Light Up Christmas Card with i-crafter Dies and Pear Blossom Press Halo Lights

 Hello again friends,

It's Rachel here showing off my take on the new i-crafter Christmas Treat Lantern Add-On die set! I wanted to light this die set up since I first saw it. Since I just did a light up lantern, I thought it would be fun to create a Christmas card instead this time. 

I started with the i-crafters's Buffalo Plaid Stencil and used Catherine Pooler's Cranberry Fizz ink over a vanilla cardstock. Next, I used the lights die from the Christmas Treat Lantern Add-On die set in the bottom center of the panel that I stenciled on. Used Catherine Pooler's Deck the Halls ink on the vanilla cardstock and ink smooshed the pad directly onto the cardstock, then used the lights die again to get the center pieces of the image. To create a yellow glow for the lights, I ink smooshed Catherine Pooler's Chiffon, a bright yellow ink onto vellum and glued it the back of the plaid panel. Once that was glued down, I added the green center pieces back into the image.

 I used the "Merry & Bright" word dies and the snowflake from the i-crafters's Holiday Dovetail Card die set to decorate the card. Again, I ink smooshed Catherine Pooler's Juniper Mist ink directly onto the vanilla cardstock. I cut out the words and five snowflakes. I cut two down so that I could position them on the edges.

I then took the holly and berries from the i-crafters's Christmas Treat Lantern Add-On die set and positioned them over the button to my Pear Blossom Press Halo Lights, which is what I used to light up the card. I should have taken a picture of the back of the panel before I glued it down. I wanted something quick and easy and the Pear Blossom Press Halo Lights were perfect, they have 4 built in LED lights. I positioned the lights so they hit the corners of the box instead of positioning it straight up and down.

You cane see how perfectly the lights from the Pear Blossom Press Halo Lights worked with the box when it's lit up.

I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!

Here is a short video with the card in action! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!

If you’d like to see more of my projects, you can follow me here: Instagram, and Facebook page.

 

Until next time,

Rachel

 

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Halloween Wreath with the i-crafter Folded Maple Leaf

 Happy Halloween Witches and Warlocks!

I am so excited to show you the Halloween Wreath that I created using i-crafter's Folded Maple Leaf die set and Tags and Labels die set! My best friend, Molly, and I made this project together, she helped save me time and energy by folding and burnishing the leaves using the i-Press while I die cut them, glued them, and then adhered them to my wreath frame. I used a solid black cardstock, kraft cardstock, and orange cardstock for the Folded Maple Leaves, I cut out at least 5 of each color. 

 

When gluing the leaves, I used a small clothes pin embellishment and a binder clip to keep the sides together while the glue dried, normally I use my i-Grip tweezers to do this job, but I had forgotten them at home when I left to visit for Molly and Evan's birthdays! 

Once I had several leaves glued together, I started to build my wreath, I used a frame from the Dollar Tree wrapped in a burlap and lace ribbon from the Dollar Tree as well. I wanted a solid base that if there were any gaps didn't look funky, no random chunks of green spoiling my project! Next, I used hot glue and glued down my leaves. I wanted to turn them every which way and overlap them as I went.

After the leaves were all in place, I began adding the embellishments that I had picked up at the Dollar Tree. I started with a purple ribbon with a skull in the center at the top of the wreath. Then I used purple pumpkins, silver skulls, and purple berries mixed all over the wreath.

My last piece was to add a "Happy Autumn" tag! The Folded Maple Leaf die set has a beautiful cursive "Happy Autumn" that I though would look so nicely added to the wreath. I thought about putting it on a wooden tag or sign of some sort, then realized that the Tags and Labels die set would be the perfect addition to this project. So, I cut the largest tag out of black cardstock, and cut out the hole reinforcers and the sentiment out of the same orange as the leaves. I used orange and yellow twine to tie it onto the wreath form.

This project was so simple and it was so much fun to make with Molly! It could be done for any holiday or just for fun. I hope that you enjoyed my take on i-crafter's Folded Maple Leaf die set and Tags and Labels die set! 

If you’d like to see more of my projects, you can follow me here: Instagram, and Facebook page.

 

Until next time,

Rachel

 

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Thinking of You With Chrysanthemums

Hi all! I have a beautiful card to share with you today! I used the new i-crafter Chrysanthemum Blossom die set for a multi-purpose "Thinking of you" card.

