Happy World Card Making Day!  We’re doing a little celebration on our Facebook Page, you can add your Spellbinders™ creations and we’ll pick a winner via random drawing.  You could win a free Spellbinders™ die template!  Be sure to become a fan!

On to today’s project!  I recently organized a fundraiser for a family adopting a child half a world away.  My friends and family supported my efforts and I wanted to make them each a thank you card.  I’m a slow crafter, so my goal was to design a card that was not too complicated and efficient to make.  I already had coordinating cardstock and enough pattern paper to make the cards. 

Next I needed to do some die cutting and embossing.  If I make 20 cards, and each has four die cuts using four different colors of paper, I’ll either be up all night or I’ll have to streamline the process.  This is what I did:

I stamped the JustRite Stampers ”Thank You” sentiment 20 times onto white cardstock.  I cut/embossed  2  die templates in one pass, the S4-114 Standard Circles, Large #3, and the S4-116 Standard Circles, Small #3 .  The difference between the dies is 1/8 inch.  Eli explained the differences between the Nestabilities™ sets here.  Yes, I had 2 different sized circles, but that’s ok, they both look nice with the stamped image.

I used my Grand Cut Mat Kit to cut four Labels at once.  I chose the #3 die in each set, that is, the third from the center, or the third smallest die template. From left to right, the die templates are S4-233 Labels Nine,  S4-229 Labels Five, S4-161 Labels One, And S4-189 Labels Three.

I placed the S4-220 Nested Pine Trees, #1 & 2, and S4-228 Nested Maple Leaf #1 & 2, close together, but not touching, on the Magnetic Spacer Mat, and was able to cut with a 4×4″ square of colored cardstock.  I used 3 different colors and mixed them up on the cards.

Next I assembled the cards.  I used either two trees or two leaves on each, and used a 3D Foam Adhesive Square from SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES by 3L to add dimension.

I know, they are not complicated cards, but I think my friends will appreciate my efforts.  I’ll also add a personal note to the inside.

I am using World Card Day to make the world just a little bit smaller for one family.  I hope you can make your world smaller by sending a few cards to those you care about.

Beth

®The weather has turned a bit chilly around here, and the leaves will begin to turn colors soon.  To celebrate the season I have this card to share.

I gathered these supplies: Spellbinders™ S4-226 Harvest Borderabilities® Petite; S4-233 Labels Nine; S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities®; My Mind’s Eye, Patterned Cardstock, Free Bird Collection “Beauty”, “Love” and Maggie May “Katie Lou”; Clearsnap, ColorBox Roan Brown Fluid Chalk Ink; SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES by 3L, 3D Foam Squares; Creative Impressions, Leaf Ribbon; Brown Cardstock.

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I cut/emboss the S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® #4 in orange “Love”,  the S4-233 Labels Nine #5 in blue “Katie Lou”, and #6 in the striped cardstock, which is the back side of the green “Beauty” cardstock.  I lightly inked the edges with the brown ink to camoflage the white core of the paper.

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Next I cut the green paper to 5.5×5″, and cut/embossed the S4-226 Harvest Borderabilities® Petite, Pumpkin Border on each side of the green paper.  Since one edge cuts and the other embosses, I aligned them so the cut edge was along the outer edge of the paper.  I used tape to secure the border so it didn’t move around.   After embossing, I inked the paper through the die template like a stencil, so the embossed areas were accented.  I also let the ink rub a little over the edge of the die template to enhance the embossing along the border’s edge.

I simply layered the pieces onto a 5.5×6″ piece of brown cardstock.  I used 3D Foam Squares on the S4-233 Labels Nine and S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® die cuts, to give them some dimension.

And here is the finished card:
 

 Celebrate Fall!

Beth

We’ve had almost a whole month of awesome posts on Impressabilities™ and I thought it would be fun to remind you of a few techniques you might have learned this month, teach you a new one and use it all on a card…with Partial Impressabilities™, Impressabilities™ Letterpress, Chalk over Ink and using one of our most popular Limited Edition die templates…all in one card. Sound like too much?

Naaaaah, we like to put it all together.

So, just to remind you, Beth put together this tutorial on how to use Impressabilities™ as a Letterpress and Margie put one together last Saturday on how to use a Partial Impressabilities™. So I used both those techniques but also want to share with you a technique that Stacey Caron created. It is simply called “Chalk over Ink”. It’s not too challenging but gives a great “wow” effect. Let’s check it all out, step-by-step.

