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

For more inspiration, updates, and news make sure to check out these awesome places!

i-crafter

i-crafter Instagram

i-crafter Art Facebook Page

i-crafter Pinterest

i-crafter YouTube

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

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

Slimline Fun with i-crafter

It's release day at i-crafter! I am showing off 2 ways to use the new i-crafter Slimline Windows die set. I wanted to play with some alcohol inks because I have so many mediums that just don't get enough love! Since the Yupo paper that I have is too short for a slimline card, I used glossy photo paper instead. I picked a Brea Reese Slate ink, then Tim Holtz purple and green inks. I was trying to create a dark contrast, it's definitely not perfect, but it worked beautifully when cut out using the Slimline Windows die. I used a dark teal paper for the frame, again cut from the i-crafter Slimline Windows die. I added the alcohol ink rectangles and squares to the teal frame.

Next, I cut the "Hello" and "Friends" dies out 3 times, two backed with the i-stik adhesive sheets. I stacked the cut outs and created some depth on the card. I went over stacks with a black Wink of Luna brush pen and the words have a nice shimmer to them!

Next, I cut out the cute little heart die, 3 times. I used a bright white and a hot pink for the hearts. These, I popped up with foam tape. Finally, I finished the card off with 3 of the arrow dies from the Slimline Windows die set, this was cut out of scraps of silver glitter paper.

Next, I used the Slimline Windows die set to create a fun coffee themed shaker card. I am trying to used colors that I don't normally reach for, and picked a mustard colored cardstock for the background, then a grass green for the frame. I backed my frame with acetate. 

Next, I used a skinny foam tape to back the frames and create a solid space to put my shaker bits. I decided to do 3 of the square windows for mini shaker sections. I used some coffee themed shaker bits in the squares, then took the coffee mug die from the Slimline Windows dies set and created one more shaker section at the bottom of the card with 3 of the mugs.

I finished the card off with a white "Hello" from the Slimline Windows die set, this I glued on top of the acetate in one of the rectangles.

Head over to i-crafter to get the new Slimline Windows die set, and check out the other wonderful 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

Making Faces with i-crafter's Hello Flower

Hello friends!

Today, I am showing off a really fun pairing of i-crafter's new Hello Flowers die set and their Making Faces die set! I wanted to make something bright and playful with these sets.

When I first started cardmaking, I can remember going to a class that we did a card by stamping "happy birthday" over and and over with different colors, like a waterfall. I though that this "Hello" die would be fun to mimic that technique with. I am a little extra though so I used scraps of glitter paper for my "Hello"s and went from light to dark, layering them just slightly. I backed them in a dark purple cardstock to give some contrast.

Next, I started making my faces! The Making Faces die set has a ton of fun options, I used a sandy colored cardstock, for the two faces. Then I used fun, lightly colored patterned paper for the hair. For the bow and glasses, I used the same yellow glitter paper from the middle "hello". Faces without eyes kinda freak me out so I used a thin marker to add closed eyes to the girls.

My last piece was making a few of the rosettes from the Hello Flower die set. I didn't add the leaves underneath because I wanted to keep them simple. It was a bit of trial and error but I ended up with 3 of varying size and they finished the card off nicely.

I think it is a nice addition to my card stash. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!

If you’d like to follow me, here is my blog, Instagram, and Facebook page. 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,

Rachel

Unicorn Pop-Up Oval Card with i-crafter New Release

I absolutely LOVE the card I am sharing with you today! i-crafter has a fantastic new release today, I am showing off the new Box Pops Oval Base die and Box Pops Unicorn Add-On!

These fun dies fit into a normal A2 envelope and can be combined in so many neat ways.

I started by die cutting the unicorn out from Sweet Sentiment's white paper, it's got a faint shimmer to it and is Copic friendly, so it lends well to coloring a unicorn! I chose shades from the Violet family of Copic markers to color the unicorn. I used a silver marker to color the horn. I used a fabric backed sheet of glitter to cut out the unicorn's mane and tail.

Next, I built my base, the Box Pops Oval Base die got cut out twice, from this adorable cloud paper that I wish I could remember the brand of. I thought it would be super cute for the unicorn to be walking on clouds and this paper was perfect for that.

As I assembled the box, I added the star inserts from the Box Pops Unicorn Add-On to the the base. The stars were cute from white glitter paper. I saved the little stars that ended up as a by product of the inserts to add around the sentiment.

I used the "stay magical" sentiment dies from the Box Pops Unicorn Add-On die set for the sentiment and cut it out of some silver mirrored cardstock. I finished the card off by adding several large silver mirrored cardstock stars and little white glitter paper stars using the Box Pops Unicorn Add-On die set.

