Monday 24 February 2014

Flowers & Butterflies Thank You Card-In-A-Box

I recently came across this gorgeous card-in-a-box made by Margaret.  As soon as I saw it I knew I just had to make my own version!  Margaret followed a video tutorial made by Tanya which can be found HERE.  The finished card following Tanya's tutorial fits into a C6 envelope.  I also found a video tutorial from Monica Gale which can be found HERE.  I followed Monica's measurements and instructions and the finished card fits inside a 6" square envelope.  I love that the card is so dimensional but then folds flat - ingenious - and it's easy to make too!

My starting point was to choose two patterned papers from the SU! Sweet Sorbet DSP pack and I chose CS that matched the papers.  It's an unusual combo but I do like the Crisp Cantaloupe and Pool Party pastels against the dramatic black!  I then used lots of dies and punches to get my flowers, leaves and butterflies.  It's quite tricky getting a good photo so I took a few from different angles.






Here's the back where I wrote my message.


The finished card fit inside a 6" square envelope but I decided that I would go the whole hog and make a matching patterned paper envelope to make the card a bit more special.  I gave this card to our wonderful friends Debs and Mike and they SO deserve special!  


Pinterest has loads of card-in-a-box inspiration, so many gorgeous examples, click HERE to see, it's well worth a look!

I'm going to share more card-in-a-box inspiration now from my lovely and very talented friend Lesley who I saw on Saturday at our local craft shop, the Glitter Pot.  * Hi Lesley, yes, I'm embarrassing you again by featuring your fantastic creations on my blog! *

Lesley commented on some patterned papers I bought and I told her they were destined to be made into a card-in-a-box and I enthusiastically launched into a description of what a card-in-a-box was.  Alison, behind the counter started laughing and a look passed between Alison and Lesley so I knew something was up!  Lesley reached inside her bag and out came three fabulous card-in-a-box examples and I just had to take photos! 

This oh, so pretty floral example is my birthday card from Lesley, I've had a naughty sneak peek 'cos my birthday is not 'til April but I can't wait to get this beauty on display in my home! 


A wonderful masculine example featuring wood and tools.


A beautiful pink butterflies version to finish - gorgeous! 

 
Phew, a very picture heavy blog post!  Lots of inspiration though and links to instructions too so I hope you'll try making a card-in-a-box yourself.  I'd love to see more examples so if you do make a card-in-a-box please leave a comment here on this blog post with a link to your card and I'll come and check it out!



 photo RoseRuth.gif


Saturday 22 February 2014

Pearly Snowflake Winter's Butterfly Card - 52 {C}CT Feb Stash Challenge

This week at 52 {C}CT Jacqueline is asking us to use metallic papers.  I was rootling in my patterned paper stash looking for something suitable for paper piecing when I spied this gorgeous aqua metallic textured paper - perfect for this week's Christmas card challenge!

 
The paper has been hoarded in my stash for ages and I was chuffed to find that turquoise Perfect Pearls powder (another long neglected stash item) was a great match with the paper.  It's lovely to use new crafty goodies but there's something very satisfying about rediscovering fabulous old stash items!  I have kept the design simple because the dramatic combo of metallic aqua and black has a wow factor all by itself.  I made a 5 1/4" square black card base and adhered the textured metallic paper mat layer.  I stamped the snowflake and sentiment in VersaMark ink, applied Turquoise Perfect Pearls powder with a medium sized brush and then whisked off the excess powder with a large make up brush.  A square Nestie die was used to cut out the snowflake but I trimmed it down on two sides to make it rectangular.  I wanted an aqua gem brad in the snowflake centre so I took a pearl topped brad, removed the pearl with my craft knife and glued on a gem in place of the pearl.  The snowflake and sentiment panels are both popped up.

I love how the photo shows how incredibly shiny the paper is  - there's a reflection under the card, pretty cool huh?! 


I cut a white panel for inside the card, stamped a sentiment and a snowflake border in Bermuda Bay ink and stamped a snowflake on the envelope flap.  The 'be merry' stamp has been in my stash for years and I think this could be the first time of inking - I found it tucked in with some other stamps.  I'm very happy to have rediscovered yet another neglected stash item!


I stamped the snowflake border again onto the front of the envelope to finish off.


