Thursday, July 22, 2021

Christmas in July Light-Up Box Pops Card

Hello again friends!

I am so excited to share with you the Christmas in July Light-Up Box Pops Card that I created today! I played with i-crafter's Box Pops, Holiday Truck Add-On die set and decided that I wanted to do something a little different by lighting it up with EZ-Lights.

I started by die cutting white shimmery cardstock using the Box Pops, Oval Base twice. Once cut, I placed one piece into my MISTI 2.0 and covered it with my Fern Berries stencil. I used Catherine Pooler Cranberry Fizz ink and ink blended it onto the base front and bottom sections of my Oval Base using my red i-Brush Blender Brush. I love these brushes, especially for fine, detailed stencils like this one. Next, I stamped the "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" sentiment from the Christmas Sentiments stamp set to one of the halves, making it my front half.


Next, I cut out the pieces for my truck and trees from the Holiday Truck Add-On set. For my truck, I used a black base and then used a thin shiny paper (almost wrapping paper in thinness that I picked up secondhand) for the bumpers and tire hub caps. The tree that I wanted to light up, I backed with vellum that I colored with Copics because we like colored lights in our house!

 
I glued my colored vellum to the back of one of the three green Christmas trees that I had cut out. I added some Narrow Double Thick Foam Tape to the back of this tree to trap my light in when I built my card.

I was a bit silly and did the next steps in the wrong order, in order to avoid confusion I am going to tell you what I should have done rather than what I did. I should have creased all of the fold lines on my Oval Base pieces using my i-Press, then glued the individual pieces together so that I had my two halves of the base. I should have added the little stand piece that would eventually hold the two front trees that I hid my EZ-Lights base/switch piece in. 

Next, I should have glued my Holiday Truck die cut to the front half of my base and punch hole in the bottom so that I could weave my lights through. I had already punched a hole in the tree on top of the truck. I got snow happy and used a Snow Marker too early so ignore that for now, I promise to come back to it!


I slid my three LED lights from my EZ-Lights through the front slit, then pulled them through the hole punched in the bottom back and back to the front through the hole punched in the tree. Most of my wires hid in the bottom half of the card. 


I cut out two extra trees from the truck outline and simply cut them off the truck. I tested to see where to position them in order to allow me to hide the battery holder/switch on them. Once my wires were threaded, I mounted the battery holder to my tree backs using glue dots. Then I glued the two halves of the base together.


I then backed the two additional trees that I had cut out previously with more green cardstock since I didn't want to add lights to these. Once I had built them, I glued them together and used more Narrow Double Thick Foam Tape to adhere them to the two black glued together trees and the battery holder/switch.


I positioned my EZ-Lights LEDs to the tree on the truck using glue dots. I covered this with my original tree backed with colored vellum. 


This is when I should have broke out my Snow Marker and went snow happy. I hit the base, several parts of the truck and even the trees with my Snow Marker. There were sections that I added snow to after the fact, I had to be super careful so that my EZ-Lights didn't get affected or melted.


Now, the only downfall to this card is that because of how close to the base I put the EZ-Light battery/switch the card does not fold up, so it's more of a home decor piece than it is a card. Otherwise, I am completely obsessed with how this card came out and was pleasantly surprised with how few hick-ups I had creating it, even with doing several things out of order so to speak!


You can see here that I used black foam adhesive squares to bump the tires out from the truck body.


This side angle shows how much Snow Marker I really did use (I'm obsessed). It does mask the white of the foam tape nicely as well.


To add a frosted look to the truck windows, I added a small vellum piece to the back side of the truck.


Here she is all lit up! I like to take these pictures in the dark to really show how well the lights shine.


Here is a short clip of the card lit up in the light and in the dark!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my cards and that you feel inspired to go create! Be sure to join the i-crafter Facebook Fan Club! We love seeing all of your creations using the i-crafter products so don’t forget to tag us or use #icrafter when you share!

Until next time,
Rachel

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Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Crabby Card

Hello again friends,

I am so excited to show you my card for today! I played with Sassy and Crafty's Sassy but Sweet Stamp set. This set features an adorable mermaid and fantastic "king" crab along with some amazing sentiments.

I decided to stamp the crab from Sassy but Sweet for my card today. I stamped him using Ink On 3's Fade Out Ink and colored him with Copics. To add a bit of extra fun, for the gems on his crown, I used clear rhinestones colored red using a Copic. I also stamped each of the shells from Sassy but Sweet a few times to color in different fun bright shades, again using Copic markers.

Once I had finished coloring, I focused on the background next. I used black cardstock and the Mermaid Tails Stencil for this. I used my i-Brush Blender Brushes and Distress Oxide inks in various shades of blue and one purple to create a watery feel. I added a few spritzes of watered down Ink on 3 Liquid Pixie Dust to add some shimmer to the background.



Next, I cut out Kindred Stamps "Sorry" word die. For the bottom layer I used a purple scrap with a kind of watercolor or bubbled look to it, and for the top layer I used a blue glitter cardstock scrap. The sentiment I stamped on to a silver cardstock scrap and heat embossed it with a metallic light purple WOW embossing powder. I trimmed this down.

