Die Cutting For The Win

Lately I've been all about the dies. I've always liked them for sentiments and panels, but now I'm eyeing the floral layered dies. Altenew has them, Sizzix has a few and more companies seem to be coming out with them. I haven't yet decided which I can't live without, so today I'll just show you the fabulous sentiment die I've put on a variety of cards.

For this card, I chose a background I made awhile back with alcohol inks. I die cut it with a scallop die and then added the sentiment die cut from Waffle Flower. I only used the sentiment in white and then one of the many outlines in a metallic blue. 

In the close-up, you can see some of the metallic rainbow foil I rubbed onto the still-sticky ink.

This one uses the outline in white and the letters from a watercolored version I made. I added the watercolor after die cutting the whole die set. The unicorn is stamped on watercolor paper and it's a Greeting Farm stamp.

I was really happy with this last card. I used the Pinkfresh Studio Lush Vines Stamp and heat embossed in black on kraft paper. Then I added some of the sentiment layers, in white and black and red metallic paper. I think this might be a good card for one of my adult nephews.

This last card shows you all the layers of the die and lives up to its name of Rainbow Birthday.

Stay tuned for more cards featuring this sentiment die set, because I cut a ton of them!

Happy Friday!

Chark

You Wanna Pizza Me?

I recently got the My Favorite Things Pizza Maker die and stamp set I've been eyeing for awhile. I started my obsessive pizza card making session with my first slim-line (long) card. Once you start die cutting these pizza pieces, you'll be like me and finding it hard to stop!

I ran the pizza dies through with a variety of colored cardstock and made piles of ingredients. There are pepperoni, onion, olives, mushrooms, cheese, sauce, crust and green pepper dies. There were two die cuts I guessed on, a small triangle shape that I think is pineapple and then a larger one that might be ham or tomato. I used a lot of my scrap cardstock, so the mushrooms were different colors of green and the pepperoni was a bright red and a darker red. But I just grouped the same color on each pizza.

For each crust (a variety of browns/tans), I intermittingly inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink so it looked like it came from a wood fired pizza oven. Then I started assembling the pizzas, and ended up with almost a dozen little pizzas with some leftover bits. For these cards, I used a shimmery silver paper for a pan on the right card and I trimmed a piece of wood paper into a pizza peel/paddle.

For this one, I put the pizza on a square of cardboard (kraft paper) like our local pizza joint serves theirs in the restaurant and made it into a pocket for a gift card.

The patterned papers are single sheets of picnic patterned paper I got from Scrapbook.com. The pizza paper is a single sheet from Michael's. I had a blast mixing and matching the pizzas and then the papers.

I typed out the Delivering Lots of Hugs sentiment, even though the sentiments from the stamp set are really cute. I hope my friends and family are all ready to get pizza cards this year!

Happy Friday!

Chark

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I'm using the title of one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite movies for my blog title today because I just bought a new raindow die set from Sizzix and have cut about a bazillion rainbows. I bought this die set because Sizzix is giving $10 from the purchase price to Feeding America. I love when just purchasing something crafty can do some good in the world.

For my first rainbow card, I used glitter paper and a background I created with the Viviva Colorsheets I was sent to try out. They are so vibrant and saturated, I only used a little of each color for this panel and got amazing results. 

For this second rainbow, I die cut the rainbow from rainbow striped paper from Lawn Fawn and then inlaid the solid colors. I added sequins and mini rainbow clay pieces from Kat Scrappiness.

For the final card today, I tried a shaker card again...I am rubbish at these cards, no matter how many videos I watch or how many I try. I think I am just incapable of pulling together the elements. Either the bits stick to my foam tape or—like this card—I don't put enough foam tape to make the card panel sit flat (see how the top portion is kind of bent down). 

I think the purple one is my favorite, but I'm certain I'll be making more rainbows in the future.

Happy Friday,

Chark

Happy National Lottery Day

Who knew there even was a National Lottery Day? Not me! Did you know lotteries in the U.S. date back to the 1700s? According to this website, "colonies held nearly 400 lotteries in the mid-18th century. A Philadelphia newspaper ad promised a 'new brick house' for one lucky lottery winner. Tickets sold for 20 shillings each." I looked it up and it would be $200 today...that's a pretty good deal for a house!

It is convenient to celebrate National Lottery Day today though, because I'm currently doing a giveaway...not for lottery tickets but for crafty stuff. If you leave a comment on my IG page and follow me, you'll be entered to win this stamp and die set from Catherine Pooler which is perfect for friends and family cards. The giveaway closes on Saturday, July 18 at 11:59 pm EST, so enter ASAP!

I have to admit, I've played a lottery here and there and gotten scratch-offs occasionally but I think the highest amount I've won is $5—I'm guessing I wouldn't have won that brick house back in Philadelphia if I'd have entered it lolol.

Thought I'd share a birthday card I made with all die-cuts and no stamping...I used Distress Oxides to smoosh onto cardstock and then used a Hero Arts Branch Wreath die, an Echo Park floral wreath die and a sentiment die from Memory Box to cut out different portions of the paper. 

The adhesive lace is from a hundred years ago...or it's been in my stash at least 5 years. I've been digging through some of my older papers and supplies and trying to use them before they're completely out-of-date. Just ordered the rolling cart so many people have for scrapping and cardmaking and I think it'll be great for storing current projects. I tend to have at least three things going at once, so this might corral them.