Gather your supplies: Wizard™, S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities®, I2-1001 Impressabilities™ Paisley, S4-235 Fancy Tags, The Robin’s Nest Halloween Swirl patterned paper, Cosmo Cricket “Girl Friday” patterned paper, Clearsnap ColorBox cat eye inks in Chianti and Picante, Taylored Expressions sentiment stamp, Creative Impressions ribbons, 3L SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES–Black 3-D Adhesive Squares and Photo Tape, Decorating chalks, Hole punch, Green staples, Stapler

Next you might want to go review the techniques in the links above. You’ll need to cut one of your Impressabilities templates and letterpress some paper using a slow-drying pigment ink. I started by using green ink as in this example but tried orange and used it for the final card.

Then just color away with your decorating chalks. I like to use my bare finger to rub color over the inks and around on the smooth cardstock. You’ll notice the ink seems to grab onto the chalk, intensifying the color. I used several colors–red, orange, green and yellow–on this to get the desired effect.

Next, cut the letterpressed paper using the largest Pumpkins Nestabilities™ so that the letterpress image shows right where you want it. I do not emboss over letterpress as it tends to flatten the image.

The rest is up to you…After creating the Letterpressed pumpkin, trim a background mat to 5-1/4  by 5-1/4″ and add it to the card base (11×5-1/2″) folded in half. Punch a hole in the stem of the pumpkin, thread the ribbons through it and staple to secure. Stamp a sentiment onto paper and cut/emboss it with S4-235 Fancy Tags. Adhere the pumpkin by placing a double layer of 3-D adhesive squares down the middle. Add 3-D squares to the sentiment tag and add to the card: VOILA a lovely, fall friendship card, using several techniques.

Eli

Yesterday was Autumn Equinox (the equinox divides the day and night equally) which means we are officially into Autumn. So what a great excuse to make a card just for the season!

Using my Spellbinders, I brought out S5-019 Labels Eight die #5 (die #1 being the smallest in the bunch), S4-121 Doodle Parts long thin swirl, I2-1010 Impressabilities™ Pebbles and S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® die #3.

First, I cut out and embossed my S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® die #3 with Core’dinations cardstock. Then I proceed to emboss the pumpkin further by using my I2-1010 Impressabilities™ Pebbles with the cardstock still embedded in the die template as demonstrated in Beth’s post.

Just to recap, I’d like to go over the sandwich recipes that you will be using on the pumpkins:

1. Cut Sandwich (from bottom):
White Master Mat
Magnetic Mat (black side up)
S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® die #2 (ridge up/cut side up)
Cardstock
White Master Mat

2. Emboss Sandwich (from bottom):
White Master Mat
S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® die (with cardstock embedded/cut side up)
Tan Embossing Pad
White Master Mat

3. Impressabilities Sandwich (from bottom):
White Master Mat
I2-1010 Impressabilites™ Pebbles
S4-227 Pumpkin Nestabilities® die (with cardstock embedded/cut up)
Tan Embossing Pad
White Master Mat

Repeat this process five more times and make sure you sand each piece to show off that design. You will need a total of six embossed/impressed pumpkins to achieve the accent shown on the card pictured below. Fold each pumpkin in half, adhere one side to one side of another pumpkin’s side, connecting them. Make sure you have a flat side to adhere the 3-D pumpkin to the card base. Set aside to adhere to the card as a last step.

I continued to cut and emboss the S5-019 Labels Eight die #5 and two of the Doodle Parts long thin swirl die. Note that I have stenciled the long thin swirl die with Clearsnap Fluid Chalk Ink Chestnut Roan before taking the papers out of the die. Make sure to clean the ink off of your die.

Using the Clearsnap chalk ink, I inked the edges of: Crafty Secret Fall Cotton Scraps, S5-019 Labels Eight die cut and card base (make sure to corner round the card base first). Adhere all the parts as shown with the exception of the pumpkin. I used Flower Soft Autumn to accent the image and let dry. Lastly, the pumpkin was adhered to make a wonderful (and colorful) card!

Happy Autumn, everyone!
MargieH

I love the fall. The weather starts to cool off. The leaves begin to turn and it is a great time of year to snuggle with loved ones. It’s also a great time (with all the approaching holidays) to get engaged. I thought it would be fun to create a fall-themed engagement card. I loved the technique Margie used on her Savvy Saturday post: Partial Impressabilities. So I wanted to use the same technique on this card:

After you collect your supplies, it’s time to cut apart your Impressabilities template so you can emboss just a portion of it. It is super easy. I just grabbed a pair of hardy scissors and snipped the fine metal pieces connecting the paisleys to the frame.

