New home

I needed a new home card with a masculine vibe and thought the current challenge at Let's Squash It would provide a good starting point.

Gail and Jo would like us to double emboss this time - use one folder over another or heat emboss a piece that's been squashed in a folder or squash a piece that's been heat embossed. 

I used a brick folder to emboss a piece of white cardstock and then ran that through another folder to get the keys. I thought bricks and keys made the perfect combination for a new home! 

The bricks squashed a bit flatter than I would have liked but they're still there enough to be picked up with some Rub n Buff for a subtle dackdrop. I did beef up the silver of the keys a bit with a gel pen.

Supplies:
Bristol board
3D Brickwork embossing folder (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
Great Babette embossing folder (Couture Creations)
Silver Leaf Rub n Buff by Amaco
Silver gel pen
Black fineliner
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)
Versafine by Tsukinko (Onyx Black)

Thanks for stopping by!

Bricks and mortar

I needed a new home card with a masculine vibe - this is the eventual result. It really shouldn't have taken as long as it did but for some reason it was a bit of an uphill struggle. I was kind of content with the result but hubby really likes it and as he asked me to make it in the first place that's the main thing!

I decided against adding a sentiment, I think it's nice to have a card that speaks for itself with imagery sometimes and I hope the brick embossing and the key add up to the right message!

Stamps:
Key Elements (an old Cornish Heritage Farms set)

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Dry Stone Wall embossing folder by Crafter's Companion
Back to Nature dies by Sizzix

Thanks for stopping by!

Ombre challenge!

It's time for a new challenge on the Craft Stamper blog. As there are several projects in the January issue featuring an ombré look we'd like you to explore ombré on your stamped project this time.

I made a quick one layer card using the technique described by Sylvia Blum on pp.6-8 of the magazine. I just used low-tack tape to mask off my strip to adapt the technique to a single layer rather than using a separate piece of cardstock.

It's a "new home" card but my stash didn't yield a sentiment in a font I liked with this look so I went with a "congratulations" sentiment and I hope the keys will convey the "on your new home" for me!

I think the grauated colour helps to create a sense of movement, not only pulling the eye in the same direction as the sentiment but also going with the "moving" theme for a family getting a new home.

Stamps:
Keys from Antiques by Cornish Heritage Farms
Sentiment from Say It All by Hero Arts

Paper: Smooth white

Ink:
Adirondack ink by Ranger - Stonewashed
Distress ink by Ranger - Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire
Brilliance by Tsukineko - Graphite Black

Other:
Scor-It
Corner Chomper

You'll find lots more lovely samples and all the details of how to enter here on the Craft Stamper blog. The winner gets the chance to have the project published in an upcoming issue of the magazine as well as a prize of some great Kate Crane DVDs - we'd love to see your entry!

New nest!

I needed a quick new home card last week - this is what I came up with. The kraft card base came from a huge rigid envelope that was supplied with the calendar we got for our kitchen this year. Obviously we weren't sending it anywhere so I chopped up the envelope for crafting :o) I love coloured pencils on kraft cardstock and I thought it would give a nice look to the eggs in this nest - a quick and simple card, appropriate for a spring move of house! It's a small one layer card (10.5cm square) with just a touch more interest added by embossing a frame for the image with a Nestie. Stamps: Nest and sentiment both CHF (retired) Paper: Kraft Ink: Adirondack by Ranger (Espresso) Other: Prismacolor pencils Nestabilites by Spellbinder (Large Square) Thanks for stopping by, hope you're all having a lovely Easter weekend!

All things considered ... it's Week Three of the Fling!

Welcome to Week Three of CHF's summer fling! Full details of the fling are here if you're not sure what I'm talking about! We're focusing on the All Things Considered line of stamps this week. Now, as their name might suggest, they're perfect for ATC projects but they're versatile enough for all kinds of other stuff too! If you stopped by on the Be Creative blog earlier, you'll have seen one card I made with the Key Elements set already. I thought it would be fun to do a second card using the same set in a totally contrasting style! (Note for my regular visitors - you know how much I struggle with patterned paper: if you want proof that I'm tackling the phobia, the card on the Be Creative blog is probably as good as it's going to get!) This is a scrapling (a card made from the bit you trim off a standard size sheet when you make a square card) and I've kept it clean and simple. I think this would make a great new home card, perhaps for somebody getting his first bachelor pad! I stamped the key onto a 1" strip and then cut it up to make three inchies. I sponged around the edges and then stuck them to some black card stock to make a narrow border. I stamped the text stamp over the key and then stamped it again on the base card, using a stamp positioner so that everything would line up when I stuck the key panel in place. Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms): Key Elements (All Things Considered line) Paper: Smooth white Simply Linen black Ink: Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black) Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

So, the low down on this week's Fling and its blog hop...

• all stamp sets in the All Things Considered line are 25% off this week (ends Thursday at midnight)
• make sure to leave comments for the blog hop girls by Thursday (24 June 2010) at midnight EST to have a chance at the CHF gift certificate prizes - the more blogs you comment on, the better your chances!
• create along with us if you have All Things Considered stamps and upload to this week's special gallery (by Thursday at midnight) to be in with a chance of winning the Design Team Favourite prize this week (a stamp or stamp set of your choice up to a value of $16.99)
• check the Be Creative Blog on Friday to see if you won
• if you get lost along the way, go back to the beginning (Be Creative Blog) for the full list of hoppers.

Leave a comment here and then Jennifer is your next stop along the hop - have fun!!