Happy Friday!

Chark

All the Birthday Wishes

Today I'm highlighting a bold Birthday Wishes die from Stamplorations. I've had this awhile and I keep die cutting it from a variety of papers and materials. I love it because it's bold and it's all connected and not too dainty. 

There are some word dies that have delicate lines that get bent easily but this isn't one of them. Looks like this die is on sale right now too, if you want one. I'm not an affiliate link, I just like the store and die.

For this first card, I framed a beautiful patterned paper from Altenew with a gold cardstock frame I cut with an oval and then used black foam to die cut the greeting. I added gold Uniball pen dots to the foam and it worked great.

This card uses a mermaid stamp and die plus a spiral stencil from Hero Arts. The sentiment is die cut from some ink sprayed cardstock. When I create with new materials, it's not always with a project in mind but I've found cutting the artsy pieces for backgrounds and sentiments works great.

This one uses alcohol ink experiments for the background and the sentiment. I added glossy accents to the paints for a little dimension.

 

For this last one, the background is Distress Ink watercolored and the sentiment is cut from more yupo with alcohol ink. I don't think I'm finished with this card yet. It might get some black spatter, sequins or enamel dots...maybe even a flower in the right lower corner. I guess we'll have to see!

Do you have any dies you love to use? psst! I just got a new set of pizza dies from MFT and I've been cutting up a storm...I can feel a post about to written about those dies soon.

Happy Friday!

Chark

A Cup of Tea, A Cookie and You

I love a cup of tea and a cookie in the evening and I love Witch Hazel from Bugs Bunny so I'm sharing this 6 second video of her so you can enjoy the dulcet tones of Hazel, lolol.

This is my third blog post for The Coffee Lovers Blog Hop...I'm posting them separately just to get a separate url, but there may be a better way to do this. I just haven't figured it out.

For this card, I used classic black for the A Jillian Vance Coffee Cup die and Crystal Tints paint on white cardstock for the stained glass. I love how vibrant and shiny the paint is...I'm certain I'll be using more of it in the future.

I used a white die first and painted within it, with some sloppy edges that I covered with the final die in black. I mounted this one on some Christmas paper that is just blurred lights. The paper pack had a silver-toned and this gold-toned paper and the gold looked best imo.

Happy Friday Hopping!

Chark

Rainbow Treats

Over at the Stamplorations blog, the current Cutplorations (die cut) challenge inspiration is this picture. I love the striped look of these eggs and though I could never pull this off in, say, jello form or egg dyeing form, I used the rainbow stripes in paper form. 

The paper is from Lawn Fawn and the dies are both from Stamplorations that I got recently during their Spring Sale (through April).

I cut the sentiment from mirrored silver cardstock and the flowers from scraps of colored cardstock in my stash. Love how festive these flowers are in multi-colors.

You have until Tuesday to join in the challenge here, using one Stamplorations product and whatever dies you have. 

If you're feeling the rainbow and want some jello treats now, here's a recipe for you.

Or if you're like me and this seems way too time-consuming, you could always color some cookie dough in rainbow colors like this.

Rainbow food is yummy food!

Happy Friday,
Chark

Sending Octopi Hugs

My last entry for the Lawn Fawnatics Fun with Food Challenge is this Octopus card.

I used the small Octopi My Heart set with the coffee and mug from the Love 'n Breakfast set to make some buddies having a snack together. The hugs die is from Lawn Fawn too, as is the blue watercolor paper behind them. I used my Prismacolor pencils to color and then fussy cut them out. I should've stamp everything separately and die cut them and then attached the cup and muffin to their tentacles, but hindsight is 20/20! 

Speaking of 20/20, just had some cataract surgery even though I'm just 50, but it wasn't bad as far as surgery (15 minutes) and recovery (you can read and watch TV soon after) and OMG, I have 20/20 vision now! I got glasses when I was 7 for nearsightedness and have used them and contacts ever since. Until now. Through the magic of science, I can read all the road signs you want me to! I've been driving my hubby a little crazy with that, but even with my contacts, I never had such clear vision. So, some things turn out better than you expected. Just sharing a little happiness in this house right now :) I hope something you are worried over turns out better than you expected too!

Happy Sunday!

Chark

I Heart You

I've been obsessively die cutting hearts from the Hero Arts So Sorry Stamp & Cut set...after I finished obsessively making watercolor pages. It was a whole day of painting, die cutting and then cardmaking. And it was fun. Here's another card I made.

I used a HA stencil and watercolors to print some backgrounds in blue. And then I did some watercoloring on my card base with blues and greens. After I cut out the heart, I backed with the stenciled piece. I also embossed the card base and stamped it.

It was pretty fun and I'm fascinated how the watercolor turns out depending on how much water you use and what paper you use. 

So, even though it's been awhile, here's my Book Cover of the Week. 

This is a cover that makes me want to read The Flux, even though it's the second book of the 'Mancer series. Guess I'll have to start with the first book called Flex.

What are you reading now? Did you pick it because of the cover? Just wondering! 

And don't forget, if you have some Hero Arts dies, you can enter the a2z Scrapbooking Supplies June challenge for a chance to win $25 to the store!

Happy Wednesday Friday! (Tried to schedule this for Wednesday, but someone messed up...so here it is today!)

Chark