Butterfly Media Magic

     This is made using the John Next Door's media plates along with the new stamps and dies. The media plates are an existing item and the new stamps and dies have been made to fit perfectly with them.

     Using Izink pigment inks I inked up the butterfly media plate and smoothed it out with a hard brayer. I have also used a spare piece of card to clean off the brayer, this will be used for another project.
     Using some of the same inks I have inked up some floral stamps and stamped them onto the media plate, then stamped that onto the card, this gives the illusion of flowers in the background.
     I have also used Versafine black and stamped some flowers on the card to look like they are growing in front of the butterfly shape.

   
     There are also a few small silhouette butterflies stamped in grey across the card.
     I trimmed the card ready to put on a black mat layer but before it was stuck down I made a small hole at the butterfly's head and stuck a flower stamen through, securing the stamen on the reverse of the card. This layer was then stuck onto the narrow black mat and then onto a wider coloured layer, before going onto an 8x8 scalloped card blank.

     The top butterfly is stamped in white ink onto vellum, the beauty of a stamp press is you can stamp more than once to build up the depth of ink, this one was stamped three times.
     Once dry the vellum was cut out with the butterfly die, each wing was folded along the join to the body and then the body was stuck down with a strong PVA glue.
     The back of the vellum was coloured with the same inks used on the media plate, so everything co-ordinates and with the body in place the stamens look like little antenna.
      A delicate vellum butterfly has a colourful shadow as it flies across the card. Media plates really are a great way to make backgrounds and with so many shapes available as well as a large rectangle the possibilities are endless.


Materials List    Available from your local craft shop
JLMP003  Butterfly Media Plate
JND110A  Bold Butterfly Stamp
JND109    Butterfly and Dragonfly die set
Hard Brayer
I-Zink pigment inks
Versafine Black Ink
Stix2 3D PVA Glue

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

Craft Rocket - Something New

Moving Along With The Times - All Things New

Little Red Wagon - Never Before Used Schtuff

Simon Says Stamp - Something New

New Year Party Treats

     Going to a dinner party this holiday? How about taking some after dinner sweet treats in a champagne bottle box. This is made using the large bottle die from John Next Door, it stands around the same height a real bottle would.

      With the bottle die there are dies for the labels, cork, glass and bubbles. I wanted to have bubbly in the glasses so I die cut the wine with bubbles from cream card, over vellum and laminated it, then cut the glass from the laminate. This made them strong enough to stand up when attached to the box.
      The acetate box is two pieces of fancy zigzag patterned acetate cut to form two sides each, they are then stuck into a green card tray that measures the width of the bottle die cuts.
      I cut two bottles from dark green card, the same card as the base tray, then decorated them with the labels shapes cut in white and gold.

     The stamp is from my stash, make unknown but it was perfect for this box. Using my stamp platform I worked out where on the card to stamp by laying the die down and lining it up. The little stars are die cut with dies from the bottle set, they allow the gold mirri mat to shine through.
     The cork is cut from Stix2 cork sheet and stuck on with redline tape, which is what I used for making the whole box, nice and strong.
     If you don't stick the bottles together at the top you can put a real bottle in the holder, but I preferred to keep it for after dinner treats.
     There is also a small bottle die set available, that would make cute individual little boxes, ideal for wedding favours.
     Whatever you are doing this holiday I hope you enjoy it, have a very Crafty New Year.

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

International Art & Soul - Anything But a Card

ABC Christmas - Y-Yuletide, Z-Zigzags   

The Holly and Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

For One Night Only

     A rather simple card made with one of last years Woodware stamps and a die cut. Keeping the colour palette to black, white and a splash of red makes it a bold card, suitable for any age or gender.

     Using Versamark I stamped on to black card and then embossed with white powder, I also ran a white ink across the card to look like a slightly dirty blackboard. I left a wide border around the stamp to make it stand out and matted it on red for a hit of colour.
     The card blank was run through a snowfall embossing folder before the image panel was stuck on to it.
     The deer was die cut in both white card and black, I stuck the black over the white but slightly out of line to give a reverse shadow effect, it makes him stand out a little better against the black background.
     All that remained was to give him, or her, a tiny red gem for a nose. The deer is mounted on foam pads so that it stands out a little form the card, but will still fit in a standard postage envelope.
     This month's optional theme at Christmas At Sweet Stampin' is Critters, so if you have any animals on your cards then please come over and join in the December fun.

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

Jingle Belles - Happy Holidays

The 12 Month's Of Christmas - Anything Christmas optional-layer it up

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Past challenge (52CCT4-19 & 52CCT12-19)

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas

Cards 4 Guyz - Christmas Critters

Seasons Greetings

     Not Just Cards challenge blog is for all things crafty, so this month I made a wreath for the door.

