Tim Holtz - Artful Muse Embossing Folders

Most of us tend to struggle with male cards but when I saw this set of embossing folders I knew they had potential.

I used a cardstock with a white core to allow the embossed part to show through, plus I helped it a little with a sanding block.  The sentiment is a SU one called Sincere Salutations, punched out using a SU retired punch and I added three small orange buttons to finish it off.  The stripes top and bottom are ribbon and the paper is all from my stash.

Tag - Stampin Up - Because I Care

Another project using the SU Hostess stamp set Because I care.  This time I coloured in the hydrangea using a mixture of SU, Marvy Le Plume and Tombow markers.  I then cut the image out and placed it onto a Nestabilities Oval.  The actual tag is a die from Go Kreate called Rectangular Frame Frilly #3.  Not sure where the sentiment came from as I did this tag a couple of months back.  I must admit that creating a whole lot of tags as a present gave me chance to use some dies I had forgotten about and also to use up some of the ribbon I have.  I am sure I am not unique in having a whole large drawer dedicated to ribbon !  A girl can never have enough ribbon !!

CottageCutz / Peachy Keen Duck w/egg Notepad

I have a sneaky suspicion this dear duck is going to be my favourite CottageCutz die.  He comes with a variety of faces, all cute and so expressive.

Using white cardstock I ran the die through the Cuttlebug and then used Distress inks to sponge it to the colour I wanted.  On went the face, the beak was coloured with markers and the cheeks were also Distress ink.  The brown shape behind the duck is a Nestabilities Nested Eggs and behind that is is a Nestabilities Big Scalloped Ovals.  The background cardstock covering the notepad is SU.

Post-It Note Pad - Marij Rahder Suzy 5

Another Post-It pad, this time plain and simple with a cute Marij Rahder Suzy 5 image.  I coloured in the stamp with Copics and used Nestabilities Classic and Scallop Circles to frame it.

I have already given 3 of these pads as a thank you gift to a friend - there are 3 ladies in the house, so one for each of them.  I was tempted to put a magnet on the back but felt there might just be a bit too much weight for them to be put onto the fridge. 

Bib Tag

When I saw this idea over at Stamp & Scrap with Frenchie I thought it was really clever.  Frenchie's idea was to make a card using the SU Scalloped Circle die whereas I decided to make a tag using the Nestabilities Scalloped and Classic Circle dies.

I used CB Swiss Dots embossing folder on the white cardstock and the small scallop circle is from a SU punch with the white inner circle also from the Nestabilities Classic Circle die set.  The cute baby stamp is from a retired SU set called All Occasions.  For the neck opening of the bib I used a circle punch.  The ribbon, I think, is also from SU but I am not certain.

This is the sort of tag one could mass produce quite quickly and it is certainly fun to make.

Kaszazz Rollagraph - Skyline

This is a card I have had on my desk for a while and whilst I am sitting here at my computer I am struggling to remember the names of the items used.  Please bear with me on this one !

The window die is one which I use in the Big Shot and can only be either SU or Sizzzix.  The border punch used vertically on the front of the card is a Martha Stewart one - of that I am certain.  The cityscape (not sure if that is even a word) behind is a rollagraph from Kaszazz called Skyline and it is coloured with the usual mix of SU, Marvy Le Plume and Tombow markers with a bit of Distress ink for the sky.  The yellow cardstock was originally white which I coloured using Distress ink.  I just kept on swiping the ink pad over it until the colour was what I was after.

I seem to recall the sentiment being a Gina K design one. 

Post-It note pad - Marianne D Cupcake die

There are a couple of cupcake punches and dies around but none of them really took my fancy until I saw this Marianne D die.  First off, I love her dies as they are a pretty blue colour, not sharp edged and cut out beautifully.  This die is no exception and it is so easy to assemble.  I buy my Marianne D dies from Bunny Zoe in the UK.

The cupcake is on a Post-it note pad cover and I used Nestabilities Eyelet Squares behind it.  The sentiment is from a Flourishes set called Let Them Eat Cake and I punched it out using the SU Word Window punch.

The cupcake base was highlighted with Distress Ink, the paper used for the topping is a glittery one and the cherry is a normal red cardstock with the main part coated using a red Viva Decor Pearl Pen.

Tag - Inkadinkado Flower Sentiments "Thank You"

When I buy a new stamp set I like to try one of the images out but do not always have an immediate use for it.  Rummaging around in my box I found this one and thought it would make a quick and easy tag. 

The dies are all Nestabilities and the Pinking Circles are ones I seldom use but thought it would make for an interesting contrast this time round.  On the back of the blue circle I placed a white circle for the message to be written.

Dawn with Birthday Cake - Nellie Snellen stamps

This was one of those photos which did not turn out well so my apologies for that.

The image was coloured in with Copics and matted on Nestabilities Labels 2 dies.  The sentiment is unknown but looks like it could be a Flourishes one and it is placed onto a SU modern label punch and a tag from SU Sizzlets Lots of Tags.  The background paper is Creative Memories and the flowers are ones from my stash.

Tim Holtz & Marianne D dies

I recently bought the Tim Holtz die called Vintage Cabinet Card.  I cut out a full sized card and saw I had a bit of cardstock left over.  Not wanting to waste it I ran it through the top half of the die and came up with quite a cute card shape.

Using a Hero Arts background stamp and Distress Inks I made a patterned circle and popped on the Marianne D Cupcake die which is really great to work with.  A quick and simple card ideal to give with a batch of cupcakes or cookies.

Tags - High Hopes Little Reader

Another tag which would be ideal to give with a gift of a book.

For this tag I used Nestabilities Deckled edge rectangle and sponged with Distress Ink.  I stamped the image directly onto the cardstock and coloured him in using markers - the usual mix of Marvy le Plume, Tombow and SU.  The book was paper pieced (not very well now I look at it !).

The sentiment looks like a Hero Arts one but I cannot be sure as I did this tag a couple of months back.

Sizzix Bigz die - Box with Scallop Flap & Flowers

I am on a mission at the moment to make 'Thank you' gifts.  I love having post-it notes, notepads and odd boxes to pop something small in. 

When I saw this die available locally I made sure I got in quickly before the supplier ran out.  It does make a nice size box but I have yet to find something to fit in it.  Will have to take it off to the supermarket to see if I can find a chocolate to fit.

I used fairly thick cardstock for the die and found some odd scraps of patterned paper to decorate it with.  Someday I will get around to actually using all the 12 x 12 sheets I keep on buying !  The rosette is from the Mini Paper Rosette die which I sponged using Distress inks.

Tim Holtz - Artist Trading Card die

When my Tim Holtz ATC and Corners die was delivered I promptly tried it out making a whole batch of ATC's.  On this one I used a stamp from the Hero Arts Memories set and I think I used Archival ink - maroon.

Using a couple of different colour Distress inks I changed the ATC from a beige cardstock to a bit more of an interesting coloured one.  The border punch is from Martha Stewart and to say this was an easy card to put together is an understatement.  Sometimes I just like to keep it straight and simple.