The whole thing

As promised the other day, here's the thank you card I sent to my friend last week - it arrived safe and sound :-)

I'm still pretty happy with the result of my first attempt at inlaid embossing (well, second, but we won't talk about the true first attempt, it was pretty pathetic). Using the right embossing folder makes a world of difference - the Square Lattice folder is perfect because it has such a close, intricate design and the edges of your layers barely show at all.

Supplies used:Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Peach Parfait, Certainly CeleryOther: Timeless Type Sizzlit Dies, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Two Step Owl Punch, Two Step Bird Punch

A little peek

I can't show you the whole card, because it still has to be mailed out to a friend, but here's a little peek at a card I made last night with my NEW toy, the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet for my Big Shot.

This sizzlit die set comes with 12 dies, containing all upper and lower case letters of the alphabet, plus the numbers 0-9 and punctuation, all in a nifty little storage case with room to store half a dozen extra medium sized dies (or, in my case, my smaller standard sized dies which rattle around a little, but hey - they're all in the same place now).

The first thing I wanted to do was try the inlaid embossing technique, where you glue punched or die cut elements to a sheet of cardstock then put it through an embossing folder in the Big Shot. Here I have used the Square Lattice embossing folder (still available, contact me for details) and embossed the greeting right onto the background. It looks as though the letters were printed onto the cardstock - you can barely see that they are actually another layer.

Come back in a few days to see the actual card :-)

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler
Other: Timeless Type Sizzlit Dies, Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Brighten up winter

Here's a little eye candy to brighten up your dreary winter days ... completely inspired by a project in the monthly publication that Stampin' Up! demonstrators receive (anyone who's seen the original will know which one I mean).

Whereas the original was a beautiful 12x12 scrapbook page with a spray of stamped and punched flowers down one side, I simplified the idea down to a standard (if slightly bumpy) greeting card.

It was a lot of fun to make each flower, trying to be sure and get each one a little different from the next.

Supplies used:
Stamp(s): Party This Way
Ink: Melon Mambo
Cardstock: Peach Parfait, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight
Other: 1-3/4" x 7/8" Oval Punch, Decorative Label Punch (Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue), Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (Carryover Products), Floral Fusion Sizzlit, Blossom Party Sizzix Originals Die, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls, 5/16" Jumbo Brads

Circus, Anyone?

Here's something I made a while back. I was holding off posting a picture because I wanted to try my hand at making a little "steam engine" to pull these cute little carriages - but it's been several months and I'm no closer to working out how I would go about that :-) So if you have any ideas and/or patterns, feel free to let me know!

You can't tell from the picture that these are actually three little boxes, just big enough for a little lolly bag or something similar. The outside of each carriage is half a Top Note die shape, run through the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder for texture.

Here's close ups of each of the animals ... a little fiddly but so worth it (click for a larger picture):


Supplies used:
Stamp(s): Fox & Friends
Ink: More Mustard, Early Espresso
Cardstock: Old Olive, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black
Other: 2"x1-2/3" Oval Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Top Note Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

Free Gift with Purchase!

Do you like FREE stuff? During July, order $100 of product from Stampin' Up! and receive a free ribbon and button bundle! These accessories will brighten up your winter stamping in no time, so contact me to place your order today!