AAA Cards - Spectacular Embossing

It's time for another fun challenge at AAA Cards and this week it is all about Spectacular Embossing!

There are so many different techniques that you can do with embossing - whether you chose dry embossing or heat embossing or even faux embossing using die cuts - the biggest challenge will be deciding which one to go with!

For my card(s), I challenged myself to try something different so I did some dry embossing detailed with some Pearl Ex pigment.

For my first card, I started with some Simon Says Slate card stock and I used the Tim Holtz Winter Berries embossing folder. I then mixed my Pearl Ex powder with a little bit of gum arabic to create a liquid that I painted on top of the embossed areas. It creates a really cool shimmer that I absolutely love. I finished the card with a piece of torn vellum and a heat embossed Clearly Besotted greeting. The whole panel was popped up on a Slate card base.

For my second embossed card, I decided to get more adventurous with the same technique by dry embossing and "painting" vellum instead of card stock. I used the Sizzix Flowers and Flourish embossing folder with Interference Gold Pearl Ex and I absolutely loved the effect. I heat embossed a Clearly Besotted greeting in gold then I stitched the vellum panel to a cream card base with gold thread after sandwiching in a few coloured sequins. A flat, easily mailed shaker card! I have to say that this is one of my favourite cards lately - I really couldn't get the camera to do it justice. This "new to me" technique is definitely something that I will be doing more of...

So now it's your turn - join in the fun and get out your embossing tools but before you do, make sure you check out the fabulous inspiration from the other members of the design team - including our fabulous new members:

• Melissa at Honey Bee Lane
• Ceal at Simply Beautiful
• Coralynn at Sunrise Stamper

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Jill

TIME OUT Anouncement!

No card today but I do have some exciting news to share - I am joining the wonderful TIME OUT design team.

TIME OUT is one of my favourite challenges - they do great challenges and have an amazing design team who have a diverse variety of styles. I was completely thrilled when Sandie and Nonnie asked me to join them - of course I said yes without a second thought.

Looing Looking forward to posting my first DT card with TIME OUT on Thursday! Hope to seeyou there!

Thanks for stopping by!
Jill

Garden Gnomes

Yesterday was my brother's 40th Birthday - we had a really nice dinner with him last night to celebrate the big number. This is the card that I made for him:

For some reason, I always think of my brother when I see garden gnomes (he has one in his garden) so this Studio Calico stamp set was absolutely perfect for the occasion. I stamped it three times across the top of the card, and coloured them with Copics. For the bottom of the card, I stamped Hero Arts Newspaper Background in SSS Smoke Ink before die cutting some "40"s using Lawn Fawn numbers dies. I added some fun foam behind the numbers before inlaying it all back together. The greeting is from Kelly Purkey's Happy Birthday set - it was white heat embossed on a strip of SSS Fog cardstock. Fishing touches were some Wink of Stella and a double coat of Glossy Accents on the gnome hats and a single coat on their belt buckles.

I will link this card up to a few places:

• Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating 200 posts this week!
• The Male Room for cards using newsprint
• CAS-Ology where the cue word is numbers

Thanks for stopping by!

Jill

AAA Cards - Masquerade

It's time for another challenge at AAA Cards and this week, our theme is Masquerade - this could mean cards that use a masking technique or even cards that feature some type of mask in the design.

For my card, I decided to do some stamping and masking using Walter and Winnie's Penguin stampet. I used all the accessories - earmuffs, scarf and mittens so all had to be masked before I stamped the penguin.I coloured the penguin with some Copics and then masked a circle in the bottom right corner of the card. I masked the penguin completely before stamping the icicles and sponging some Distress Ink onto the background circle. I added some "snowflakes" using a white gel pen.

To finish the card I curved the "ice ice baby" stamp and I stamped it around the circle. I added a Clearly Besotted greeting to the top left corner which was heat embossed in silver. The whole panel was mounted using some fun foam onto a card base.

So now it's your turn to join in the fun at AAA Cards - you have two weeks to make a card and link up!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Jill

Sunday Crafting

Warning - very long blog today!

I spent a bit of time in my craft room this weekend so I have a few cards to share.

