Cardmaking :)

I've made a few more cards over the last week.  I've been enjoying working with my Big Shot and Cuttlebug machines. 

For this first one, after embossing the background with an Anna Griffin folder, I proceeded to use watercolors to outline some of the flowers, leaves, and, of course, the bird.  Then I used Stickles to make some of the elements pop.  CTMH ribbon, Big Shot die for the sentiment, which is a stamped CTMH sentiment. 

 

 

 

For this next card I used my favorite color. :) The background is embossed with a Darice embossing folder and the scalloped half-circle and butterflies are Spellbinders dies. I used Glimmer Mist paint for the edge around the perimeter of my background, as well as on the butterflies.

 

For the smaller butterflies I cut three and layered them, leaving the bottom one the plain purple, embossing the middle white one with a Cuttlebug folder, and then using the same Glimmer Mist paint on the top one, and then I only glued along the middle of each butterfly so the wings could be popped out. The swirls under the small butterflies are the cut-outs from the bigger butterfly's wings.  :)

 

The sentiment is CTMH, after I sprayed some lovely purple Glimmer Mist on the scalloped circle. Ribbon is SU! and bling is CTMH.

　

 

 

Next, I made this beauty.  I think it's my favorite of the bunch.  It came together VERY easily. 

 

 

The background is embossed with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots (which is one of my go-to favorites in case you haven't noticed! :) ).  The note part is a SU!/Sizzix die, which I embossed with another Cuttlebug folder.  "Strong" and "Brilliant" are Simon Says Stamp dies.  The small "you are so" tag is just hand-cut, and it's a CTMH stamp.  Buttons are from stash and the jump ring too.  Stamps are CTMH. 

One little detail shot.  :)

I won't ever get tired of saying it:  STAMP THE INSIDE of your card!!!  :)

 

Finally, I brought out an older SU!/Sizzix die that I bought a few years ago but had never used.  This 3D pop-up card was actually easy to make and lots of fun to decorate!

 

This is the front of the card.  It looks simple BUT when you open it up....

 

 

TADA!  A 3D cake.  :)

 

I've used Simple Stories paper and stickers throughout, and the shine on the cake is from Stickles. 

Here are a couple of side shots. 

 

I really enjoyed making the above card.  Like I said, it came together very easily.  It may look complicated but it really wasn't; I think it took longer for the Stickles to dry than it took me to make the whole thing! 

 

Those are my card projects for this week.  Thank you for stopping by! 

 

 

 

Organizing... which led to card-making :)

I saw an idea for organizing Cuttlebug folders and decided to tackle it yesterday.  I only got about halfway done because then it was time for bed, but after tossing and turning for an hour I got up again but not to organize.  I *had* to play with said folders.  :) :) :)

 

All right so first, I used to have the original Cuttlebug that Provo Craft sold, the green one, years ago.  The very first one.  I got a Big Shot and gave away my Cuttlebug.  BIG MISTAKE.  The Big Shot is great for bigger things, but somewhat cumbersome, IMHO.  I like the C-Bug much, muuuuch better.  So when Anna Griffin came up with her own and sold it on HSN with a boatload of gorgeous folders, I jumped on it.  Happy Mother's Day to me!  :)  Here's the box and plastic dividers - sold separately, of course (EYE ROLL!) - that I tackled yesterday. 

 

 

I added the name labels and the number tags.  Easier to get to because....

 

 

 

... I made a sample of each that will be kept on a ring.  When I want to emboss all I have to do is flip through the ring of samples and then refer to the box with the appropriate color/number.  In retrospect I wish I had used the same color of labels because the rainbow effect does not *always* make me happy.  Here it kind of doesn't make me happy... but oh well.  It's done. 

 

 

 

 

Here are some of my original C-Bug folders.  They sit in these pretty blue binders but it just isn't convenient anymore, largely because I have THREE of these binders.  THREE.  That's annoying to flip through... so I took all of these embossing folders and put them in a photo box.  I might sell the blue binders; I haven't decided yet if they'll continue to be useful to me.  The part I didn't get to was adding numbers to these folders and making samples to keep on a ring.  I'll get to it... eventually.  :)

 



 

So then I couldn't sleep and it was, therefore, time to create instead of worrying about all my life's troubles.  LOL.  I'm in a couple of Cuttlebug and Cricut FB groups and someone made a red and black card the other day.  I love, love, LOVE red, so I went to work.  The "with love" is washi tape, and it's sitting on some Basic Black SU! satin ribbon.  Punches are SU! as well, and the embossing folder is C-Bug but I don't know the name (sorry).

 

 

 

Don't forget to stamp the inside!  ;-)

 

 

This next card is so-so.  I love that little embossing folder, but truly I think I should have embossed on some cardstock that was white core so that the image could be sanded and would stand out more.  Oh well... Stamp set is retired CTMH, and I did stamp an owl on the inside of the card, too.  The colorful owls belong to a roll of sticker ribbon that I purchased at Hobby Lobby many moons ago. 

 

I love this little snowman, who is also from a retired CTMH stamp set.  Embossing folder is C-Bug, I hand-cut the banner, and there are Stickles in the center of each embossed snowflake.  I have snowflake buttons somewhere to add to this.... in the mean time I left it with some pearls on the SU! satin ribbon.  The snowman is colored in with CTMH alcohol markers and the stamped snowflakes have some Stickles too.  

 

 

Stamp the inside of your card!  It's a nice extra touch.  ;)

 

 

Here's another card that uses washi tape on top of some satin SU! ribbon.  Stamped sentiment and frame are retired CTMH stamps.  Sorry I can't offer you the stamp sets; I know I should use products that can be purchased, but I really need to use what I currently own... Anyway, the embossing folder is an older C-Bug folder. 

 

 

 

In case I didn't mention it before, you should stamp the inside.  :)

 

 

This last one is my favorite of the ones I made last night.  For some reason, lately I am really drawn to anything with orange in it.  The stamped flower (another unavailable - sorry) on the front is colored in with CTMH alcohol markers and hand-cut, though it could have been cut by the Cricut.  I just didn't feel like doing any Cricut work at 1 am.  :)  Ribbon is SU!, embossing folder is C-Bug Swiss Dots. 

 

 

Stamp the inside!  I colored the images in with regular ol' colored pencils for a soft, subtle effect. 

 

 

Well, that's all the playing I did.  Thanks for looking and leaving love.  Until next time!  :D