I started by cutting out 3 flowers and 3 backers using 2 shades of yellow cardstock, 1 of each from a light yellow, 2 of each from a darker, warm yellow. Next I used my i-brush Blender Brushes to add a light coat of Mango Madness Hybrid Ink to the backers to create a two tone effect to the flowers once they were layered together. I used a fine tip, liquid glue to adhere the flowers to the backers.

Once they were glued together, I used the round end of the i-Press Burnisher and Pad to create some depth and curve in the Chrysanthemum Blossom flowers. Next, I layered purple cardstock over black to create the card front. I placed the first two Chrysanthemum Blossom flowers on the corners where I wanted them using foam adhesive, this gave extra dimension and allowed the curves I had created to have room to fall down to the card front. I placed the Chrysanthemum Blossom flowers hanging slightly off card front then I used my guillotine trimmer to cut the extra off parts of the flowers that were past the edges of the black cardstock.

Once the first two Chrysanthemum Blossom flowers were in place, I added the third to the top, between them again using foam adhesive. Next, I tucked my Chrysanthemum Blossom leaves in beneath the Chrysanthemum Blossom flowers. I only cut out 2 Chrysanthemum Blossom leaves, I chose to go with a lighter green for the outline vines and a darker for the body. Next, I took a few of the pieces of the Chrysanthemum Blossom flowers that had been trimmed off and added them back in strategic positions under the 3 flowers to fill out the Chrysanthemum Blossom flowers. I glued them using liquid adhesive, laying flat beneath the other flowers added more depth to the card.

Finally, I cut out the beautiful "thinking of you" that is in the Chrysanthemum Blossom die set from white cardstock and glued it in the open space that I had left for it and added the card front to a solid white card base. I love that this could be a "Just Because" card, or is thoughtful enough to use for a "Get Well" or "Sympathy" card too. These types of cards typically are difficult for me but this took me very little time and I enjoyed the process a lot!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my project! If you’d like to see more of my projects, you can follow me here: blog, Instagram, and Facebook page.

 

Until next time,

Rachel

 

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Thank you so much for stopping by today!

A-Haunting We Will Glow!

Welcome to the A-Haunting We Will Glow Collab Hop with i-crafter and Pear Blossom Press! We're sharing spooky sweet projects for Halloween. Featuring interactive dies from i-crafter, and with help from Pear Blossom Press, they all really light up! Be sure to hop along with us for lots of inspiration; we’ve come up with some brilliant cards. Let me show you mine...

I started with the i-crafter Halloween Treat Lantern dies and a Graphic 45 Halloween Paper Pad. I decided the purple paper would work nicely for my lantern. I used the spiderweb insert for the i-crafter Halloween Treat Lantern and then cut a piece of 2.25"x2.25" piece of vellum to back the spiderweb with. I lightly covered the exterior of the frame and the web strings with Art Glitter Glue to attach the vellum. 

Next, I added the haunted house from the i-crafter Tunnel Card, Halloween Add-On die set cut out of black cardstock. I trimmed it down so that it fit to in the lantern and added it behind the vellum, again attaching it with Art Glitter Glue. I knew that I wanted the lights to shine through the windows so I pried the shutters back into the lantern a bit. After I had the haunted house attached, I flipped it over and used Pear Blossom Press's White Essential Gel Pen to write "Press Me" and drew an arrow to where I planned to place the button for my EZ-Lights to light up my project.

I used a Large Zots to secure the Power Pack of the EZ-Lights to the back of the Lantern, then used Small Zots to position my lights. 

To give me a little more control of the placement, I first wrapped the Zot around the wire just below the LED light, then positioned the light above the window or door, and firmly pressed down to secure the light's position. This allowed me better control of where the light was pointed than simply placing the light on the Zots like I have in the past. 

I used the same technique to secure the wires as they traveled down the back of the haunted house to the Power Pack. Typically I do this with washi tape since I have so much of it on hand, but in order to have a lower chance of them showing the Zots seemed to be a better choice to me.

Finally, to secure the extra length of wire on each string, I gathered it all up and used washi tape to secure it to the Power Pack of the EZ-Lights.

 It was hard to get a good picture of these "guts" because my camera kept trying to focus on one piece or another!

I decorated the front of the lantern last, I die cut the pumpkin from the i-crafter Tunnel Card, Halloween Add-On die set out of orange glitter cardstock and backed it with a small piece of black cardstock. I glued this over the button on the EZ-Lights.

