This blog shares my crafting projects, product reviews and other ramblings crafting related. I have 2 sons who keep me busy when I'm not crafting and a partner who is happy with me crafting but not yet convinced that the spare room should be a craft room! I hope you enjoy reading my experiences as much I enjoy sharing them. Happy Crafting!
This card was another inspired by the stars and moons background I made earlier. Click here to go to the blog post on how I made that background or watch the following video:
I wanted to make a shaker card so I grabbed my Sizzix big shot and cut a rectangular window out of a white card front.
Before I get too far ahead of myself (and if you prefer) - here's a link to the process video for this shaker card:
So I cut the window at an angle to give it a bit of interest.
I found this sentiment strip from a moon stamp set I bought off Aliexpress that said "You're out of this world" that I wanted to use. I decided to stamp and heat emboss that sentiment above the shaker window using black embossing powder.
'Moon' Stamp Set
Sentiment Stamp Positioning and Angled Window
Heat Embossed Sentiment
Using an old presentation report cover, I cut out a clear plastic widow big enough to cover the window and stuck it down using double-sided tape.
I grabbed my stars and moons background to check the look before placing foam tape all around the shaker window.
Foam Tape
The foam tape lifts the card front higher above the background so that the shaker elements have somewhere to move around in. I made sure the foam tape was placed as close as possible to the window to prevent the loss of my shaker elements.
I then removed the backing paper on all of the foam tape and filled the window with a sprinkling of glass beads (which I was using as my shaker element). You can use anything as your shaker element, I just decided to use these beads as I found them in my stash and I had no other plans for them.
Filling Window with Beads
Now I grab my stars and moons background, stick it down on top of the foam tape placing it over those beads to enclose them in the window. I then use scrap cardstock to cover up the remaining exposed sticky foam tape and to make sure the back of the card front is all level.
Placing Background Over Window
Covering the Exposed Foam Tape with Cardstock
Shaker Window!!!
Time to make my 'Happy Birthday' Sentiment strip. I grap a strip of black cardstock and a 'Happy Birthday' sentiment stamp from Simon Says Stamp Greetings Mix 1 stamp set.
Simon Says Stamp Greetings Mix 1 Stamp Set
I place the card strip into my We R Memory Keepers Precision Press Stamping Platform and proceed to stamp the sentiment onto the strip using clear embossing ink. Then I heat emboss it using silver embossing powder and a heat tool.
Placing Card Strip and Stamp into Stamping Platform
Clear Embossing Ink
Stamped and Silver Heat Embossed Sentiment
After deciding I want this sentiment strip to sit across the bottom right hand corner of the card. I bring in my stamped and die cut space themed images which I've already colored using alcohol markers and arrange them on top of the card front.
Arranging Sentiment Strip and Space Images
Then I adhere everything down using double-sided tape and trim off any excess using scissors.
The last step is to adhere the entire card front to a black piece of cardstock using double-sided tape to finish the card. This card doesn't have a standard opening card base so it is intended that your card message is written on the back - I would use a white or silver gel pen in this case because I have used black cardstock as my final backing.
Many thanks for visiting my blog, if you'd like to see another card where I use the same background click here to see my starry window space themed card or click below for the process video:
Clear Heat Embossed Small Stamps Stars and Moons Background
Hi there, today I'm going to explain how I made this stars and moon background using small stamps from multiple stamp sets. For the process video on how I do this please check out the you tube video below or by clicking here:
Often our stamp sets contain small images that are often left unused or we don't know what to do with them so I thought hey, why not make a background with similar themed little stamps.
I got the inspiration for this from the small star stamps in the Hand Lettered Holiday Stamps set from My favourite things. This stamp set has lot of small star images and so too did my space themed, birthday celebration and a christmas stamp set which I got off Aliexpress.
First of all I place all the little stamps I'm going to use for this background onto an acrylic block for safe keeping. I'm paranoid that I will lose them so by using an acrylic block I know exactly where they will all be whilst I get other resources ready to make this background.
I decide to used an A6 sized navy blue cardstock and I place it into my We R Memory Keepers stamping platform. I then place the little stamps so they stamp in one corner of the navy card front. As I'll be heat embossing this background I use my anti-static powder tool to make sure the embossing powder only sticks to the places where I've stamped my images. I use clear embossing ink to ink up the stamps, close the door on my stamping platform and press really well to make sure I get a good image.
As I've positioned the stamps to stamp on one corner of my notecard, I can save time by turning the notecard upside down and re-stamping. Now I decide to heat embossed what I've stamped. Before I sprinkle on my clear embossing powder I lay down a sheet of non-stick baking paper with a crease in the centre - this crease is to collect the excess powder and make it easy to pour back into the container. Once covered in embossing powder I use my heat tool to melt the powder.
I replace the notecard in my stamping platform so I can fill in the gaps of the background by re-placing the small stamp images where they are needed. Once again I clear heat embossed those images.
