Technique – dry embossing

Featuring dry embossing

All Smiles 2024

Hello everyone!

Today I’m sharing cards I made with some products kindly sent to me by Penny Black from their new All Smiles release. This is a truly gorgeous release with some amazing stamps and dies. I was very excited to play with the teacups and flowers stamp sets – although I have to confess that I was a little apprehensive about colouring the larger images. But having spent a lovely morning with my paint brush, I think I had just fallen out of practice with water colouring! Before I started, I decided that I wouldn’t put any pressure on myself to create a specific card and would just practice with my different watercolours, card panels and paint brushes. It was such a relaxing time and I surprised myself with some images that I felt comfortable including on a card. So if you’re feeling like me, just focus on enjoying the colouring process and you may surprise yourself!

So onto the cards! First up is a card using a cup from the Brew-tea-full stamp set (31-063), cut with the Brew-tea-full Cut Out co-ordinating die (51-823) and coloured with a liquid watercolour. I love all the blooms in both flower sets that are in this release but in the end I chose to use the daisies from the Blooms stamp set (31-064) that I had coloured with a distress reinker. I cut the image with the Blooms Cut Out coordinating die set (51-824).

For the background, I embossed a panel of coloured card using the Rounded embossing folder (65-016), adhered it to a card base cut from the same colour card. Once I adhered the images, I felt it needed a little something extra so I added a branch, Airy (51-423), cut from glitter card and a small strip of green to ground the cup.

My second card also uses a cup from the Brew-tea-full stamp set (31-063), cut with the co-ordinating die (51-823) and coloured with a distress reinker. This time I wanted to do something a bit different, so used a Penny Black stamp from a few years ago as my inspiration – the stamp is called Sweet Sip (30-905) you can see the card I made with that fabulous image here.

I chose a kitty from the fun Fancy Cat dies set (51-347) and the gorgeous Dignified die (51-821) and coloured them with distress inks. I blended some Tumbled Glass distress ink on my card base and adhered the elements – I ended up separating the leafy branches when arranging the elements in my teacup. I added a leafy border from the Garden Edgers die set (51-549) to ground the teacup plus a sentiment from the Love & Light mini stamp set (31-037) and some stickles and sequins!

Thanks for stopping by!

LucieG.

 

Cardinal in June

Happy Festive Friyay!

My training for Christmas in July continues today with my card for the current sketch challenge over at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown!

What a great sketch! I had originally planned to use a snowflake die set for my focal point but soon realised that the image would be too big – so I pivoted and pulled out the new-to-me Poppystamps Bird House Pop Up Easel die set that I picked up in a sale earlier this year. I have to confess that I bought the entire set because I LOVED that cardinal die!

I created the background strip using some coloured card, a Simon Says Stamp embossing folder and tons of distress oxide ink. The sentiment is by Clearly Besotted.

Thanks for stopping by!

LucieG.

 

Red Bouquet

Happy June everyone!

How can it be June already? After a super busy May, I’m hoping to have more crafty time this month and I want to gear up for my annual Christmas in July challenge!

Today I’m playing along in this week’s Color Throwdown challenge which has a very patriotic red, white and blue combo. I briefly toyed with creating a litt;e London scene with some of my older stamps but my dies won the day and so I ended up with a non-patriotic card, although I do feel this could also be used as a remembrance card.

The two flower dies are by Simon Says Stamp (Layered Perky Flower and Cosmos Stem) and I adhered them to a background embossed with my favourite Stampin Up folder called Painted Texture.

The stamp is by The Greetery.

Thanks for stopping by!

LucieG.

Shining Wings dies 2024

Hello everyone!

Today I’m sharing cards I made with some dies kindly sent to me by Penny Black from their new Shining Wings release. This is such a beautiful release with so many products that I was excited to create with.

My first card showcases the stunning Ascending die (51-820) which is probably my favourite Penny Black foliage die! I used a stencil from the Background Basics set (25-021) and blended some distress ink on my card base. I coloured the Ascending die cut with distress inks and arranged it on my card, leaving room for a foiled sentiment from the new Shining Wishes Stick & Shine Sheet (15-017) which I covered with foil from the new Blooming foils set (21-003). I also applied some foil to a small piece of card for the bow from the Jumbo Bauble die set (51-743) and centres for my vellum flowers, which are cut with dies from a new-to-me set, Flourish (51-421).

 

I then turned my attention to the elegant Dignified die (51-821) which I coloured with distress inks. The background panel was cut using the largest die from the Dainty Dashes Stackers die set (51-636) which I adhered to a green card base. After masking off the frame, I blended a little distress ink over the centre of my white panel. I applied two butterflies from the from the new Shining Wings Stick & Shine Sheet (15-015) to a piece of card, added foil from the new Blooming foils set (21-003), fussy cut and adhered them to my card. I was so excited to see more of these beautiful butterflies as I use the ‘original’ die ALL the time – it’s from the classic Flourish and Butterflies set (51-198), and of course a die cut makes an appearance here – cut from vellum! The sentiment is from the new Brighten the World stamp set (31-056).

 

As soon as I saw the release, I was drawn to the pretty Flower Family die set (51-819). I am CONVINCED that this mirrors a wood-mounted stamp but I can’t find it in my (rather extensive) wood-mounted stamp collection or online! Anyway, this super simple card came together really quickly! I coloured the centres with different distress inks and added some gems. I blended some Black Soot and Chipped Sapphire distress ink across the bottom of a navy card panel and adhered the flowers.  I then chose a sentiment from the new Shining Wishes Stick & Shine Sheet (15-017) which I covered with foil from the Metallics foils set (21-001). To complete my card, I added a thin strip of silver card to anchor my flower family. Click here to see another card that I made with this die set.

 

Next up is my card using the bold Layered Bloom die set (51-818). I coloured it with distress inks and added it to a base that I had embossed with the Noted embossing folder (65-005).  The sentiment is from the new Shining Wishes Stick & Shine Sheet (15-017) and the foil is from the new Blooming foils set (21-003). Click here to see another card I made with this die set.

 

 

 

Last but definitely not least is my card using the gorgeous Refresh die set (51-817). I love this set of three big statement blooms – I’ve already planned more cards with it!! For this card, I tucked the flowers into windows in a panel cut using the Slimline Medley die set (51-718) and added a sentiment from the Trust Me builder stamp set (30-7100).

Thanks for stopping by!

LucieG.

 

Joyful Nordic Butterfly

Hello everyone!

Just a quick post with my entry for this week’s Freshly Made Sketches.

I used a whole host of products by different manufacturers for this one! The Nordic Fanfare Butterfly and Nordic Butterfly Trio dies are by Poppystamps. I used a Simon Says Stamp embossing folder and Basic Grey paper for the background layers and the sentiment is by Taylored Expressions.

Thanks for stopping by!

LucieG.