The last piece was the ghost from the Tunnel Card, Halloween Add-On die set, I die cut it out of a White Flock Sheet backed with Foam Adhesive. I backed the ghost's face with a small piece of black cardstock as well. I used a black jewelry cord to create a loop that would allow me to hang this from a door knob or hook.

I love the finished look. It's really neat both unlit and lit up!

Here is a short video showing it light up as well!

Now, be sure you keep hopping to be inspired further by the i-crafter Inspiration Team and the wonderful ladies joining us from Pear Blossom Press. Here is the hop line up:

I-crafter

Amanda Wilcox

Niccole Kulig

Nancy May

Lauren Zertuche

Jeannie Lieu

Marcia Caradinta

Rachel Winn (You are here)

Cassie Trask (Next Stop)

Jenn Gross

Pear Blossom Press

Every good hop has prizes, right? So i-crafter, and Pear Blossom Press are each giving away a $25 store credit! Comment on this post by October 4, 2021 to be entered to win. Winners will be announced on October 8th. Ready for more inspiration? Amanda from Pear Blossom Press will be live on YouTube today, and Lynda from i-crafter will be live on Facebook today at 11:00am. Be sure to tune in!

Thanks for stopping by,

R. Winn

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Monster Party with i-crafter!

It's release day with i-crafter and that means I have something spooky to share! I got to play with the new Impossible Box, Monster die set and created 3 fun projects to inspire you!

We'll start with my favorite, I'm calling this one a coffin. I used the pieces meant to create a mummy to create the coffin. I created different colored by smushing multiple shades of Catherine Pooler brown inks onto a sandy colored cardstock. I spritzed the cardstock, sponged some color off with a towel then blow dried it most of the way with my heat gun. Next, I used the Kindred Stamps Woodgrain stencil and dry embossed the cardstock to create a wood texture. 

I cut the mummy pieces out repeatedly, and added a few of the vampire hair pieces in as well (with the points covered by the other pieces.) My box was a darker solid brown. I covered all four sides and the bottom of the box with these panels layering them so they looked like a roughly built coffin. I chose to use red and white for the eyes to make them really POP out at you. The top I left as is so it didn't interfere with the open/close mechanism.

Next up is a fairly simple box! I used old Halloween patterned paper from a Graphic 45 paper pad to create a simple box, I added some bat sequins that I found in the dollar section at Target. I really love that this box can be used dressed up or stand-alone!

I wanted to show the box in use so I added a few of the bats to the inside... then spilled them out for effect. 

Last, we have the first box I created. I want to put the disclaimer out there that this was my learning curve box and it can be done much better than this one... but he's sure a cute little vampire either way!

I added details using Copic markers, using Cool Grays for his hair, blue to add details to his eyes, and red to color his lips. I added buttons to his vest and shirt with a fineliner.

The last few details may be a bit silly, but I thought they were fun. For his cape, I cut the shape out twice, once in black and once in red. I backed the red with the black, then used my i-Press tool's round handle to curl the edges of the cap inwards. 

I hope that you have enjoyed my project for today and can't wait to see how you use the new Impossible Box, Monster die set in the future!

Until next time,
R. Winn

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Memories Circular Mini Album

Hi again friends,

I’m here to show off the Circular Mini Album that I created for one of my best friends of her two littles! They are two of the sweetest kids and she is like a sister to me so creating this was SO much fun!

I’m going to start by with a video showing a flip through of the full album then I will show you the individual sections!

To start, I cut out 4 of the Circular Mini Album base panel from a light gray cardstock and glued them together using liquid adhesive. The tutorial on i-crafter's YouTube channel explains that the little tab should be glued to the bottom of your creased section so the seam doesn't show on your album's pages, I loved this tip because I'm that person who wouldn't realize my error until I was halfway finished with my project! For the project, I used patterned papers from Echo Park, Bo Bunny, My Minds Eye, and Queen & Co. My memory isn't fantastic so I can't say for sure which is which!

The cover of the Circular Mini Album features the kids playing at the beach during a gorgeous sunset. I used bright fun colors that really pop off that gray background. On the tag, I penned "memories" keeping it simple since I don't know exactly when and where each photo was taken. She will be able to fill little journaling cards out that I created for most of the sections. To finish the cover off, I added a few yellow embellishments from Queen & Co. I made sure to use one to cover the tag's hole since I don't like the look of "naked" tags. 