What a wonderful time I had creating this stash challenge card - please join us at 52 {C}CT for this week's Metallic Papers challenge, I hope you have a happy time creating too!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Festive Flurry' set, Hero Arts 'Winter's Butterfly', Imaginisce 'Be merry' Snag'em stamp, My Cute Stamps 'Let it Snow' clear set
CS: SU! Basic Black & Whisper White

Paper:  aqua metallic textured paper from unknown source
Ink: VersaMark, SU! Bermuda Bay
Tools: square Nestabilities die, Perfect Pearls brush, large make up brush
Embellishments & accessories: Turquoise Perfect Pearls powder, brad & aqua gem, 3D foam tape




 photo RoseRuth.gif
 

Thursday 20 February 2014

Moonlit Wheat Especially For You Card

Jan and Angela came to my home for a card making afternoon a few days ago.  Angela had asked to use Distress Inks and heat embossing so with those guidelines in mind this is the card I came up with.  I cut a piece of Whisper White CS and attached a 1 1/4" punched paper circle mask for the moon.  I applied Tumbled Glass ink to the CS, followed that with Dusty Concord ink and finished with Chipped Sapphire ink.  After removing the circle mask I stamped the wheat and sentiment in VersaMark ink and heat embossed with black powder.  I sponged the edges of a die cut butterfly with Chipped Sapphire ink, adhered that to the moon and added a gem.  Afterwards I realised you don't see butterflies in the moonlight - so it's now a moth LOL!

I cut the image panel into three sections - making the top section larger, inked the edges with Chipped Sapphire ink and then edged each section with Platinum Shimmer Paint.  I made a Wisteria Wonder A6 card base but I wasn't entirely happy with the panel spacing, the gaps between were too large.  So I trimmed a bit off the bottom of the card and that issue was resolved!


Inside I applied Broken China and Dusty Concord inks to one corner of the white panel and stamped and heat embossed just a portion of the wheat image.  I sponged the edges of the white panel with Chipped Sapphire ink.  For the envelope I stamped and heat embossed a portion of the wheat image onto Wisteria Wonder CS, punched a circle and edged that with Chipped Sapphire ink.  I layered that onto a black circle mat to finish.


Supplies:
Stamps:  Woodware 'Wheat' & 'Going to Seed' clear sets
CS: SU! Wisteria Wonder & Whisper White
Ink: VersaMark, Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass, Dusty Concord & Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks
Tools: SU! Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, circle punches, Ranger ink applicator tools, sponge daubers, craft mat, heat tool

Embellishments & accessories: SU! black embossing powder, Tsukineko Platinum Shimmer Paint, SU! rhinestone jewel

  photo RoseRuth.gif
 



Tuesday 18 February 2014

Gardenia Thanks Card For Jan

This is the card I made for Jan to say thanks for our Christmas gifts.  Jan lent me a few Memory Box dies - the Gorgeous Gardenia background and outline dies and the Fauntleroy Crest die so I thought I'd use those goodies for her card. 

I used white/silver pearl CS to make a 5 1/4" square card base.  I embossed black CS with the Acanthus folder and rubbed Pearl Moon gilding wax with a muslin cloth over the panel to highlight the embossing.  I added narrow Melon Mambo CS strips at the top and bottom of the black panel and adhered the two black crest shapes.  I die cut the solid gardenia shape twice, once from Old Olive CS and again from Melon Mambo CS and cut the outline gardenia from black CS.  I trimmed the Melon Mambo flowers, edged them with Rose Red ink and edged the leaves with Old Olive ink.  I glued the outline shape over the top and popped the gardenia cluster up.  I stamped and die cut the sentiment label and popped that up also.  To complete the card front I added gems to the label and to the crest shapes.


I added another sentiment label inside and adhered an Old Olive crest die cut shape.  I punched and shaped a Melon Mambo flower and added gems to the label and flower centre.


For the envelope front I used one of the black crest negative die cut shapes and glued it over the top of a strip of Melon Mambo CS and glued that over a strip of Old Olive CS.  I added a punched and shaped flower and added a gem to the centre.


Supplies:
Stamps:  SU! 'Thank You Kindly' set, Hero Arts ' Sending You Love' clear set
CS:  Centura Pearl White/hint of silver CS, SU! Melon Mambo, Old Olive & Basic Black
Ink:  StazOn Jet Black, SU! Melon Mambo & Old Olive
Tools: Memory Box Gorgeous Gardenia Outline & Background dies, Memory Box Fauntleroy Crest die, Spellbinder's Grommet Tags die, Cuttlebug Acanthus embossing folder, Hero Arts Small Tag Frame Framelits die, SU! Boho Blossoms punch, sponge daubers

Embellishments & accessories: Pearl Moon gilding wax, SU! rhinestone jewels, 3D foam tape



 photo RoseRuth.gif


Saturday 15 February 2014

Christmas Landscape Merry Christmas Card - 52 {C}CT Feb Theme Challenge

Jacqueline has chosen a wonderful theme challenge for us at 52 {C}CT this week - it's a Christmas Landscape.