The sandwich for embossing with Impressabilities is as follows:

• White Master Mat
• Impressabilities template
• paper, misted with a little water
• Tan Embossing Pad
• White Master Mat

I built this sandwich upside down so you could see it better. Just remember the paper must be in between the Impressabilities (or other embossing element) and the Embossing Pad. Feed your sandwich through the Wizard to emboss.

Using the Core’dinations cardstock gives me a fabulous design element right within the paper. Just do a little sanding to bring out the core color. When I use Impressabilities, I actually like to sand both sides so I can see which one I want to use. I chose the one on the right.

Trim the piece to a square and save the scrap as you’ll be using it later. Finish up with the Wizard by cutting/embossing Labels Four die template and only cutting Small Deckled Mega Rectangle from the cream/gold paper.

Using brown ink, stamp {FALL} onto the Labels die cut. Add a little shimmer to the ink with a glitter pen. For the inside sentiment, stamp CONGRATULATIONS onto the scrap of red Core’dinations cardstock. Add glitter pen. Write “on your” with the same pen and add letter stickers for “engagement.” You’ll probably need to trim the sentiment block just a bit before adding it to the Deckled rectangle.

Now let’s put it all together. Adhere “Fall” label to cardstock using Foam Adhesive. Add letter stickers onto the bottom, using a heart brad with an “O” sticker on it as shown. Mat onto cream/gold paper and adhere to card base made from Orange Core’dinations cardstock. Add the sentiment to the inside and you have a beautiful fall, engagement card.

I say we can all Fall in Love with that…Eli

For Savvy Saturday, I thought I would cut apart my Impressability. It’s OK - LOL!! It’s one of the reasons why I purchased two of the same kind. The results are stunning.

Since the weather is getting cooler and the days seem to be getting shorter, my mind is in fall mode. Wandering around the Chicago Scrapbook Expo a few weeks ago, I grabbed Crafty Secret Fall Homespun Cotton Scraps. Perfect for just this occasion! Here are some other items I gathered for today’s project: I2-1009 Impressabilities™ Flourish, S7-017 On The Vine Border Grand, S4-228 Nested Maple Leaf die #1 ( the smallest size), S4-132 Classic Rectangles Large die #5 and S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® die #2.

I picked the I2-1009 Impressabilities™ Flourish because of the swirl designs, it went well with the fall theme. While cutting the Flourish to use as a border, I discovered that it really wasn’t connected to each other, just an individual flowery swirl. But that was fine, I placed each flourish next to each other to look like a border. Using the Core’dination cardstock, I misted the area where I would emboss.

The embossing sandwich I used was (from the bottom):
White Master Mat
Tan Embossing Pad
Cardstock
I2-1009 Impressabilities™ Flourish
White Master Mat

After feeding the sandwich through the Wizard, I left the Impressability pieces embedded in the cardstock. I flipped the cardstock over and proceeded to sand over the embossed area. I do this so that my embossing stands out even more. Then I took out the pieces of the Impressability and set the card base aside. 

S7-017 On The Vine Border Grand, I only cut and emboss a small part as I only needed one of its leaf to add onto the pumpkin…don’t forget to ink the leaf before adding (hint: I inked the edges first and then gently pressed the entire leaf face down onto the ink pad)! I cut and embossed three (3) S4-228 Nested Maple Leaf die #1. With the rest of the die templates, I cut and embossed one of each using My Mind’s Eye pattern papers. Inked the edges of all including the card base and Crafty Secret Cotton Scraps image. Adhere all as shown below…note that the S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® and the orange S4-228 Nested Maple Leaf are raised using foam tape by Scrapbook Adhesive By 3L. Also, if you look closely, you will see I added touches of Flower Soft onto the image where the leaves are…wonderful accent!

Design Team Member Karen Hunsaker also created a card by cutting apart the I2-1001 Impressabilities™ Paisley. Going further with the Paisley theme, she also cut and embossed the S4-135 Classic Scalloped Paisley with the Core’dinations Chocolate Box cardstock. Stamped “thanks” from Hero Arts using Clearsnap ink, this card is ready to go!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Saturday!
MargieH

While today’s post is not a new technique, it may give you some new ideas.  I have this thing for textured paper.  I love it like I love cookies. 

