Sizzix Gatefold Card Tutorial

Hi everyone!  I have a card tutorial on the Sizzix blog today!

We are featuring the new gatefold card dies designed by Lori Whitlock. Hope you join me there!

Jan

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Sizzix Tutorial - Love Layout

Hi everyone!  February is almost here, and I know some of you are already thinking about Valentine's Day.  Today I have a tutorial on the Sizzix blog showing you how to create this layout:

Hope you visit me there!

Jan

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Happy Halloween Card

I think it's time the Halloween inspiration started!  Here's my first Halloween card of the year, I'm sure it won't be the last!

I used papers from Echo Park's Arsenic & Lace collection for my card.  I started off embossing the end of a 6 x 12" piece of patterned paper with Sizzix's Rachel Bright Scrolls & Lace Embossing set.  I lightly inked the raised areas with black soot distress ink, and after drying, highlighted the raised areas with black Stickles.  I trimmed off the paper around the bottom edge of the embossed lace.  The Sizzix Tim Holtz Candlelight die and the Tim Holtz Raven die  were cut out with chipboard.  I applied adhesive backed metal to the candle chipboard before die-cutting.  I distressed the metal slightly, then painted black, persimmon, antique linen paint, wiping off the excess after each application. The raven was painted black, then covered with Black Soot Distress Glitter.
The label was cut out from my paper using Sizzix's Ornate #2 framelit, then edged with black pen.  Before adhering the label to my card, I stamped Happy Halloween (Tim Holtz Carved Halloween CMS197).  I added in a black cardstock piece of the Cobwebs Decorative Strip die-cut before adhering my candle and raven.  I finished off my card with orange ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jan

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A Frosty Shoe

I've been creating some Christmas cards for Urban Scrapbook's display, and found myself at a creative standstill.  I decided just to make a Christmas shoe like the Halloween one from Sizzix's Brenda Walton  Slipper die that I made here, to get those creative juices flowing again.  I think I'm hooked on these shoes, they are so fun and easy to create.  One of our customers at the store thought these would make great party favours for women, with a bottle of nail polish tucked inside.  But one of the staff came up with an even better idea, one of those little tiny bottles of liquor!  Everyone agreed, and the nail polish was quickly forgotten!

I used Echo Parks, "Tis the Season" paper, white cardstock and vellum for my shoe.  The snowflake rosette is from Sizzix's Tim Holtz Mini Two Rosette Snowflake Decorative Strip die and the vellum bits on the heel are cut out from Sizzix's Tim Holtz Festive Greenery Decorative strip die.  Once I had my shoe and rosette constructed and the greenery cut out, I applied glossy accents to all of these and poured on Tim Holtz Rock Candy Glitter.  I love using this stuff on everything Christmas!

I added a strip of tinsel across the top of the shoe before adhering my rosette.  The small jewel in the middle of the rosette is from Maya Road.
Sorry, these aren't the greatest photos.  I took lots, but for some reason these were the only two that weren't as blurry.  I don't know what I did wrong there!

It did help me, I went on to making more cards!  I also can't wait to make more shoes!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jan

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Urban's November Layout

Hi everyone,  it's that time again for Urban Scrapbook's monthly Design Team Challenge.

This month our kits included paper and embellishments from Echo Park's line called, "Reflections" designed by Lori Whitlock.  Love this collection, and they have added a Christmas line by Lori this year too.

I had a bit of fun playing with my Lindy's sprays and embossing powders and also Viva's Ferro Metallic paste on the background.

  

I used my Sizzix Christmas Cardinal Die for the bird, I just cut off the pointed part of his head.  It was cut from the burgundy cardstock and embossed with Lindy's Midnight Copper Obsidian embossing powder and while still hot, a rubber stamp pressed into the bird's body.  I highlighted a few areas with Viva Gold Copper paste. Some hand-cut leaves and dragonfly from patterned paper, my stamped and embossed wood circle, wood altered frames, a altered embossed burlap flower, and buttons were added.  The stencils I used were from Prima and Tim Holtz.

My husband and I were in Vancouver this summer and decided to spend the day at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.  I am a little afraid of heights but I decided to conquer my fear!  I didn't do too bad, even walked across the cliff walk!  The frame in my photo is actually a giant frame that everyone posed behind for photos.  I remember going there once as a kid and being terrified, so I'm glad I went again.  I would highly recommend it if you are ever in Vancouver!

