Happy Birthday Flowers and Butterflies with Stampin' Up!

Hi Crafters,

It was my mother-in-law's birthday a couple of days ago and I wanted to share the card I made for her special day.  I chose to use the Stampin' Up! Bloom and Grow stamp set paired with the Tufted 3D Embossing Folder and die cuts from the Butterfly Beauty Dies. 

I used a standard half sheet of A4 Whisper White for the card base and then added a piece of Calypso Coral cardstock which had been embossed with the Tufted 3D embossing folder.  I cut the piece on the diagonal and added it to my card base with Multipurpose Liquid Glue.  I also added a strip of Copper Foil Sheet along the diagonal edge for added glitz.  I stamped the floral image from the Bloom and Grow stamp set in Versamark ink on Shimmery White cardstock and then heat embossed with copper embossing powder.  I used an Aqua Painter and inks in Calypso Coral and Pretty Peacock to colour the flowers and Garden Green for the leaves.  i used the co-ordinating dies to cut out the floral image and then popped it up with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I stamped the sentiment from the Perennial Birthday stamp set in Pretty Peacock and then added three butterflies from the Butterfly Beauty Dies to match.  

Happy crafting, 
Rachel x


Product List

Bloom & Grow Bundle [151069]	Tufted 3D Embossing Folder [151785]	Butterfly Beauty Dies [148536]	Perennial Birthday Cling-Mount Stamp Set [151240]	Stamparatus [148187]
Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549]	Shimmery White A4 Card Stock [121717]	Calypso Coral A4 Card Stock [124392]	Pretty Peacock A4 Cardstock [150886]	Copper Foil Sheets [142020]
Versamark Pad [102283]	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder [141636]	Heat Tool - Uk Plug [129054]	Aqua Painters [103954]	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad [147101]
Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad [150083]	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad [147089]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755]

Faux Engraving with Stampin' Up!

Hi Crafters,

I have a new technique for you today that I'm really excited to share.  If you spotted the gold deer in my Global Stamping Friends Plaid Blog Hop, you will have already had a sneak peek!  The technique is faux engraving and I discovered it watching a video by Jennifer McGuire.  I adore all of Jennifer's videos and her creativity is so inspiring.  

To create the faux engraving all you need is foil cardstock, an outline image, Versamark ink, clear embossing powder and a heat tool.  It's also really important to prep the cardstock with an anti-static powder to prevent the embossing powder from sticking anywhere other than your stamped image.

I started with a notecard and embossed the front leaf using the Tin Tile 3D embossing folder.  I added a piece of real red cardstock to the middle with liquid multipurpose glue.  My tree image came from the Shine Bright stamp set featured in the Stampin' Up! Autumn/Winter catalogue.  I stamped in Versamark ink and heat embossing using clear embossing powder.  I added some Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels and popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.  The white layer under my gold topper was stamped with a sentiment from the Shine Bright stamp set in Real Red.  I used my Stamparatus for perfect positioning.  I'm not sure how I ever managed to stamp anything in the right place before the Stamparatus came along!

I hope you'll give this cool technique a try.  Let me know what you think and what image you'll be using.

Happy crafting, 
Rachel x


Product List

Shine Bright Cling Stamp Set (En) [150719]	Tin Tile 3D Embossing Folder [151801]	Stamparatus [148187]	Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes [131527]	Real Red A4 Card Stock [106578]
Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549]	Gold Foil Sheets [132622]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder [109130]	Heat Tool - Uk Plug [129054]
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [147084]	Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels [146924]	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]

Global Stamping Friends Blog Hop - Plaid

Hi Crafters,

The first Friday of the month can mean only one thing - a Global Stamping Friends Blog Hop.  I'm leading the team into our theme this month which is Plaid, or tartan if you're from Scotland like me!  Stampin' Up! have lots of great options for plaid projects and its a versatile pattern that can be used year round.  

I've been thinking about lots of projects using the Buffalo Check Background Stamp and this hop was the perfect opportunity to make them happen!  I took inspiration from my surname and used the Macleod dress tartan colours of yellow, black and red as a starting point. 

I began with a piece of Crushed Curry cardstock and stamped the Buffalo Check background in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I used my Stamparatus because the size of the stamp means that repeat stamping will yield the best result.  I stamped the background four times to create a fully inked impression.  I used the Real Red Stampin' Marker to draw lines between the checks on the stamped image.  The first example shows the brush nib and the second example used the bullet nib.  

I stamped the deer from the Nature's Beauty stamp set using Versamark ink and clear heat embossed on gold foil cardstock.  This creates an illusion of engraving and is really impressive in real life.  I cut out the image using the Stitched Rectangle Dies and then added a black layer behind to tie in with the background.  

The foliage was cut from Garden Green cardstock using the Beautiful Boughs Dies and highlighted with the Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blend.  I ran the die cuts through the Subtle Embossing Folder for extra texture.  I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Crushed Curry cardstock from the Peaceful Boughs stamp set which co-ordinates with the dies.  I finished of by adding three Red Rhinestones and then mounted everything onto a Real Red card blank.  

My second card is much more pared down as I didn't want to cover up too much of the background.  

I used Very Vanilla for the card blank which I don't often do but this paired so well with the stamped background.  I added a Very Vanilla Heirloom Frame which has become one of my all time favourite products.  The deer is the same image used in the first card but I stamped on Shimmery White cardstock with StazOn and then coloured using an Aqua Painter.  I used Crumb Cake, Early Espresso and Soft Suede.  I heat embossed the sentiment, which says Blessed Christmas Greetings, in gold on Basic Black cardstock.  The greeting is from the Itty Bitty Christmas stamp set.  The lack of daylight here doesn't capture the shine on the heat embossing.  

To keep hopping, head to Amanda's amazing creation using the Next arrow below.  

Happy crafting,
Rachel

Blog Hop Roll Call

1. Rachel Macleod

2. Amanda Farlinger

3. Libby Dyson

4. Tricia Butts

5. June Olsen

6. Amanda Bates

7. Angélique Stempelkeuken

8. Jan Musselman

9. Lisa Henderson

10. Marieke Bart

Product List

Buffalo Check Cling-Mount Stamp Set [151372]	Nature's Beauty Cling Stamp Set [150528]	Peaceful Boughs Bundle (En) [153033]	Heirloom Frames Dies And 3D Embossing Folder [152325]	Itty Bitty Christmas Cling Stamp Set (En) [150513]
Stitched Rectangle Dies [148551]	Stamparatus [148187]	Gold Foil Sheets [132622]	Real Red A4 Card Stock [106578]	Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry [131288]
Garden Green A4 Card Stock [108605]	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock [106550]	Shimmery White A4 Card Stock [121717]	Basic Black A4 Card Stock [121688]	Versamark Pad [102283]
Heat Tool - Uk Plug [129054]	Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder [109130]	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder [109129]	Regals Stampin' Write Markers [147155]	Granny Apple Green Dark Stampin' Blends Marker [146877]
Aqua Painters [103954]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [101406]	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114]	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [147116]
Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad [147115]	Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels [146924]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]