I gathered these supplies and set out to make a quick card:

S4-190 Labels Four #5 & 6; I2-1007 Impressabilities™ Diamonds and Stars; Clearsnap, Colorbox Antique Pewter Pigment Ink and Charcoal Fluid Chalk Ink; My Minds Eye, patterned paper; 7gypsies, patterned paper; Stampers Anonymous, Birds & Baubles stamp set; cardstock, sueded paper.

The key to this is the sueded paper, which  has a soft texture that accepts embossing beautifully.  I embossed the sueded paper with the I2-1007 Impressabilities™ Diamonds and Stars with the same sandwich I used for regular paper, which is

White Master Mat
Impressabilities™ Diamonds and Stars
Sueded paper, soft side down
Embossing Mat
White Master Mat

Feed the sandwich into the Wizard™. The result is simply gorgeous, along with being easy!!

I trimmed the sides and mounted it on black cardstock, and adhered it onto a piece of 7gypsies patterned paper. I stamped a Stampers Anonymous floral image with Clearsnap Colorbox Antique Pewter ink, then stamped the quote with Charcoal Fluid Chalk ink. I then cut/embossed that using S4-190 Labels Four #5. I used S4-190 Labels Four #6 to cut a black mat for the quote piece.

The finished card looks like this:

Have a great day!

Beth

Are you planning on attending the ScrapFest 2009 at the Mall of America in Minnesota?!

We will be there too, so come by and join in on the fun. Our two lovely Designers (Pictured top: Kim Hupke - Education Director and pictured second: Heidi Blankenship - ‘08 & ‘09 Design Team Member) will be there to show off our Spellbinders™ products with some wonderful make and take projects…you don’t want to miss it!

The dates and times that Kim and Heidi will be there to help you create the following:

Friday (9/18) 9:00AM - 6:00PM
Make a quick and easy Holiday Photo Card with Spellbinders™ and 3M. Using the newly released S5-017 Snowflake Frame set, it looks like it took hours to make! Learn the technique on how to make a window card and display your favorite photo! (FREE make’n take)

Saturday (9/19) 9:00AM - 6:00PM
Make a darling holiday triangle ornament or a gift embellishment with Spellbinders™ and Making Memories. They will show you how to use the newly released S4-220 Nested Pine Trees die template to bring your tree to 3-Dimensional “life”. (FREE make’n take)

Sunday (9/20) 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Make a “Spooktacular” goodie bag for your trick or treaters with Spellbinders™ and Teresa Collins. Using the newly released S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities®, learn how to make this peek-a-”boo” treat bag in minutes! What a cute and easy way to present goodies to your favorite goul! (FREE make’n take)

The first 50 crafters participating each day in the make’n take will receive a FREE Spellbinders™ shopping bag.

Making it a long weekend?
Spellbinders™ will be at Scrapbooks Too in Bloomington, MN on Thursday, Sept 17th!! It’s all about Spellbinders™ all night long (well, until midnight!). Come join Kim and Heidi - they will offer make and takes during this special crop. Make a “spooky” treat bag and a cutting edge layout! They will have all the new release dies for you to see up close and personal!

See you there!!

Today’s Savvy Saturday is all about  Letterpress.  This technique dates back to the year 1450, with thanks going to Johannes Gutenberg, as the main method of printing until the invention of offset printing. That is today’s history lesson.

You can do this technique with Spellbinders’™ Impressabilities™!  I started by playing with ink.  I rolled my brayer across an ink pad, then onto the I2-1004 Impressabilties™ Flowers.  I built my sandwich this way:

• White Master Mat
• Inked Impressabilties™ (ink side up)
• Paper
• Embossing Mat
• White Master Mat

Feed the sandwich into the Wizard™.  One pass in the Wizard™ will emboss the paper and transfer the ink into the debossed areas. This is the result with Clearsnap ColorBox White Pigment Ink and black cardstock:

Then I tried acrylic paint. This is the result with Ranger’s paint.  This is a fast drying acrylic paint, and despite working quickly, I am not 100% happy with the coverage in this example. We’ll come back to paint another time.

So then I got to thinking, if ink works, what about ink and embossing powder? I used the brayer to apply Clearsnap Top Boss Watermark Ink to the Impressabilities™, fed the sandwich through the Wizard™ and then applied Sparkle and Sprinkle’s Outerspace Embossing Powder. I heated the paper to melt the powder. Oh my! Its beautiful! Check this out:

Then I did the reverse stencil technique with Clearsnap Black Pigment Ink and S4-234 Ribbon Tags Trio  2, the oval shape. I stamped “thank you” from Hero Arts onto the label with the same ink, and added ribbon from my stash.  It needed just one more thing, so I cut an oval using S4-112 Classic Ovals, Small #4, from the same patterned paper, which is Fancy Pants Caroling.  I mounted that onto black cardstock.