The layouts are on display at the store and up on Urban's blog, make sure you check out our talented team of designers!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jan

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Just sharing....

a few projects!  I realized as I was working on this post about Urban Scrapbook's Monthly Layout Kit, that I never shared last month's layout!  So here's my January and February layouts.  First is February's which I think we still have some left for sale at the store.  The February kit features Fancy Pants' collection, "Love Notes".

I really love this color combination, red, black, pink and kraft.  The large hearts were cut out from templates I printed off the internet.  I printed my photo on one of the patterned papers that has very faint printing.  That's my husband in the photo, and in the envelope there's another little photo of him.  It's showing what he is carrying over his shoulder...my purse.  He' always carrying my purse for me, when I'm taking photos, is that love or what, lol!  It's hard to tell in the photo, but I die-cut the filigree heart into the side of the envelope before it was taped closed, and then die-cut the heart again in red and adhered it into the die-cut envelope.
It was a fun kit to work with, and the design team all came up with some fantastic layouts.  You can check them all out here.
Here's my January monthly layout:

This kit featured Echo Park's collection, "Winter Wishes".  There were some great snowflake die-cuts included in this kit, which I embossed some of them with Shabby White Embossing Enamel by Stampendous.  You can check out the rest of the Design Team's layouts here.

Because Valentine's Day is fast approaching, I have been working on some cards for Urban Scrapbook's display.  Can I just say, that I think our store has the largest inventory of scrapbooking dies in the city!  There's Sizzix (we just received the first of Tim Holtz's new releases), Memory Box (a whole wall full!), Impression Obsession, Poppy Stamps, Spellbinders, CottageCuts, Cheery Lynn, and Dee's Distinctively!  So here's a few cards featuring just a few of our dies:

Memory Box - Bingham Heart , Grand Heart,  Lovely Aster
Spellbinder - Bitty Blossoms
                
Memory Box - Precious Heart Box, Hugs & Kisses, Cherish Border
Sizzix - Tim Holtz Valentine Stacked Words Decorative Strip Die

Sizzix - Tim Holtz Valentine Stacked Words Decorative Strip die

Memory Box - Owl Heart Tree die

Memory Box - Silverdale Heart, Serafina Heart, Cupid Heart

A birthday pop-up card:

Sizzix - ornament bigz die, Luxury in the Details Decorative Strip die

The inside -  Sizzix - Sizzlits Baroque Ornament die, Pop 'n Cuts XL die

Impression Obsession - Twig Wreath die

Memory Box - Floral Delights

Cheery Lynn - Thank You word dies

Sizzix - Circle framelits

They are on display at Urban Scrapbook, so if you are in the area, stop by and visit!

Have a great weekend!

Jan

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It's Almost Halloween...

and I have one more project to show you.  I've been playing with my new Sizzix Pop 'N Cuts base and decided to make a Halloween Card.  Here is the front:

I wanted my card to be a little bigger so I cut a 6 x 6 card base and adhered my Pop 'N Cut card to the inside.

I cut out the Sizzix Movers & Shapers Headstone Diecut  with the magnetic Movers & Shapers mini 31 in the bottom corner, using We R Memory Keepers dark purple paper.  I embossed a spiderweb with Tim Holtz's Halloween Cutouts stamp with clear ink and embossing powder, inked the gravestone with Distress ink, Seedless Preserves, mostly on the outer edges. Fill the "31" with Rock Candy clear crackle paint, let dry and then stain with Rusty Hinge distress stain.  I was ready to adhere my gravestone to the center pop up circle, but because the edge was not a straight edge and my piece was quite large, I adhered a piece of paper to the back.

Now watch my little video, to see the skeleton on my card!

This part is a little confusing, but Karen Burniston explains it perfectly here.  I don't know how she thinks of these things, she's amazing!  Once you figure it out, these are so fun to add to your card.

For my card front, I used Echo Park's Chillingsworth Manor paper.  The gravestones were cut out with Sizzix's On the Edge Graveyard die, then embossed with their Poison texture fade.  I heat embossed it using Ranger's Antiquities Cement embossing powder.  I sanded it a bit after and inked with Vintage Photo Distress ink.  Love this embossing powder, it looks just like stone!  The bats and tree were cut out using my Sizzlit Decorative strip, Halloween Shadows.  I also cut out a banner using my Tattered Banner Sizzlit die and placed it underneath haunted sticker.

Hope you enjoyed my card, and if you have the Pop 'N Cuts die, you have to try the spinner insert!

I did have a few more Halloween projects that I was hoping to get done , but I don't think I'll have the time to start them.  I guess I will be saving those for next year!

Until next time,

Jan

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