When it came time to build my card, I layered my dark watery sheet over a light purple card base. TIP: I like to buy card bases and envelopes in bulk from box stores when I find them on sale, this saves my energy so I'm not constantly cutting and scoring card bases. Once the card front was adhered to the card base, I glued the "sorry" layers toward the top center of the card. I added a strip of Thin Double Thick Foam Tape to the back of my "I've been crabby" sentiment strip and positioned it under but crossing into the "sorry" layers.



I added my king crab to a mini wobbler to give him a fun little interactive element and positioned him towards the center(ish) of the card. To finish the card, I added the shells that I had previously colored up and a few clear sequins.

Here is a short video of the crab in action!


Well, I hope that I've inspired you to check out Sassy and Crafty for yourself and look forward to seeing what you create next! 

Until next time,

R. Winn

Thursday, July 15, 2021

We are Brave

 Today I am showing off a card that I created using Sassy & Crafty's Free & Brave Stamp Set.  I love these girl power images and the girl with the flag is absolutely amazing. I wanted to alter the flag to represent the Overcoming Disabilities flag since that's something that is really important to me.

I began by stamping onto watercolor paper with Ink On 3's Fade-Out ink. Next, I pulled out my watercolors and used Gansai Tambi Starry Colors paints for the gold on top and bronze on the bottom, the silver in the center is a combination of Spectrum Noir Sparkle Glitter Ink and a white watercolor from my stash. 

Next, I used Nuvo's Hair & Skin Tones Watercolor Pencils for her skin and hair. I struggled with her face and was not able to get the details of her features with the no-line technique so I tried to stamp just her face... unfortunately I did not have the paper lined up correctly and messed up her face and hair. So I restamped the face and hair with Fade Out ink then used a dauber to put VersaFine on just her facial features. In order to save the rest of my work, I just cut the new face out and glued it on to the already completed body. I used watercolor pencils for her shirt and the flag pole as well.



For the card front, I used black cardstock and Cosmic Shimmer Citrus Green Gilding Polish over the Sassy and Crafty Comic Book 2 Stencil. It took several layers of the Gilding Polish but the way it pops off the black was so worth it!

Next up, I used the buildable sentiments from Sassy Girls - Free & Brave to put together the sentiment "We are brave". I stamped it in my MISTI 2.0 using Hero Arts Unicorn White ink topped with a layer of green Opalite Ink to give it a green tint. Had I been more patient, I probably would have chosen to heat emboss the sentiment instead. I finished the card off with some little purple hearts from Queen & Co.

The colors purple and green, that I used on this card, are symbolic of the disabilities that I work hard to overcome each day. Purple represents Fibromyalgia, green represents mental health. There are so many people struggling with invisible disabilities and working to overcome them every day.

I hope that you enjoyed my card and be sure to check out Sassy and Crafty for all sorts of amazing stamps and stencils!

Until next time,

R. Winn

Thursday, July 8, 2021

How about Hanukkah in July?

Hello again!

Today I am showing off the new i-crafter Holiday Words dies paired with the i-crafter Snowflake Border die set on two cards.

I wanted to my cards today to have a Hanukkah theme rather than Christmas. There are plenty of other holidays celebrated in December that we can begin to prepare a card stash for now, plus I happen to know some amazing folks who celebrate Hanukkah, I will be sending these cards to them!

To start my first card, I began by cutting some Erin Lee Creative Holographic Cardstock down to 4"x 5.25" & then die cut my "Happy Holidays" out of the center. I angled the dies slightly to add a touch of whimsy. For this card, I used the negative space created by cutting out the words, I set my words to the side to use in my second card. I trimmed some blue scrapbook paper down to fit on my card base, leaving it slightly larger than the Holographic Cardstock so there would be a nice layered look when I finished.


Next, I backed the Holographic Cardstock with foam tape to add some dimension to the card. Once this was placed, I used the center bits of the words to fill some of the negative space and make it easier to read.


I die cut snowflakes using a blue glitter cardstock. The snowflakes are a mix of the extra dies in both the Holiday Words and the Snowflake Border die sets, along with the smallest 3 snowflakes being negatives from the border die itself.

My second card also pairs the i-crafter Holiday Words and Snowflake Border die sets. I chose a 5.5"x5.5" white card base for this project. I die cut the snowflakes from each die set using Holographic Cardstock to match the words that had been set aside from the first card.


Next, I took the same blue glitter cardstock as I used in my first card and cut it down to 5.5"x5.5". I should have laid my words down and made sure that I was happy with the fit first, instead I eyeballed it and as a result my words are closer together than I would have liked and "Holidays" dips into the snowflake border a bit.

A "pro tip" when using the Snowflake Border, this die is so intricate that some of the pieces take a extra passes through the machine or even a precision cutting plate if you have on, which I don't instead I run it through twice with the die facing sideways, then another two times with the die facing up and down.