I love the texture and sheen from the embossing powder, don’t you?

Spellbinders™ Die Templates used: S5-019 Labels Eight, S4-112 Classic Ovals, Small #4, S4-234 Ribbon Tags Trio 2, I2-1004 Impressabilities™ Flowers.

Here are a few examples from our Design Team Members:

 Janine Blackwelder also used Impressabilities™ Flowers for this bookmark.  She cut the Impressabilties™ apart and letterpressed a small section.  Clearsnap ink, Hero Arts stamps, and the S4-112 Classic Ovals, Small as well as S4-113 Scalloped Classic Ovals, Small were used on this project.

Julie Overby embossed her chipboard letters with Impressabilities™ Flowers. On the card she used S5-019 Labels Eight; 12-1004 Impressabilities™ Flowers;  Cardstock; Patterned paper; Cosmo Cricket and Maya Road chipboard; ClearSnap Colorbox Ink.

Have a wonderful Saturday!
Beth

PS. Don’t forget to go over to “When Creativity Knocks!” - and vote for Impressabilities™ in the Great Crafter’s Tool Hunt…you could win something cool and we would win ultimate fame and glory (maybe even a trophy? who knows). Click HERE for more info.  Voting closes September 8 at midnight PST.

Back to school is the perfect time of year to send a note thanking teachers for how they impact the world. Your son or daughter’s teachers will know how you support them and that all their hard work is appreciated when this card comes their way.

Today, I want to share a quick and easy technique using Spellbinders™’ Impressabilities™…this time let’s emboss craft foil and then sand it for more impact. You can see the effect in the card below.
If you are not familiar with craft foil, it is basically a light weight metal sheet that can be used in all kinds of crafting projects.The Wizard™ especially loves to cut and emboss these shiny sheets. Spellbinders’ offers several colors in rolls, 12″x36″ and a 12-piece assortment pack with 5″x5″ sheets.

Because of its strength and pliability, craft foil, aka tooling foil, takes embossing perfectly and holds its shape beautifully. So let’s get started making this card to honor a teacher in your life.

Besides your Wizard™ and mats, gather the following supplies: I2-1002 Impressabilities™ Butterfly, Premium Craft Foil, Spellbinders S5-014 Small Deckled Mega Rectangles, Whimsical patterned paper by Fancy Pants, Gold cardstock by Core’dinations, Glue Dots adhesives, Checked ribbon by Creative Impressions, 25 pt Brayton font by JustRite Stampers, Sandpaper and Corner rounder punch

Begin by cutting three pieces of craft foil to 1-1/4″ by 4″. I used two colors but three coordinating ones could also be fun.

Build your sandwich for embossing:

• White master mat
• Impressabilities template
• Craft foil pieces, side by side
• Embossing pad
• White master mat

Lay the three craft foil sheets carefully on the template with the silver facing up.

Feed the sandwich through the Wizard™ to emboss. Check the photo below to see how crisp the embossing is. Take patience when removing the foil as it tends to grab the metal pieces of the template.

Flip the strips over to the colored side. Add a little wow by sanding each strip to remove the color and really show off the details in the silver. I like to vary the direction that I sand to get an overall effect but you can sand in one direction to get another cool look.

Stamp the beginning of your sentiment with JustRite stamps. I used the quote, “A Teacher affects eternity…she never knows where her influence stops” with the second half of the quote on the inside of the card.

Cut/emboss the stamped portion of the sentiment with S5-014 Small Deckled Mega Rectangles (#2).

Construct the card:
Cut the Fancy Pants paper to 6″x9″ and fold in half. Round the corners. Cut a cardstock square to 4-1/2″x4-1/2″. Add the three metal strips and then the small bow. Attach the card front sentiment with dimensional. Write out the rest of the sentiment and add it to the inside.

Now: sign it, put it in an envelope, address it, drop it in the mail and make a teacher very happy.

Don’t forget to go over to “When Creativity Knocks!” - and vote for Impressabilities in the Great Crafter’s Tool Hunt…you could win something cool and we would win ultimate fame and glory (maybe even a trophy? who knows). Follow this link for more info: HERE

Eli, who is really glad to be back with the team after taking the summer off for some family time.