Personally, I think this creation is straight up magical! I hope that you think so too! Head over to i-crafter to get the new Box Pops Oval Base and Box Pops Unicorn Add-On die sets, and check out the other wonderful 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

Pear Blossom Press & Pink & Main Collaboration

 

Today's card is part of a collaboration with Pear Blossom Press and Pink & Main! I am superrrrrr excited to share my card!

I started by stamping out the mugs on Pink & Main's Need to Venti stamp set and cutting them out with the matching die set. I stamped with Ink On 3 Black Out ink and colored with Copic markers.

Next, I used the Pink & Main Leafy Slim Line Die with a Sparkle Sheet in Construction, I backed this with vellum. I also cut the Leafy Slim Line die out with a deep blue card stock, I filled in the exterior pieces surrounding the leaves with these.

After that, I worked on getting the "guts" built. I started by laying out the EZ-Lights, I back them and the Power Pack base with Glue Dots. In order to keep the wires from showing through the vellum, I used a black washi tape to mute the colors and secure the wires, of course! 

I used the Double Thick Foam Tape that Pear Blossom Press carries (life changing!) to back the card, normally I use it as is, but because the lines of this die are SO thin, I cut it down into super skinny strips. In order to kinda trap the light in the areas I wanted them, I also enclosed each area so that no light escaped.

Next, I stamped the little leaves from Need to Venti out in a dark yellow ink, on a lighter yellow cardstock and die but them. I also stamped out the sentiment "Thanks a latte" (so cute!) on The Stamp Doctor's Tag #1 Stitched Dies in a brown ink. I stamped out "Push Here" from a Lawn Fawn stamp set on the yellow cardstock and used one of the small leaf dies to cut it out too!

Tada! I'm obsessed!

Lit up with the lights on!

Lit up with the lights off!

I move the card part way through the video so I apologize!

Thank you for hopping along with us for the Pink and Main & Pear Blossom Press Collab Hop! For more inspiration, check out all of the stops in the hop!

Annette Allen

Niccole Kulig

Kathy Schweinfurth

Renee Moran

Amanda Wilcox

Carol Hintermeier

Ilina Crouse

Cassie Trask

Lynnea Hollendonner

Rachel Winn (You are here!)

Pear Blossom Press

~R. Winn

Chilling Birthday Card

I played with the Kindred Stamps "Witch Please" Digital Stamps, ok, I only colored one but, still! I adore this chill dude and couldn't wait make a card with him on it. I didn't really know what I was doing until I did it, I'm not much for pre-planning my cards.

I started by trimming down a piece of watercolor paper that I used Catherine Pooler Color Burst on the night before. I ended up with a very magical looking piece, it reminds me of the colors you see shooting out of wands and fingertips in movies and tv shows involving witches and wizards. The trimmed piece I mounted onto a black card base.

Next, I cut out several pieces from The Stamp Doctor's Halloween Dies #1, in black and orange sparkly paper, and gold foiled paper. I decided these would make a fun filling for a shaker card!

I used Close to My Heart's Shaker die set and cut out a gray background and maroon front piece.

It was time to build my card! I placed my shaker housing over a darker piece of the background that I wasn't happy with, the CTMH kits have a foam circle to use for your cards, the piece is white so I colored the exterior with a gray marker so it doesn't stand out on the darker background. I put my die cut pieces in and added a bit of stardust sequins from Stamp Anniething into my circle. 

My sentiment was stamped onto the acetate using black Stazon Pigment ink (OMG, this is a must have ink!) I added my maroon circle to the front of the card to finish the shaker.  I add my chill dude to the right of the shaker. I finished my card off with 3 black glitter bats from The Stamp Doctor's Halloween Dies.

My shaker doesn't really shake, because I may have used a bit too much filling, but I still love how this card turned out.

Head over to The Stamp Doctor and use my coupon code "RWINNCREATES" for 10% off any and all items not already discounted!

 I hope you've enjoyed my card and will see you again soon!

Thank you,

~R. Winn

EEEEP! Who doesn't love a unicorn? And a chubby unicorn? Dreams come true right?! 

I  found Amy Doodle Stamp Co. when I saw the owner post a card using this adorable little guy!  I colored him using Copics, and then colored his horn, the stars, and the sentiment using Spica Glitter Pens.

I kept the design fairly basic, using a pad of glitter paper from Hobby Lobby for the background. I cut out a square behind him and used dimensionals to pop him up off the glitter. 

For the sentiment, I added a black backing and colored all but "sparkle" and "not" in black to make sure they really stood out! I also used dimensionals to pop the sentiment out.

Finally, I added a couple of black hearts using Nuvo Drops to round the card out and have it not feel so unembellished!

I hope you enjoy this beauty and would like to invite you to visit Amy's shop here!

Thank you for visiting,

R. Winn