Izbzee

Turning 4.... already!

Who knew the last 4 years would fly by so quickly?  He's growing up so fast and it's hard to believe that he will turn 4 next week.  

He's a tall boy and this card I think will bring a smile to his face.

 

The animal stamps are an older set from Pink and Main, Happy Birthday stamp from Stamper's Anonymous (Tim Holtz collection) Crazy Talk.  

A masking technique was used to stack the animals..   Masking is easy to do and requires stamping off on a piece of tissue paper (masking material) or even copy paper and trimming to fit the stamped image.  

TIP:  If there are any components on the stamp you do not want to appear, use a little bit of blue painters tape to cover those parts, ink up your stamp and then remove the tape.  If you're using a fast drying ink, huff a little on the stamp to refresh the ink on the stamp. 

 

Now, layer the mask you stamped previously and ink and stamp the next image.  In this card, the elephant was stamped first.  The lion second, the turtle and monkey are a combined image on one stamp and they were stamped over the mask of the lion.  Pretty simple, but is a fun process.  Color with water soluble pencils.  In this case, I used Caran D'Arche supracolor soft pencils for this card.  They do blend well, dry or wet.  

A sheet of color block paper (in blues) was used for the backing on the AC smooth white cardstock base.  

Birthday "season" has arrived!  Looking forward to making each one a little special this year.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you're able to fit some creative time into your crowded days.  Keep nurturing your spirit!  It does much good for your mental health too.  

 

Birthday Season has arrived

Lots of birthdays are on the calendar for the next few months... time to buckle down and make a few more cards!  

Our littlest princess turns 1 very soon.  Hard to believe she was born just as the world went a little crazy last year!  We've missed out on so much of her 1st year -- here's hopes for a reunion very soon.

Papers for this card are from a collection I found at Creative Fabrica.  The website is one of the first places I stop when looking for themed digital images and papers.  

Pink and Gold Foil Digital Paper Set 

  I was even happy to find the crown was also included in the collection.  It's really a pretty simple card and the eCal3 software made it a breeze to fill the name and shadow of the 1 with the digital papers -- and size it to the shape. The card is based on a cake topper I saw on Pinterest.  I love that it was easy to translate into a card front and so quickly.  

The shadow layer of the 1,  Happy Birthday, and the crown are printed on the AC smooth white card front.  I used my print template for a card and oh how easy it is to print a card at a moment's notice in the software. 

A second crown with a blackout shadow and the name, Emily, were cut separately.  The number 1 was cut out of plain white cardstock.  The gel pen came in handy for some dots at just the right size for our cute little granddaughter.  Using a little double stick tape, the number was adhered to the card front, centered over the "shadow."  Pop up dots add a little dimension to the name and I also used a gold metallic gel pen to highlight the crown in several places before using some pop up dots to secure it to the card front over the printed crown. 

Birthday wishes are going out in the mail today!     

Hoping you're enjoying some creative time -- and if not, will set aside some time to do so in the very near future! Enjoy!   

 

digi stamps and movement

A digital Whimsy Stamp (Sugar) to the rescue for this card for one of our granddaughters.  Her birthday is coming up soon and I really hope she'll like it.  We've been doing some sort of interactive card for each of the grandkids for the last couple of years and it's getting a little tougher each year to find something "new" to keep them excited.  However......

Digi stamp cuteness makes this little girl shine and dance using a simple lever mechanism. 

Sentiment is from Queen & Co.  I printed 3 stamps* to create one card.  I used some textured AC cardstock for this card.  Coloring accomplished using colored pencils.  I sprayed with a fixative for a little more insurance against smearing.

*Printing multiple images and cutting the lever mechanism sets  makes it easy to create additional cards on the fly when needed.  

Thanks for dropping by today.  Hoping you're staying safe and well during this Covid stuff and finding some time to be creative!  

It's birthday time again...

Birthdays!  I got myself in a bit of a bind earlier and ran out of my stash of birthday cards earlier than anticipated!  I'm thinking that's a good thing in the realm of papercrafting.  More opportunities to play, right?