The first section, I played with papers from the My Minds Eye "Wander" Paper Pad (this is honestly the only one I remember for sure!) I knew that this image was from a camping trip and the camper from this pad was just SO perfect for this memory. I positioned the square die so the camper would be the background on one side, then I added the pocket die that I centered over "wild & free". I glued the bottom tab of the pocket to the back of the square to help avoid the journaling card from catching on it when it is taken out or put back in. 

In order to print small enough photos, I used my Sprocket. Then, I used the instant photograph frame to die cut the picture down to size. I used the frame from Mini Album, Divider #2 die set to cut down some vanilla colored cardstock to create a journaling card. I added a second square using the same word patterned paper behind the image. The frame and triangle details used the same paper pad.

This next section is at the beach again! I kept it fairly simple for this section. To the left, I used double-sided removable tape to add a small rectangle cut using a die from Matchbox Stories this will allow for her to journal on the card, then use stronger adhesive to glue it down permanently. I used the vanilla frame that was cut when I created the first journaling card and trimmed two of the corners a bit so I could place is crooked so the background square felt less awkwardly cut. I added the "family" word die over the dark red triangle. 

This next section features her little girl blowing bubbles and was sooooo fun to create! The bubble paper was actually from an underwater paper pad. I mixed it with a pretty pink plaid patterned paper. I added a few Queen & Co. bubble embellishments around the image. 

Opposite the photo, I added "Dream" from the Matchbox Stories die set over the fun bubbles patterned paper. Now, I didn't create a journaling card for this section, but she could add details on the pink plaid triangle if she wanted to!

This next section, I used a winter paper pad to showcase the kids playing in the snow. The journaling card and "happy" are from the Mini Album, Accordion die set. 

I added a few iridescent snowflakes that I purchased from the dollar section of Target years ago around "happy" and the photo.

On the back cover, I had to use this picture of the kids playing in a puddle... is there anything more fun as a kid? The image fit best in the instant photograph frame turned sideways. I didn't care for the heart turned sideways though so I cut out a blue and pink heart and covered the sideways heart with them layered. I used the same blue to cut out "adventure" from the Mini Album, Accordion die set. I finished the album off by adding a few rhinestone rain drops. 

I hope that you've enjoyed my project! 

Until next time,

Rachel

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i-crafter August Release

It's release times for i-crafter! I played with the new Mason Jar Box Card by Lori Whitlock dies and had so much fun doing it. You know my love for using up scraps right? Well all of this card was cut from my scrap stash. 

I started my jar using a light blue cardsock. The front panel of the jar I shaded with Copic markers and stamped the "Thank you" sentiment from i-crafter's Thankful Sentiments stamp set in the center. I left the back panel blank without shading so that it can be used to write a message on.

I tried to use some Cool Gray Copics on the lid but it didn't work out as well since the surface is so reflective. Once the lids were glued to the front and back pieces, I used twine to add a little bit of a rustic feel to the card. To do this, I added glued the back of panel and wrapped it a few times. The front piece, I tied a simple knot on the front, the back panel I tied it in the back so it appears to be wrapped around both pieces without a break. Next, I added two side panels and two bridge or center pieces that I cut out in that same light blue to keep that jar look intact.

For the flowers, I cut out all of the flower dies from each the set from several colors. I really love the look of the biggest flower with two petal layers. I added Copic shading to the center of the three largest petal sizes. I probably added a few more flowers than were needed... but I was having SO much fun!

After shading the larger flowers, I used the i-Press Burnisher and Pad to create some real dimension for the flowers. Here is a short tutorial showing what I did:

I also used the added some color depth with Copics then used the i-Press on the long leafy pieces of greenery. This gave them a slightly curled look. I burnished the front of one stem and the back of the other stem, I loved the way they looked when I finished.

Ok, because I'm obsessed with the end results, you get a ton of photos from all angles!

The back is just as pretty as the front!

The neat thing about this style of card is that it can be folded flat (I would have needed to burnish my sides a little more for it to stay on its own.) Had I not added flowers quite so far to the side, I could have slide it into an A2 envelope easily, but I think this one may need a 5.5"x5.5" envelope instead!

I hope that you have enjoyed my project for today and can't wait to see how you use the Mason Jar Box Card by Lori Whitlock die set in the future!

Until next time, 

R. Winn

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Thank you so much for stopping by today!