I love a Christmas card that features a sponged sky, bare winter trees and Santa's sleigh flying across a moon so this challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to indulge and make a favourite design! I made a 5 3/4" square Elegant Eggplant card base.  I attached a circle mask to my white panel and sponged on Marina Mist, Night of Navy and Elegant Eggplant inks.  After removing the mask I stamped the trees, Santa's sleigh and the sentiment. I cut a square of Brushed Silver CS, dry embossed just the bottom part, glued on the image panel, added the ribbon and attached the silver panel to the card front.  I layered photo corner die cuts, added gems and then cast a critical eye over the card to consider if I'd finished.  Well, not quite, I decided a spritz of silver shimmer would be a perfect finishing touch!   


Here's a close up of the spritzed silver shimmer.


Here's the inside and the envelope.


I took a break away from card making and blogging for a while, it's great to be back and I'm so glad to be creating and sharing for 52 {C}CT again!  I hope you'll create and share with 52 {C}CT too and enter a card into this week's Christmas Landscape challenge!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Lovely as a Tree & Four the Holidays sets, All Night Media Santa & Sleigh, Hero Arts Joyful Christmas Season
CS: SU! Elegant Eggplant, Marina Mist & Whisper White
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black, SU! Marina Mist, Night of Navy & Elegant Eggplant
Tools: MFT Photo Corners Die-Namics dies, 1 1/4", 1 1/2, 1 3/4" & 2" circle punches, Ivy Flourishes Sizzix Texturz plate, Stamp-a-ma-jig,
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Elegant Eggplant & Marina Mist grosgrain ribbons, Tattered Angels Silver Glimmer Mist, rhinestone jewels


 photo RoseRuth.gif 

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Faux Fabric Heart Thanks Card

While the PaperMania stitched heart stamp was still out on my desk I thought I'd make another thanks card with it.  This card is for Angela who was so sweet while I was very poorly with a nasty infection a couple of weeks ago.  Angela brought me some scrummy soup that she'd made, a pack of chocolate coconut macaroons, some chocolate and as well as the goodies she loaned me a pile of feel good film DVDs.  I was feeling very miserable so her thoughtfulness and kindness really cheered me up!

To start I made an Early Espresso 5 1/2" square card base and cut a Very Vanilla mat layer which I partially dry embossed with the Acanthus folder.  I lightly brayered Wild Honey Distress Ink over the embossing and stamped the sentiment - I just had to use that particular sentiment knowing that I was going to have the heart on the card!  I added a narrow strip of Espresso CS before gluing the panel to the card front.  I applied Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick inks onto a piece of Vanilla CS, spritzed a background stamp liberally with water and stamped over the inked panel.  Stamping with the water removes some of the ink colour and I was left with a lovely delicate damask pattern on my panel which prompted me to go further and make the panel look even more like fabric.

I inked a Linen background stamp with Crumb Cake ink, stamped and then stamped the stitched heart over the top.  To make the faux stitching look more realistic I even pierced through the holes! I die cut a rosette, fussy cut the heart and popped it up.  I punched out 4 flower shapes and adhered three of the flowers next to the sentiment and attached the fourth flower to the rosette using a brad base with an Early Espresso Candy Dot. 


Here's a close up of the faux fabric look achieved with the layered stamping - I was chuffed how it turned out!


For inside the card I used the background stamp and Wild Honey ink to create a border, finishing off with a narrow strip of Espresso CS .


For the envelope front I used the Typewriter Alphabet set to stamp Angela's name, punched out the circles and glued them to the Early Espresso flag banner.  I stamped a portion of the background stamp in Fired Brick ink onto Vanilla CS and die cut a flower.  I edged the flower with ink and added a gem to the centre to finish off.  I'm giving this card to Angela tomorrow and I hope she likes it!


Supplies:
Stamps: PaperMania stitched heart, Hero Arts Hugs 'n Hearts clear set, Penny Black Delicate Pattern background stamp, SU! Linen background stamp, PaperMania Typewriter Alphabet cling set
CS: SU! Early Espresso & Very Vanilla
Patterned paper: SU! Candlelight DSP
Ink: Tim Holtz Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade & Fired Brick Distress Inks, SU! Early Espresso
Tools:  Cuttlebug Acanthus embossing folder, Sizzix Mini Paper Rosettes Decorative Strip die, SU! Boho Blossoms punch, brayer, Ranger ink applicator tools & sponges, MFT Fishtail Flag Stax die, Woodware 1/2" circle die, Poppystamps Blooming Posie die, sponge dauber, paper piercing tool
Embellishments & accessories: SU! brad base & Early Espresso Candy Dot, rhinestone jewels, Dimensionals




 photo RoseRuth.gif



01 09 10