Silver and White Card - Take 2

Remember my post yesterday, when I said that the silver and white challenge was challenging?  I was happy with my entry, but thought -- can I do a different take on this?  Maybe try to use different shades of silver on my card?

Here's what I managed:

Since I didn't have many shades of silver ink, I improvised by using white shimmer cardstock and used different shades of gray ink (supplies list are at the bottom of the post).

I used the embossing folder and layering stencils from Altenew's Craft Your Life Project Kit this month (Feathered Lilies) for this card.  The Altenew embossing folders are thicker than the regular embossing folders that I had, so I had to figure out the correct "sandwich" for my die cut machine.   

I used the one of the cutting plates, the Altenew embossing folder with the paper inside, and then this mat before running it through the machine.

I used these small stencil brushes to dab the ink through the stencils.

I then heat embossed the "Hello" sentiment (from the Altenew Feathered Lilies stamp set) using embossing ink and embossing powder.

This will be my second entry to the Color Hues The Color Challenge for this week.

Supply List (affiliate links -- I get a small commission if you purchase through my links, and this helps support my blog.  Thank you so much!)

From Our Home to Yours...

...belated Merry Christmas!  

I made this holiday card before Christmas, but the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations pushed posting this to the back burner for a bit.

First, I created dots for the background using Hero Arts Chevrons stencil.  This is a pack of 2 stencils, and I love those dots! I can definitely see myself using these in many cards in the future!  I used Catherine Pooler inks and pounced them through the stencil.  Then I cut the die from gold foil cardstock, and heat embossed the sentiment using gold embossing powder.

The die is actually a set of three dies from Hero Arts, but I used just one of the dies instead.

I'm entering this card into the Hero Arts Stay Crafty Challenge #30.  The challenge this month is to use circles in the card.  I hope the stenciled big dots in the background meet the criteria.

The supply list is below:

Hero Arts Tri-fold Village Fancy Die - this is on sale right now for $5 off!

Hero Arts Chevron Stencils 2-Pack

The above are affiliate links and I get a small commission when you purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

I hope that you spent your holidays surrounded by love and happiness, with loved ones, friends, and anyone/anything that makes you happy. :)

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Cards from DIY Stencils

As promised, here are some cards I made using the DIY stencils I shared in my previous post.

First up is this stenciled green Christmas card:

I used a brush to apply Catherine Pooler's Grass Skirt on white cardstock die cut with Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles die using the leaf and berry stencil that I made.  I applied Red Stickles on the berries and gave it time to dry.  This was the hardest part -- you can tell patience is not my strongest point.  However, I've ruined many cards by smearing wet Stickles, so I definitely gave it my best.

While waiting, I stamped the "Joy and Peace" sentiment on white cardstock using Catherine Pooler's Rockin' Red, which I mounted on red cardstock.  The sentiment came from an old Hero Arts set called December.

Once the Stickles was dry, I popped up the sentiment on foam tape.

This is not the traditional Christmas colors (or leaves and berries, for that matter), but once the sentiment and red Stickles were on the card, it looked really cheery and festive. :)

My second card is another Christmas card:

I used the DIY stencil I made to emboss a snowy background for my snowman.  I pressed the Versamark ink pad through the stencil and embossed it with white embossing powder.

I stamped and colored by snowman using the Lawn Fawn Frosty Friends stamp set and cut it out using the coordinating die.  I cut out some snowy hillside using Lawn Fawn Sitched Hillside Borders out of white cardstock for my snowman to stand on.

I colored the images with Copic markers.

So what do you think?  Not too shabby for DIY stencils, right?

I hope you give making your own stencils a try and share with me what you've created in the comments below.

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Purple and Silver Birthday Card using DIY Stencils

As promised, I'm sharing with you a birthday card I made using once of the stencils I DIY'd using my Silhouette Cameo. 

The splotches on the stencil were the perfect highlight to my card.

I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Dusty Concord, Wilted Violet, Seedless Preserves, and Shaded Lilac) to create my own background.  I'm not very good at blending, but I'm working on it.  You'll probably see more blended backgrounds on my next cards because I'm trying to get tons of practice, so thank you for your patience with me. :)

The white cardstock was die cut using Simon Says Stamp's Stitched Rectangles die.  I pounced Platinum Planet from Tsukineko's Brilliance ink through the stencil.  

I used Lawn Fawn's Happy, Happy, Happy stamp set and coordinating die to cut out the "Happy."  I cut it in four layers of cardstock to "pop" up the sentiment.  The words were heat embossed using Stampin' Up's Silver embossing powder.

I am entering this on the Lawn Fawnatics Challenge Blog for Challenge 114 - Card Sketch challenge.

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

DIY Stencils Using Cricut or Silhouette

 Stencils are definitely on trend right now, and there are many options available on the market.

However, if you're looking for a specific stencil and can't find it, or if you're just trying to stretch your crafting budget, then this hack can definitely help you!

If you have an electronic cutting machine (like a Cricut or a Silhouette), you can use these bad boys to cut any stencil that your crafty heart desires.

To cut this actual stencils, I used my Silhouette Cameo.  However, I'll show you how to do this with a Cricut using Design Space.

You'll need your Cricut Explore Air (or Cricut Maker), a 12x12 Cricut cutting mat (light grip or standard grip) and 6x6 square of acetate.

1.  Launch Design Space.  Click on "Image."

2.  On the Search bar, type "Stencil."

3.  Choose a stencil image that you like and click on it.

4.  Click "Add to Canvas."

5.  Once the image is on the canvas, click on it to resize it.

6.  Make sure the size says 6x6.

7.  Click "Make It."

At this point, Design Space will prompt you to connect and turn on the power to your Cricut (if you haven't done so already).  On the Cricut, select "Light Chipboard (0.327mm)" as the material.  I know you're really cutting acetate and not light chipboard, but this will allow the Cricut to cut the acetate well.

Let the machine do its magic, and ta-da!  You have your very own stencil/s!

On my next post, I will show you some of the cards I've made with these stencils.

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!