The result is a wonderful raised background with a bit of shine. You can use any combination of small stamps that you may have in your stamp sets to carry out this technique and make your own background. I'd love to see what you come up with.
I use this stars and moons background to create space themed cards below, click on the links to see how I made them.
Made another shaker card this time for my niece Olivia. I used various tools, stamps and items out of my crafty stash.
Very excited to use my son's water colour painting again as the background along with some glass beads and a white scripty 'happy' die-cut I found in my stash.
Below is the process video for this card/notecard! Click https://youtu.be/N4HsqU1GpzQ to go to my you tube channel and view via You tube.
To start off, I cut a circle using a circle diecut and my Big Shot die cutting machine. I then stamped "Olivia" onto the piece of watercolor painting using letters from Concord and 9th's perfectly penned stamp set. This set has both scripty and print letters which makes it very versatile. To stamp these so they looked linked, I used an acrylic block and Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black. When using this set of I always do a test on a scrap piece of paper first to make sure I get the look I want before committing to and stamping on the paper/card to be used on the card.
I wanted to fill the space a bit more so I grabbed a star stamp from a birthday celebration themed stamp set and stamped it just above Olivia on the right of the name.
With the 'happy' die cut in mind I place it onto the black notecard to help me position where I want to stamp 'BIRTHDAY' (from Honey Bee Stamps' 'Hooray' stamp set). I place the notecard in my We R Memory keepers stamping platform, grab the stamp with the door of the stamping platform, using my anti-static powder tool across the whole card front and then I stamped it using clear embossing ink. Then I dusted it with white heat embossing powder and heat set the powder with my heat gun. I made sure to do the heat embossing first before adhering the clear window for the shaker to prevent melting/warping the plastic. I don't have a fancy craft heat gun I just use what I found in the garage which is a Bosch PHG 500-2, it does the job and I just make sure I keep the gun moving so it doesn't burn the card.
Grabbing my little liquid glue pen applicator; I then applied dots of glue to the back of the 'happy' die cut before placing it on the black notecard below the circle cut out. You will notice that the sentiments aren't particularly straight or lined up, I wanted to give the sentiment a slant and organic look plus it is easier for me to get a good looking card if I don't try too hard to make this nice and perfectly lined up or straight!
As the glue takes a while to dry, I placed some non-stick baking paper on top of the card front and put some weights on top then left it overnight. This helps to ensure the card front does not warp and stays flat.
Came back the next day to adhere the plastic window to the card front. This time I just used an old presentation report cover and double sided tape. I put foam tape all over the back of the card front. This is to give some space between the window and the water color background for the beads to shake in.
Foam Tape Window Offset
Then I placed some beads on top of the 'Olivia', removed the backing paper on the foam tape and positioned the card front over the water color background so that the clear window encompassed all the beads and the name was approximately in the middle of the window. The beads I used were Mill Hill Glass Beads - 02010.
Mill Hill Glass Beads - 02010
Final stage was to added double sided tape all over the back of the water color piece, remove the backing paper of the tape and stick on another piece of black notecard. To finish I trimmed the excesses and we were all done.
All was left was to write a message on the back of the notecard - here I used a white gel pen.
First birthday card I made for my niece. I also entered it into a couple of card challenges: AAA Birthday card challenge - Click here for more details on the AAA Birthday "A shaker card" card challenge.
Also entered into CAS Watercolour card challenge. Click here for more details on the CAS Watercolour "Cool Colours" card challenge.
And if you want to watch a process video for this card, here is a link to a similar shaker card I made in a similar fashion.
It is actually a notecard (no folding card base used) where the message is written in white gel pen on the back of the card front you see in the photo. I wanted to use up stuff in my crafty stash including letters I made when testing an alphabet die I bought off AliExpress and an awesome watercolor painting my 3 year old made using STA Aquarelle Watercolor Brush markers ( a review for these markers can be found here.
Watercolor Painting by my 3 year old with niece's name
I used a glue stick to adhere the die cut letters of my niece's name to the watercolor painting. I then used doubled sided tape to adhere a piece of plastic to the inside of black cardstock with a circle cut out. I decided to make a shaker card so I'm making a circle window here looking through to Sophia's name on the water colour background.
Window Made, Beads Ready, Foam Tape Offset
I used some glass beads as the shaker elements and double layer of foam tape to add both dimension and some space for the beads to move around in. Removed the backing paper on the foam tape and placed the card front on top of the watercolor background and diecut name.
Card Front with Shaker Window
Then I used clear embossing ink to heat emboss happy birthday in silver under the shaker window.
Unfortunately, I should have done the heat embossing before attaching the plastic for the window as I accidentally melted a little hole in the window! That is why I had to place some grey star washi tape across the card front to disguise the hole.
To finish the card I adhered the card front to a black notecard, trimmed off any excess and gave the card a tester shake.
