Letterpress Style Thank You

I don't know about anyone else, but I am so ready for Spring.  This Winter has brought much colder weather than I have seen a quite some time, and I find that I am able to tolerate it much less.  We have been blessed with a mere fraction of the snow that some areas have had; and that's a very good thing as far as I am concerned.  With any blessings should come thanks, and "Thank You" just happens to be our theme at the Card A Day Blog this week.

I was reminded, by something in my wanderings around the web, that I haven't used my Spellbinders' Impressabilities in a long time. So I decided to get them out and use one for today's card.  If you're not familiar with Impressibilities, they are very thin metal templates that can be used in many ways; such as embossing/debossing, as a stencil, cut apart and the pieces used as embellishments.  I have used mine in a 'letterpress' style.  Letterpress is a style of printing where the type is set, ink is applied and the paper is pressed into the type to pick up the ink.  This method also leaves an impression in the paper.  This is, essentially, just what I did with my template.

I used a splatter mat to keep from getting ink on my table and applied ink directly from my stamp pad to the template.  I carefully placed my piece of cardstock on the inked template and put it in the proper sandwich to run through my Cuttlebug.  The result is a lightly embossed inked impression.   I inked the edges of this piece just a bit to help it stand out against the card base.

Once I had my embossed layer prepared, I wrapped three strips of 3/8" satin ribbon around the center.  I then die cut two layers for my sentiment.  These pieces were also inked just a bit on the edges.  I stamped my sentiment, and then layered all three pieces using foam tape.

This was a slightly messy project, but really quite easy to accomplish and is no problem at all to clean up.  I hope you'll decide to try this type of design style.  Even if you don't have the Impressabilities, you can use the same method with an embossing folder, and a deeper impression can be obtained.  You can see an example of that here.

 

Supplies:
     Paper:  Recollections
     Dies:  Spellbinders "Timeless Rectangle"
     Impressabilities:  Spellbinders "Flourish"
     Inks:  Tim Holtz Distress "Dusty Concord" by Ranger and Stampin' Up "Wisteria Wonder"
     Stamp:  Stampin' Up "Blooming with Kindness"
     Ribbons:  Ellen Hutson

'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!!!
CHRISTINE

Don't BUG Me!

It is SO still the season for catching all those nasty bugs that keep floating around.  I hope you've been able to avoid being in that situation.  On that note we, at the Card A Day Blog, have some Get Well inspirations to share.  I received some really cute supplies from my dear sister for Christmas, and decided to use some of them for today's card.

My card was a fairly quick one to make once I decided just what I wanted to do.  First I'll show you the main supplies I used.

The two stamp and die sets were part of my Christmas gift.  Now, here's my card:

When I was getting out my supplies I thought I would stamp the 'bug' outline and color it, but there were a few dp scraps sitting next to my new sets and one just caught my eye.  So I lined up the outline stamp where I wanted it on the scrap, and used the die to cut it out.

In the same stack of scraps I found a piece of handmade paper that was perfect for cutting out the clouds.  The handmade paper gave the clouds some nice texture.

I'm not sure you can see the texture in the photos, but it shows up nicely in person.

Next, I cut a scrap of blue for some sky, and I tore a piece of kraft card to use for the ground.  I used two brown-toned inks to color the edges a bit without making the ground too busy-looking.

After stamping the sentiment, I laid the 'sky' down with my ATG, and used foam tape to affix the ground pieces and the car.  I used a double layer of the foam tape to lift the lower ground piece above the car.

My card base, which is sized at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" to fit a standard A2 envelope, is a dark navy blue, so I added a white insert for the message and signature.

The pictures don't really show it off very well, but this card is very cute in person and will certainly help brighten the day for someone who isn't feeling quite up to par.