I glued everything together flat with no foam tape and no extra embellishments other than the snowflakes that I had die cut. Even with the "imperfections" in these cards, they are absolutely gorgeous and I am so excited to send them this Winter!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my cards and that you feel inspired to go create! Be sure to join the i-crafter Facebook Fan Club, then follow us on Instagram, and Pinterest too! We love seeing all of your creations using the i-crafter products so don’t forget to tag us or use #icrafter when you share!

Until next time,
R. Winn

Friday, July 2, 2021

Lighting Up the Sky with Fairy Magic!



Today, we’re sharing lots of whimsical cards that will really brighten your day. They feature dreamy new stamps and dies from Scrappy Tails, and with a little help from Pear Blossom Press, they all light up! Be sure to hop along with us for lots of inspiration; our designers have come up with some stunning cards...

Now, for my card! I am so obsessed with this card you guys.


The entire June release from Scrappy Tails is really magical but I selected the Fairy Girl to begin my card with. I stamped her using my MISTI 2.0 onto watercolor paper. I used two different yellows on her hair (these were given to me and I'm not sure of the brand.). For her skin, I used Crayola Colors of the World Markers, I scribbled these on my palette then used them as watercolors. For her wings, I broke out these AMAZING watercolors from HydraColour on Etsy the blue of the wings is Scarab, with a bit of Poseidon over top in certain places, the purplish color is Fantasia. Her shirt is the Purple from HydraColour's Neon Pan Dot Card.

I mixed a few dark blue and dark purple watercolors together and did a quick wash of the color on a sheet of watercolor paper for the background. Next, I used Deco Foil Foam Adhesive and a White Latte Flock Sheet to create the cloud border with Scrappy Tails' Cloud Frame Cover Plate.

I came back to my watercolored indigo background and placed my Fairy Girl and Cloud Frame to see where I wanted my Crescent Moon die (which was an incentive die from the June release). I cut the moon out of the watercolored background, then used a gold cardstock scrap to die cut my moon. To create the holes in the background under the wings, I used a cloud die from the Scrappy Tails' Cloud Frame Cover Plate set that was the perfect size to create a hole that filled most of the center of the wings.


Next, I flipped the card over and backed the hole in vellum. I decided to use 2 EZ-Lights so that each hole had 2 LED lights since they were rather large spaces. I use glue dots to attach the top of the EZ-Light to the back of the card front, then used washi tape to wrangle the wires and position the LEDs. My next task was lining the back of my card front with Crystal Clear Double Thick Foam Tape before I could flip it back over to finish the front.
 

I used a few stars from the Scrappy Tails' Cloud Frame Cover Plate in the gold as the moon for embellishment. The largest star, I wrote "Push" on and placed in the "sweet spot" that if it's pushed on just right will activate both EZ-Lights.
 

Now, I very rarely put sentiments on the inside of my cards, but I just loved this sentiment from Scrappy Tails' Fairy Friends stamp set. I stamped it using Catherine Pooler's Juniper Mist Ink and my MISTI.

This card is honestly one of my new favorites and in the dark it's even more stunning, all lit up.


Here is a little video of it in action!


Be sure to visit are blog to get more inspiration and more entries into the giveaways!

Rachel Winn (You are here!)
Teresa Plunkett (Your next stop!)

We’d love to see what you would create with these lovely new products, so we’re giving some away! Scrappy Tails and Pear Blossom Press are each giving away a $25 store credit! Comment on this post by July 9, 2021 to be entered to win. Winners will be announced on July 12th.

Thank you for stopping bye and I will see you soon!

R. Winn

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Christmas in July with i-crafter

It's Christmas in July time for i-crafter! Today I am sharing a home decor piece that I created using the new Folded Holly die set. I started with an 8"x10" canvas that I coated in Modge Podge and liquid adhesive. 



Next, I ripped up scraps of cool blue toned scrapbook paper then pasted them onto my canvas. I love the results, it looks like a scrapbook paper quilt to me. I covered the entire thing with a clear glossy sealant. 

For the Folded Holly, I die cut 3 holly leaves from a rich green cardstock. I used the i-Press to crease my leaves. The trick with these was folding the two sides together. Once I got them together and adhered them, I used the i-Grip tweezers to hold the sides together while the glue dried.


I used scraps from a dark glittery red cardstock for the larger circle of the berries, a bright red cardstock, and white scraps for the little white dots. In order to add a bit of dimension I used the round circle end of the i-Press to burnish the backs of the berries so they're a little bumped out. I added a fourth red circle behind the 3 main circles.


I wanted to add a little something to the bottom of the canvas so I used "Merry Christmas" word dies from the new Christmas Words set to cut two sets out, one from black cardstock and another from the bright red cardstock of the berries.

Home decor isn't my typical project style but I had SO much fun making this canvas! 

Head over to i-crafter to get the Folded Holly and Christmas Words sets and check out the other Christmas in July new release items too! Be sure to join the i-crafter Facebook Fan Club, then follow us on Instagram, and Pinterest too! We love seeing all of your creations using the i-crafter products.


Until next time,
R. Winn