The first card is for my nephew's birthday which is coming up. I found my inspiration for this card in a couple of places: Less Is More challenge this week is all about the eyes - what better to use than the three eyed alien from Simon Says Stamp?! I also took some inspiration from this week's CASe This Sketch.

I started out by stamping the alien and the balloon on the left hand side of the card. I coloured the alien with Copics and then I masked him and the balloon. I created another circle mask and then sponged the background using Distress Inks. I added the stars with a white pen and a string for the balloon that I shaped using using some multi medium and a pencil. Finishing touches were the Cocoa Daisy greeting, some Wink of Stella on the balloon, some Glossy Accents on the eyes and balloon, and some Jelly Roll pen accents on the stars.

I will link this card up to the following challenges:

• Less Is More - The Eyes Have It

• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where we need to Tie It Up
• 
  
• CASe This Sketch

For the next couple of cards, I took out the watercolour paper....

First one was a one layer wonder using Walter and Winnie's My Precious set.

I started by stamping the gems down the left hand side in Versafine Onyx ink and then heat embossed in clear powder.  I then painted with water around the outside of the gems. Once the paper was wet, I added some Peerless colours to the wet paper. I finished off by stamping a greeting in the lower right corner and I "just had to" add some Wink of Stella to the gems :)

I will link this card up to the following challenges :

• CASology where the cue card is precious
• One Layer Simplicity Challenge where they are looking for a "strip down "
• Addicted to Samps and More where anything goes

My final card of the day is for my second wedding  anniversary which is coming up at the end of the month. Before I get into the card,  just want to share a brief history on how I met my husband. Michael and I met in the Malaysian part of Borneo in late 2012 - we were both on a trekking tour that lasted three weeks so we got to know each other quite well. Even though I lived in Montreal and he lived in Copenhagen, we managed to make the relationship work. Less than a year later, we were married in Copenhagen and Michael emigrated to Canada to live with me. One of the things that we share is a love of travel so I thought this Unity Stamp "Love Brings You Home" stamp set would be perfect for our wedding anniversary card.

I started out by stamping the map in Versamark and heat embossing with "Antique Ivory" embossing powder from Stampendous. I love the little bronze pieces that are mixed in - it gives a cool effect on a map stamp. I then painted with water around the edges of the map, and once it was good and wet, I added a few drops of Distress re-inkers (Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade).I stamped the greeting on a piece of vellum which I heat embossed in Liquid Platinum and wrapped around the card panel. Finally, I die cut a Stitched Frame using my Simon Says Stamp dies which I also covered with Versamark and heat embossed with Liquid Platinum. I popped it up over the map and sentiment .

I will also link this card up to a few places:

• CAS on Sunday where the theme is Travel
• House Of Cards where the theme is Metallic
• Unity Stamp Company Be Inspired Challenge

Apologies for being so long-winded today but it has definitely been the most productive that I have been in my craft room for a while :)

Thanks so much for stopping by - your comments always make my day!
Jill

AAA Cards - It's So Hot!

I don't know about the weather where you are but the weather here has actually been quite hot - and not a lot of rain - so far this summer. It feels very fitting that the AAA Cards Challenge this week is all about hot summer days....



For this challenge, I decided to focus on one of my favourite summer foods(!?) - margaritas! I always keep bottles of tequila and Cointreau in the freezer - "just in case"!

I started off with the greeting from Unity Stamp Company, and then masked on top with post it tape. I then did lots of stamping and making with the lime wedge stamp from the SSS Adult Beverages set. I coloured with Copics and then die cut the banner using a MFT die. For the background, I used some white embossing paste with a Dylusions stencil - I added some Rock Candy Distress Glitter to it when it was still wet. I was trying to create the idea of salt around the top of a margarita glass... Finishing touch was a few sequins...

This card will definitely mailed to a friend a former colleague of mine in Montreal who shares my love of this particular drink!

I will link this card up to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes this week.

As a final note, life at AAA Cards has been very busy over the last few week, and there have been a few changes in the DT. Unfortunately, a few of our team decided to step down ; it was hard to say goodbye to Victoria, Linda, and Kimberly but that does open up a few spaces for new members to join in. If you are interested, I highly encourage you to write DT next to your name on your card submission.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Jill