Happy Birthday Card

Hello everyone!  With all these wonderful new big dies that have been released at the winter CHA(Craft & Hobby Assoc.) show, I sometimes overlook the smaller sets.  But these sets are usually the ones that I find those small dies that I look for to complete cards.  Someone was asking me the other day, what small flower dies do I use for my cards.  Sizzix has Thinlits cards sets that have anywhere from 12 to 20+ dies in each set and usually it's those ones that have great small flowers.  Here are two new Thinlits sets from Sizzix that I think are wonderful for cardmakers.  I created this card:

With just cardstock, vellum, and patterned paper, I created this dimensional birthday card.

The Sizzix Brenda Walton Floral Wreath Thinlits 23pc. die set (660256) is a great set, look at all those pieces!  I love the font on this Sizzix Happy Birthday 3pc Thinlits set from Jen Long (660368) too.

I used BoBunny's new collection, "Garden Journal" for my card.  After my card base was prepared (matted postcard on patterned paper on cardstock), I was ready to apply my various die-cuts.

  To die-cut these Thinlits, my Sizzix "sandwich" used was, Sizzix Magnetic Platform (656499), new Precision Base Plate (660230), paper, Thinlits die(facing down, cutting into metal base plate), Standard Cutting Pad.  These new Precision Base Plates are a metal base that replace a clear acrylic cutting pad (they are the same thickness), and when cut into, there is no give, giving a sharper cleaner cut.  The Happy Birthday was die-cut with brown cardstock, then a thin coat of Olive Vine Twinkling H2O's to give it a slight green shimmer.  The flowers were die-cut with pink cardstock, then sprayed with a combination of Distress Stain Sprays (Victorian Velvet, Tattered Rose, and Aged Mahogany).  While the flowers were damp, I moulded them and attached the layers with a brad.  The green leaves were die-cut with green cardstock, then the edges inked.  Patterned paper was used with the square die-cut, then edges inked.  The two butterflies were die-cut from patterned vellum (Webster's Pages), the edges darkened with a Tim Holtz Distress marker.  The filigree butterfly has Prima's pink Sugar glued to random areas.

 Once I had my die-cut embellishments finished, I adhered everything to my card base.

Here is my finished card again!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jan

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Sizzix Layout Tutorial

I have a Sizzix tutorial up on the Sizzix blog today featuring this layout:

Hope you visit me there!

Jan

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Love You Layout

When I brought this new My Mind's Eye paper collection home, I couldn't wait to use it.  The colours are so soft and beautiful, and the gold is so rich looking. I'm sure my daughter (her photo) would cringe at the colours and fussy die cuts, definitely not her style, lol!  I decided just to do a layout for me; no tutorial, no step by step photos, just enjoy.  I don't get to do that very often, I need to do it more.

I was surprised how fast it was to complete, not having to stop and take photos throughout the process. I was pretty proud of myself, until…. wouldn't you know it, after I finished my layout, I decided to add in some dots from my black pearl pen on the large flower and nothing came out.  The darn thing was plugged.  You know what I'm going to say, don't you.  I even removed the flower to add the dots just in case, but when I held the pen up and slightly squeezed to see if it really was plugged, a blob of black shot up into the air and landed in front of my desk.  Whew, that was close.  I couldn't believe it went that far and missed my layout.  Until I looked at my daughter's photo and saw tiny black dots everywhere and that nice pink empty space that now has sequins to hide those little dots.  I rather like those sequins.  Note to self:  buy more sequins.  And wouldn't you know it, when I went to print a new photo, my printer ran out of photo black and would not print and I had a box of every other colour except that one. I know if I don't pick some up, someone is going to need  to print something in a panic.  Drove to the store that was a couple of blocks away for printer ink, they didn't have any.  Drive many blocks further in the other direction to get it.  Ever have days like that?

The dies used were from Tattered Lace; Floral Crescent (D497), Wren (D556), and Summer Rose (D119).

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Jan

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Sizzix Inspiration - Friends Card

Hi Everyone!  Today I have a Sizzix Inspiration post featuring this card on the Sizzix blog.

Hope you visit me there!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jan

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Tag Inspiration

Just sharing a tag today!

This large tag is die-cut from a new Sizzix Stephanie Ackerman Bigz L die and measures 4" x 8".  Your sandwich when die-cutting bigz dies is; cutting pad, die, paper, another cutting pad.  Run this sandwich through your Big Shot machine. The cardstock I used is a new favourite, and has a kind of velvet metallic finish and a dark burgundy/purple
undertone.

I die-cut two feathers from the new Sizzix Tim Holtz Feather Duo with Texture Fade out of the same metallic cardstock.  The two feathers were embossed with the cordinating embossing folder.  On one of the feathers, I used Scarlet Ice metallic leaf flakes and FlitterGlue on the raised embossed areas of one leaf.

On the bottom of my tag, I stamped a nest with clear embossing ink.  Ranger's Sticky Embossing powder was then applied and heated.  Once heated, this powder turns sticky, and my leafing flakes were applied.

For embellishments, I die-cut a honeycomb piece from Tim Holtz's Mixed Media thinlits die, the word cherish from the thinlits die,  Handwritten Love, small postage stamp label from Tim Holtz Labels Thinlits set,  a flower made from Sizzix Tattered Pinecone Bigz die.  Small flowers and handcut flowers from Prima's Archivist paper were also added.  Two small birds were also die-cut from the Sizzix Thinlit die, Birds in Flight.

To finish off my tag, I dyed seam binding ribbon with Distress Sprays.  

Thanks for stopping by,

Jan

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