     The base for this was a polystyrene ring, which I then covered with hessian ribbon, to secure the ends I used hot glue.
     There is a wire loop on the back which gives me somewhere to tie the wreath to the door.
     The pine fronds are from an old artificial tree that I use as an outside decoration. The pine cones were collected on one of many walks around parkland, all I had to do was use the hot glue gun to secure it all and add in a few wired berries.
     The bow is wire edged ribbon, again stuck on with hot glue. A rather simple but effective seasonal make. Please pop over to Not Just Cards and see what other inspiration we have.

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

The Holly and Ivy - Anything Christmas

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

International Art & Soul - Anything BUT A Card

Never Ending Safari

     If you like mechanical cards you'll love this one, a never ending card. It used to involve some very careful measuring, a few spare sheets of card and a hot cup of tea to calm the nerves....not any more, you can do it all with a die set! This is a new die set from John Next Door (JND106-DIE), you get the main card dies that also add fold lines, plus some of the small panel topper dies to save all that fiddly trimming.

    There is a video tutorial for this card on John's You Tube page, I would also suggest cutting the main pages in rough card to begin with so you can play around with it before using your best cardstock.
     I cut my base card from Kraft card as it was going to be covered with animal pictures. All the mat layers were cut in a dark brown card as black just didn't look right.
     You may be able to see from this photograph that I planned which photo would go where and also which way up before sticking anything down. As the card folds the pictures face different directions so a little planning will save having the elephants upside down!

     Parts of the following pictures can sometimes be seen, but I don't think this takes away from the ones on the current page, it adds to the interest of what follows. This was made using pictures taken on a birthday safari, a fabulous day out with a great bunch of nutcases that I am proud to call friends.

     This page contains one of my favourite pictures of the day....the 'does my bottom look big to you?' rhino. My photographic skills leave much room for improvement!
     The cards ability to fold and turn improved as I added pictures, at the beginning it didn't seem to move well, but I think the added weight helped the mechanics a lot. I also used Stix2 3D PVA, a good strong glue rather than DS tape, all that movement means it has to be stuck down securely.
     These cards are great for special occasions as they have four sides on which to add pictures and messages, becoming mini scrapbooks like this one.

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

Crafty Animals - Anything With Animals Goes

Creative Fingers - Anything Goes

The Crafter's Cafe - Flora and/or Fauna or Pocket

Love To Craft - Anything Goes

Oh Christmas Tree

     Trees are the optional theme for Christmas At Sweet Stampin' this month. I dug a few things from my stash and began to play around with various trees, settling on a traditional looking Christmas tree.

     Inkylicious have a rather nice splatter plate but as I wanted to make smaller cards for posting I managed to get their newer Mini Splatter, great for a 5 inch square.
     Using Distress Oxides Jeans & Spruce I made the background by inking up the plate, then spritzing it with a little water containing pearl mica powder, before stamping it onto my card base.
     Using a Lavinia Christmas tree I stamped it with Versafine Olympia Green.

     I wanted to use a red pearl card to cut the word Christmas but I couldn't find any, so I made my own. Using the small spritz bottle of water with pearl mice added I sprayed my red card very lightly.
     Once dry I cut the word with a Tim Holtz die but as it's rather thin I left it in the die, dabbed the glue on the back of the card and then placed it on the background and gently poked it out of the die. I found this much easier than fighting with it, I also did this with the word Merry, it made sure the spacing was perfect as well.
     This card was so easy to make I decided with time running out that I would batch make, creating my own background means they are not all the same.
     Please pop over to Christmas At Sweet Stampin' to see all the DT inspiration, then come and join us with your project.

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

The Holly and Ivy - Anything Christmas

Unicorn - Christmas/Winter

Dragonfly Dreams - Christmas/Winter

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas

Spread A Little Sunshine

     A non Christmas card for Not Just Cards using a new Two Jays stamp, Tree and Bridge.

     I have used a media plate for the background on this card, with a stamp press it's so easy to ink up the plate, spritz with water and stamp it onto the card. I stamped the plate a couple of times but left any white patches in the sky as they could pass for clouds.
     Using the media plate again, after a good wipe over, I added Versamark through a stencil to the plate. As the plate hadn't been moved it went perfectly over the dry background, leaving the sticky sun rays, which I dusted with pearl mica powder.

     To get a matching mat layer I cut a piece of white card and sponged the edges to co-ordinate with the background.
     When it came to stamping the image black looked a little too harsh, so i used Memento Grey Flannel instead.
     I searched through my stash to find some silver paper that had a sheen similar to the mica powder for another mat layer.
     I have chosen not to add a greeting on the outside, I would normally add one inside when it's needed but I no longer have the card as it was a sample for John Next Door and Two Jays stamps.
     Please pop over to Not Just Cards to see all the inspiration from the DT, come and join us with your creations, as the title says it's Not Just Cards.


Materials List    Available from your local craft shop
JLGP004 - Media Plate set of 4
CTJJ114 - Two Jays stamp  Tree & Bridge
Versamark Ink Pad
Distress Inks
Pearl Mica Powder
S57262 - 3D PVA Glue Stix2

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

Addicted To Stamps - Anything Stamped Goes

Sweet Stampin' - Make Your Own Background

Country View - Hand Stamped