Details:
     Stamp/Die Sets:  taylored expressions "Wheely Great" set and hampton art "Welcome Home" set by doodlebug design inc. and Sizzix.
     Inks:  VersaMagic "Ocean Depth" Chalk Ink and Memento "Desert Sand" and "Rich Cocoa."
     Cardstock:  Gina K Designs "In the Navy" and Neenah "Kraft."

Thanks, as always, for your visit.  Please know that I truly appreciate the time you take to spend with me.  'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!!!!!
CHRISTINE

Who Loves You

Happy Wednesday, everyone!!  It's a beautifully bright sunny day where I am.  I hope your day is just as lovely.  And speaking of things 'love'ly, I have another Card A Day Blog Valentine inspiration for you.  Just as in my previous Valentine post, this card is definitely not your traditional "Cupid's Holiday" offering.  I do hope you like it, and it inspires you to go out of the usual Valentine zone and try something different for your loved one this year.  I think my card is ideal for one of the male valentines in your life.

This card came about because I was being so indecisive about which card design I wanted to use; I had three different ideas in mind.  So, I decided to pull out some of my bits and pieces of items left over from previous card-making sessions.  We're not talking about just scraps of paper, but you'll see.  I ended up with a totally different design from what I had expected.

In one of my envelopes of previously made, but unused, ephemera I found a large die cut label perfect for a background.  I also found several punched hearts, including a sweet sparkly one.  Another package search revealed a leafy branch and a cuter than cute die cut owl.  With those few pieces, all I needed were a sentiment and a card base.  Well, I found the card base in a stack of cut card stock, and I decided to create my own sentiment.

Okay, okay, enough blather.  Here's my card:

 

I first inked the background label to give the edges more definition so it wouldn't just fade into the kraft card base.  It seemed an ideal backing for an owl on a tree branch.  I mounted the background using foam tape.

 



I next took the leafy branch, which had originally been cut from white paper and colored with markers, and gave the leaves some dimension using a stylus and mouse pad.  I attached the branch with Scotch Quick-Drying Tacky Glue.

 

I then used the foam tape to affix the owl perched on his larger branch so it would look like the smaller branch was growing out of the larger one.

 

Next, I started working on my sentiment.

 



I decided what my owl would say, typed it into a word-processing document and printed it with brown ink onto Stampin' Up 'Very Vanilla' cardstock.  It had taken me awhile to decide on the shape, but I thought it would be cute as a ribbon flying in a breeze.  I tried it out first by writing it on scrap paper and hand cutting to determine whether I would like it and what the sizing should be.  After applying a bit of ink on the edges, I used the foam tape to apply the sentiment piece.

 

All I had left to do was apply the sparkly heart to the owl's chest.  Once the inside of the card is finished, it will, of course, say, "Your Valentine, That's Who."

 

 

I just adore this sweet little card.  I think my hubby will like it, too.  It was such fun putting this card together!  I hope you had fun reading about it.

 

Thanks so much for visiting.  'Til next time.....

 

Big HUGS!

CHRISTINE

ALWAYS.....

.....in my heart.  That is how I feel about you, my dear readers.  Welcome back!  This is my first post for 2014 as well as my first post of the year for the Card A Day Blog.  And we're kicking off the CADB year with Valentine's Day.  My inspiration today actually comes from a guest designer, who wishes to remain nameless, but I think most of you can guess who I'm talking about from previous guest appearances.  This isn't your typical splashy red Valentine, but if you look closely you will find a tiny red heart peaking out.

This card is very cute, but it's also easy to make, especially if you like to color, as the featured image was colored with copics.

This little girl and her sentiment are from the My Favorite Things "Pure Innocence" collection.  If you're not familiar with this line you should definitely take a look; they are so adorable.  Two scraps of design paper were used; one for the sentiment and one to create a colorful off set border.

A white mat was embossed, and a piece of twine wrapped and tied on before mounting to the white A2 sized card base.

I really love this sweet card, and thank my 'guest designer' for her contribution.

Thanks so very much for your visit today.  I hope to see you again soon -- and often!!

'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!!
CHRISTINE