enough to go as standard post, which if you're sending out a few helps keep the cost down.

     Not Just Cards is exactly that, not just cards, you can join us with any project you have made. Please pop over and take a look at all the inspiration from the DT and our lovely challenge participants.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas - V=Vixen (deer)

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas

Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas

Allsorts - Winter Scene or Snow

Lavinia World - Anything Using A Stamped Image

Porthole Blues

     When the new layer die sets arrived the first thing I thought of for the circle was a porthole. This set is the 5", it has two cutting dies and an embossing die for each shape, circle , square and rectangle.

     The first time I used the embossing circle die I had a bit too much pressure and ended up cutting holes instead of embossing them, I have kept that bit for another project. With a tiny shim adjustment the next one came out just right.

     I cut the outer circle in plain white card and stamped the Two Jays sailing ship on it in grey ink, I coloured it in and also ran a dark blue alcohol marker around the outside edge, this shows as a mat layer under the mirri ring.

     

     To give the backing card a little more interest I used a linen card blank, inked up with some Mica Magic in shades of blue.

     The complete circular panel was stuck flat on to the card with a couple of die cut nautical shapes from my Mum's stash added to opposing corners, the gull has tiny foam pads so he's flying high.

     I didn't add a greeting on the outside, I think it would have become cluttered with anything else added.

Materials List
JND180 - Layering Dies 5"
CTJJ131 - Ship At Sea stamp
CAT008 - Mica Magic Brights

S57262 - 3D PVA Glue

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

The Male Room - #142 Travel

Watercooler Wednesday - Masculine

Dies R Us - One For The Boys    Top 3

International Art & Soul - Tic Tac Toe  emboss/die/image

Simon Says Monday - Frame It

Heartfelt Thanks

 

      A new challenge starts today over at Not Just Cards. I have used a brand new stamp and embossing folder set from John Next Door.

     I love the media plates so I decided to use the heart on this card. I used some of the new I-zink Pigment Petals on the media plate and a hard brayer to smooth the ink.

     The stamp that comes with the folder is designed to be 'backwards', this is so that when you stamp inside the folder and then emboss the writing will come out the right way round. This backwards writing makes it perfect to use on a media plate too, so that's what I did. In darkish blue ink I stamped the media plate so the writing would only be within the heart.

     

     I then used the folder to emboss the large words across the heart, with a small stamp from stash that just seemed perfect for this, I'm sorry but I have no idea what brand it is.   

     To get a mat layer that co-ordinated with the soft colours on the heart I decided to use a piece of white card and the same inks to make my own. No matter how many sheets of coloured card I have, I never seem to have the perfect shade.

      There are lots of inspirational projects over on Not Just Cards so please pop over and take a look, why not join us with your project, we'd love to see what you've made.

Materials List
PCD303 - Embossing Folder with Clear stamp - Thank You
CAT054 - Pigment Ink Petal - Winter Colours
JLGP006 - Media Plate - Heart

S57410 - Finger Daubers
S57262 - 3D PVA Glue

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes with A Sentiment

DL Art Thankful Thursday - #267 Thankful

Lemon Shortbread - #128 Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown - Anything Goes

Dream Valley - #232 Embossing Wet or Dry

Snow Happy

     This month at Christmas Craft Creations we are looking for shaped cards. I did try a different shape but it all went horribly wrong, so here's another snowglobe. 

     As before I cut a white card blank and stuck all the globe elements on to it, including a full circle of blue card to hide the fold on the white card and make the circle of the globe complete. The die used for the snowglobe is by John Next Door. It isn't just for Christmas cards, a crafting friend has made some very nice birthday cards with photographs, it's also perfect for popping a unicorn or a castle inside.

      As we are now closing in on Christmas rather quickly being able to make some quick and easy recycled cards is very handy. Please pop over to Christmas Craft Creations and show us what you can make.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas - S - Snowy

Christmas Crafts All Year Round - 2 Things Beginning With S   Top pick

Winter Wonderland - Snowmen and Snow     Top 3

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas

Christmas With The Cuties - Bling It On

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas