Framed Broken Heart

Card Recipe
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), pink cardstock (Bazzill), patterned (BG)
Accessories: Spellbinder Hearts & Scalloped Hearts, Quickutz Frame embossing folder

Multi Purpose Card

Card Recipe
Stamp: MFT
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), pink & patterned ?, kraft (Bazzill)
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx
Accessories: ribbon (stash), dies (MFT), polka dot embossing folder (Quickutz)

Tree Building

I first dry embossed the patterned paper. Then I dry embossed individual pieces of colored cardstock. It was easy to adhere the pieces to the tree, since they fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Papers: off white cardstock (Core'dinations Ice Cream), blue & green cardstock (Bazzill scraps), patterned (K & Co.)
Accessories: embossing folder (Quickutz Tree), star (stash), photo corners (stash)

Tree Trimming

I trimmed this tree in silver using the coordinating Dee's tree dies.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: background (SU), sentiment (PTI)
Papers: silver (stash), white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), green cardstock (Bazzill)
Inks: Encore Metallic Silver, ColorBox Chalk Deep Green
Accessories: embossing folder (Quickutz Phrases), tree dies (Dee's), tag die (Quickutz), embroidery thread (stash)

My Favourite Pumpkin

When I saw this pumpkin stamp combo I just had to have it! The solid and script pumpkins are from Close to My Heart. I stamped the solid pumpkin in clear Versamark ink on orange cardstock to get a tone on tone look. Then I stamped the script pumpkin directly on top of that. Core'dinations kraft cardstock was using in conjunction with a Quickutz Dots folder to create the textured background.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: CTMH
Papers: orange cardstock (stash), black cardstock (Core'dinations Kraft), patterned (MME Mischievous)
Ink: Versamark, Versafine Onyx
Accessories: Quickutz embossing folder, button & ribbon (stash)

Circles, Circles, Dots

With the snowball theme in mind, I chose the Polka Dot embossing folder and a circular shaped rhinestone element.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: borrowed from Wendy B.

Papers: purple & green cardstocks (Bazzill), white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), pp (Creative Imaginations)

Ink: Versafine Black Onyx

Accessories: rhinestone element (gift), Spellbinders (Circles & Scalloped Circles), chunky glitter (Elmer's), ribbon (Fabricland), Polar White Flower Soft, Quickutz embossing folder, Frost Glimmer Mist, Copic marker

Penguin Thanks

Just another way I thought of to use a beaded sentiment.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Hero Arts

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), blue cardstock (Bazzill), black cardstock (stash)

Ink: ColorBox Black

Accessories: black embossing powder (stash), Copics, Quickutz embossing folder, beads (stash), Spellbinder Rectangles

Just a Bite

To add interest to the die cut heart, I stamped part of a flourish on the cardstock while it was still in the Spellbinder die.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Papertrey Ink

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned (Basic Grey Eva)

Ink: Distress Aged Mahogany

Accessories: Spellbinder Hearts, ribbon (Fabricland), embossing folder (Quickutz Stripes Label), buttons & embroidery floss (stash)

When Thin is In

Here's a good example of where regular Stickles are more appropriate than Distress Stickles. I was pleased with the thin line of I was able to get on the embossed bow.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), green & red cardstocks (Bazzill), patterned (Doodlebug), silver cardstock
Accessories: red Stickles, Cuttlebug wreath die & embossing folder, Spellbinder Circles, Quickutz buckle die, Martha Stewart Border punch, ribbon (stash), rhinestones (Kaiser)

Rustic Reindeer

The colour and texture of this cardstock had a rustic feel to it. With this in mind, I chose stars embellished with buttons and twine kept the theme going. Aged Mahogany Distress Stickles used for the reindeer's eye was the icing on the cake.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Inkadinkado
Papers: cardstock (Bazzill Elk & Dark Burgundy), patterned (Basic Grey Fruitcake)
Inks: Distress Antique Linen & Aged Mahogany
Accessories: Distress Aged Mahogany Stickles, Spellbinder Rectangles & Stars, buttons & twine (stash), Quickutz Embossing Folder

Dressing Up Die Cuts

The die cut given to me was made with a Cricut. I enhanced the bird by using Distress Ink on the edges and glitter on the wing and tail tips.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Papers: cardstocks (stash)
Ink: Versafine Black, Distress Milled Lavender
Accessories: Quickutz Embossing Folder, Cricut, iridescent glitter (stash)

3D Stamping in Reverse

3D Stamping is done by stamping an image in white ink and then restamping the same image, somewhat offset, in a coloured in. In this case, I stamped the image in coloured ink, to find that it wasn't distinct enough from the colour of the cardstock. Then I restamped the bird in white ink, resulting in a dimensional image. This technique works well with snowflakes.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: image (Stampin' Up), sentiment (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: cardstock (stash)
Inks: Colorbox Frost, Distress Milled Lavender, Versafine Black
Accessories: Quickutz Embossing Folder, rhinestone (Kaiser)

A Touch Up

The versatility of white flower cannot be understated. I took one and inked the edges of it to make it match my cardstock. It's a good idea to have a good inventory of white flowers of various types and sizes. You can always colour them to suit your needs.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Impression Obsession
Ink: Versafine Black
Paper: cardstocks (stash)
Accessories: flower (stash), embossing folder (Quickutz), stamp positioner (EK Success), leaf punch (Marvy)

Round'em Up

This was a very quick sympathy card to make. A stamp positioner allowed me to get the sentiment perfectly where it belonged. The light colour of the cardstock still made stamping the sentiment in the right spot a challenge, so I used painter's tape above and below the dry embossed rectangle. To give the card more elegance, I used a corner rounder. It's another tool most of us have and often forget to use, despite it's profound effect.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Impression Obsession
Paper: cardstock (stash)
Ink: Colorbox grey
Accessories: painter's tape, stamp positioner (EK Success), Quickutz Embossing Folder

Sweet Sympathy

Butterflies make a pretty embellishment for a sympathy card. The small patterned paper provides a good background for it. I found this paper in a pad of patterned baby paper from Linda G. Once again, look at papers in terms of their pattern size and colour, rather than just their theme.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Papers: pink cardstock (Bazzill), patterned (Sandy Lion)
Ink: Versafine Black
Accessories: Quickutz Embossing Folder, butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), pearls (Kaiser)

Simple Sympathy

The simple elegance of dry embossing is perfect for a sympathy card. Choose appropriate cardstock colours for this card type.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Papers: green & off white cardstocks (stash), patterned (K & Co.)
Ink: PSX Moss
Accessories: embossing folder (Quickutz), Spellbinders Label die, leaf punch (Marvy)

Dying to Match

I created another flower with the same technique in mind, using the Dahlia Spellbinder die. Here it is more noticeable how I have offset the petals of the same size. To create a coordinating layering paper, I blended the same Distress Inks that I applied to the flower petals on a piece of white cardstock.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Papers: green cardstock (Bazzill), patterned (stash)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Peeled Paint & Broken China
Accessories: Spellbinders Dahlia, Quickutz Embossing Folder Dots, button & embroidery floss (stash), leaf punch (Marvy), ribbon (stash), ribbon slide (WeR), Glimmermist Garden Fairy

Flowers from Mulberry

Apologies for the poor scan. The bulk of the mulberry flower distorts the focus of the card front. It was made from 8 scalloped circles of the same size. I adhered them together with a brad and scrunched one layer at a time. Afterwards, I pulled apart the layers as desired. Though it is difficult to see, I complimented the mulberry flower with a pearl and crystal stick pin. Thought this balanced the framed sentiment.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Verve
Ink: Staz On
Papers: pink cardstock (stash), patterned paper (stash), mulberry (stash), white cardstock (Georgia Pacific)
Accessories: Spellbinder Dies, Quickutz Embossing Folder, pink gros grain ribbon (stash), stick pin (Jenni Bowlin), distressing tool

Piece by Piece

Here is another card design that I transformed through the use of masculine patterned paper to a card more appropriate for a guy. Just a little leftover patterned paper was required to make a fabulous card. The curved rectangles were cut using the inside pieces of the Sizzix Bookplates die.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Stampin' Up
Ink: Versafine black
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), red cardstock (Lasting Impressions), patterned (SEI)
Accessories: Quickutz Polka Dots embossing folder, Sizzix Bookplates die, ribbon (stash)

Simply Dramatic

This time I punched out hearts from the coordinating patterned papers, rather than from one sheet of paper. They fit perfectly into the dry embossed pattern of the Quickutz embossing folder. I can't take credit for using the embossed paper "sideways". Thought this was a great idea and shows the versatility of one folder. The white embossed layer on the white cardstock layer is quite elegant.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Papers: white cardstock (stash), patterned papers (Basic Grey)
Accessories: embossing folder (Quickutz), embossed heart punch (Martha Stewart)