Well, if that's the case, it's been fun!  Playing with some new dies (Queen & Co). Shaker cards are always a hit!  

The Sweet Shoppe kit has been so much fun to create with.  The kit comes complete with everything you need to complete several cards... well, maybe all but the card base, but that's not a huge issue since most of us keep lots of cardstock in our stash.  The kit also has lots of patterned paper, the foam shapes and of course dies.  You'll never be at a loss when it comes  to personalizing colors and there are stamps included in each full kit that will serve nearly every occasion.  

This cute shaker is for a young gal back in Oklahoma.  I'm happy to support her "birthday card party" this year.  

 

 

paper and more paper....

I've always enjoyed infinity cards, but the ones I've made in the past have all been on the "girly" design side.  I decided to create my own svg file to cut pieces ahead of time and assemble additional cards when needed.  I took a look at what I could find on Pinterest and there were quite a few to pique my interest.  Loved seeing the Rubix cube version and created one similar to one I found there in a larger size.  

Making cards has always been a favorite pastime.. 30 plus years of stamping and paper play.  The advent of home die cutting machines has changed the face of cardmaking for lots of makers.  I for one, enjoy using SVGs to create one of kind cards or making a large number of cards in one sitting.  

This particular never ending card offers lots of opportunity to use up scraps -- just cut the 10 squares of each color with a paper trimmer. I used my Xyron Creative Station to apply edge to edge adhesive to each of the squares.  No glue mess! 

Finished size of this card was 5 x 5, but could be enlarged or downsized if desired.  

Directions and templates are available on the internet and there's an assembly tutorial over on YouTube. This was the perfect birthday card for one of our grandsons.  I hope he enjoyed it.  

 

 

quietly creating in July and August

It's been a fairly quiet summer... but that doesn't mean that the cutting machines haven't been busy.  However, I've been a little lax in taking photos of finished projects.  Cut, glue. assemble and out the door seems to the current routine for most of every project I've completed since mid-June, however, I'm hoping that won't be the case as Summer turns to Fall here in just a few weeks. 

Back to school - pencil from Scrappy Dew.

Traditional Baseball Birthday gift -- one of the gifts for T's birthday has to be centered on his favorite sport.  Design from Crafting with SVG Cut Files - Special Heart Studio.  

 

We've also started several home renovation projects. Big changes ahead for this home we can now call our own.  

Lots of projects in the queue and I'm looking forward to some creative time in the near future and posting again soon.  I'll be back soon with a few photos and current makes.  There are a few more photos to share.... they just need to get into the right folders.  I've fallen behind on organizing as well.  

Happy crafting!  Enjoy a fabulous week!  

 

 

 

playing with paper in June

Just a couple of cards for the past couple of weeks, but at least there was a little bit of time spent at the craft table.

Digital image from Creative Fabrica.
Colored pencils (Rembrandt)
Paper (AC Cardstock and Bazzil)
Fixative (Krylon)

 

Queen & Company Special Delivery kit
Nuvo Crystal Drops
AC cardstock scraps

 

Gradient lettering done in eCal3 (Font: Impact)
P2C 
Lettering and base cut on the eclips2

 

Sweet Birthday Treats

This was fairly quick and easy to make using the eclips2 and eCal3 software. And best of all, gluten free, sugar-free, and 0 carbs! 

You'll need:
Donut Fun (The Cutting Cafe)
Sizzix eclips2 and eCal software
DIY Audio Card EZ Sound Module (Invite By Voice)
Happy Birthday.mp3 ringtone (Zedge.com)
Cardstock (white, pink, kraft brown)
Transparency for box window
Distress Ink and blender tool and pads
Adhesive (glue and scor tape)
Glitter (stash)

Assembly:

• The card base is a sheet measuring 8.5 x 16.5.  Score at 5.50, and 11 inches. You will have 3 sections to the card.
• Create your sentiment for the inside of the card before adding the sound card to the center portion of the card base.  This will make it so much easier.  Add any other details to the card inside as desired. (I've left the sentiment off for personal reasons)
• I made the card front using basic shapes to create a "box front" with a layered banner.  This card front is just slightly smaller than the card front 8.25 x 5.25. The donuts are reduced to 80% and all pieces are cut using the eclips2.
• Ink the edges of the donut pieces.  Adhere the 'frosting" to the base and add a few sprinkles using some snowy glitter*.  Let dry. 
• Prepare the box top.  Adhere the transparency to the back of the box top and add the banner to the front.  Set aside.
• Record the sound module according to manufacturer's directions.  It's really so easy. For this particular card, I chose a free ringtone from Zedge.com  Replace the "block" until you have the sound module installed in your card.
• Assemble the card front and adhere.  Place the donuts on the card base front, add the "box" top.  I used scor tape to adhere the box front.  You could use a foam tape if you wanted a little more height to the project.
• Now place your sound module in the card.  Make sure that the area with the small triangular cuts is on the fold as it provides the "trigger" to start and stop the play of the module.  Apply some score tape to the top and bottom edges of the card base.  Remove the release tape and the shield from the module (it may start playing).  Fold the right third of the card over to the center, lining up the edges and secure to the tape.  Fold the top over to "close" the card. 

 

Happy Crafting vibes to you!  Hoping you're planning some time in your crafting space this coming week! 

ATC and a little mixed media

The eclips/eCal Facebook page is having another ATC challenge - CELEBRATIONS!   and all of the elements used to create the ATC must be designed and cut using the eclips and eCal. 

Here's my finished card.  It was inspired by a find on Pinterest --

I started with a plain piece of cardstock that had a light layer of Gesso.  I masked off a section of the gelli plate slightly larger than the ATC dimensions, brayered on some paint and pulled a print.  I added a few additional pulls of color  to the print using some stencils (cut with the eclips) and additional pink and white and yellow paints until I got the desired results. 

Using the eCal software, size a vertical rectangle to 2.5 x 3.5, set the line to Print 2 Cut Cut.  Create text on an arch.  I used Funky Mother for the fun text.  Fill the text with color (I chose black) and set the stroke to none.  Change from cut to Print 2 Cut Print.  Print, make sure you select registration marks.  Since the cardstock has some tooth from the Gesso and gelli print, you can opt to use some embossing powder and a heat gun to add a little more texture to the card.  I used some Ranger Black embossing powder. 

Now for the cutting.  Place the gessoed paper on the mat and following the print 2 cut directions, cut the ATC. 

I found a fun cupcake graphic at Creative Fabrica and decided to use the base of the cupcake as the stencil.  Size it to approximately 2 inches high with keep proportions checked. Cut using stencil material or regular cardstock.

 

Position the cupcake stencil on the ATC base as desired and using some watercolors and a water brush, add some additional colors.  Let dry. 

Add some sprinkles to your frosting.  I used the sprinkles in the original design, grouped them together and created a small stencil for those and added a little more color. 

 

Add additional details using a Micron pen.  For a little extra shine, use a sparkle brush and let dry.

 

Thanks for dropping by!  Hoping you have built in some creative time this week! 

 

 

 

 

Robots

Tim Holtz' Robots dies found their way into the craft room this past week.  I thought they would be fun to use to create some birthday cards for May. 

I added an EZSound Module from InviteByVoice.com and an audio file from MelodyLoops.com for the final touch. 

 

I decided to use a handwritten message for the inside of the card.  Make sure that you add your sentiment BEFORE you add the module.

You'll need:

EZ Sound Module

Tim Holtz' Robotic
Cardstock (scraps for the robots - assortment of colors)
Dark Silver card for the front panel
White card for the base (cut to 5.5 x 12.75)
Darice Gears embossing folder
Big Shot, multi-purpose platform, cutting plates
Sentiment circle print (I used eCal3 and Sizzix eclip2 to make mine)
Audio used in this project is "I am Robot" from MelodyLoops.com