Christmas Card with a SVGCuts apron cut file

The little apron is from www.SVGCuts.com vintage kitchen file.  The shaped card is from the same file.  I fussy cut the gingerbread boys from a sheet of decorative paper that I have had in my stash.  Merry Christmas are vinyl stickers.  Using my Cameo software I postioned 16 aprons on the red and white striped paper and cut them all out at once.  Production line in progress.  :).  I did the same with the frames but could only get 4 on a page.  There are two layers to the frame and the strip going across the page.  I really like how these are turning out.

Here is my helper.  He is laying all over the papers I had just cut out.  That is all 18lbs 3 ounces of him.  He is a Maine Coon cat named TC.  TC is short for THE CAT.  

I am back. I am so sorry for being gone so long.

     We have had some serious health issues the last few years but everything is fine now.  We also had a new house built and moved from Maryland to Virginia.  We are settled in and I have a wonderful craft area in the basement.
     I have been playing with my Silhouette Cameo and loving it.  My Cricut Expressions is not forgotten though.  One of my new passions is making mini albums.  I use both machines to help me out with these projects.  For those of you who do not know, the Silhouette Cameo does not use cartridges.  It also does not have to be hooked up to the Internet.  I first really heard about it thru http://www.capadiadesign.com/ newsletter.  I had thought it was an other machine like my Expression.  I took notice when Diane, from Capadia Designs, showed a flower her husband had grown in their yard but she had used the Cameo to print and cut it out.  WOW!  I liked that and learned all I could about this wonderful machine.  Now I also know that I can design my own things, also.  There are loads of YouTube videos showing you the basics and advanced projects or ways to do things with it.  I buy some designs from www.SilhouetteAmerica.com and others from various sites that sell .svg files.

This bear file was purchased from www.littlescrapsofheavendesigns.com  I made the frame to fit the bear using Silhouette software.

This card design was purchased from www.svgcuts.com.  The stamp is from CTMH.

After I made the camper card I decided to make a "shaped" card using the camper from www.svgcuts.com.  I first made the top of the camper flatter, duplicated the image, flipped it and welded it to the original.  I folded it in half and had a shaped card.  Then I just layered it.

I had seen something like this online.  I thought I can make it with my Silhouette software - and I did.  I made a couple other versions, too.

I purchased the basic card design with the cut out of the Christmas tree.  Then I just measured and cut out the decorative panels for the card.  

StampScrapArtTour in Westminster, MD

        A friend and I traveled over 2 hours to a stamp show in Westminster, MD on Saturday.  It was a great show!  If you ever get a chance to go to it, do it. One of the stamps I bought was from TOO MUCH FUN RUBBER STAMPS.  It is a HOODIE.  It ends up being a gate fold card.  I was thinking it would make a great card for guys or teenagers.  A gift card will fit nicely inside, too. 
         I stamped onto decorative paper, cut out and folded it.  I cut away the zipper and stamped just the zipper part onto a plain decorative paper.  Then I cut out the zipper leaving a bit on the left side to glue under the left side of the hoodie.  It makes it look a bit more realistic that way.  I am going to buy some camouflage decorative paper to make some for the guys that hunt.  The finished size is about 4" x 4 1/2".  The stamp is quite large and since I didn't buy the acrylic block to mount it to, I inked the stamp, laid it down on the decorative paper and ran a jar candle over it.  That worked quite well.  I got that tip from THE FUGAL STAMPER.  She has all kinds of great ideas. 

Sailboats and water coloring Cards.

I borrowed this stamp from a friend and water colored with with INKTENSE watercolor pencils.  I just bought them and love them for their bright colors.  It gave me an excuse to use of some of my scrap papers, too.

I have been stamping and cutting out a lot of images for my cards.  I use them either for STAIR STEP CARDS or PAPER PIECING.  I tried stamping on sticker paper just now and like the idea.  Once I cut out the image the backing is already sticky so I only have to stick it onto my card.  YEAH!

I just got some new stamps in from Art Impressions and of course I have to try them out.  I am taking a large sheet of Bristol Board paper (art section of AC Moore's) and stamping as many as I can get onto one sheet.  Then I can color them with my watercolor pencils while I am on the phone or "watching" tv.  I will use a damp #3 watercolor paint brush later.  Since I am not using very much water the Bristol Board paper doesn't warp or buckle.  The Bristol Board paper is very smooth unlike watercolor paper so it stamps nicely. 
The above image is one sheet of stamps.  Sorry  the scan didn't do them justice.  I will watercolor these before I cut them out.  Then I will use them on cards.  I have some stockings to hang on the fireplace for a Christmas card.  I stamped them on decorative paper and cut them out.  The stocking stamp (3 stockings) is also from Art Impressions.

This is a pop up card I just made for a friends birthday using new stamps from Art Impressions.  It starts out flat coming out of the envelope. You pull on the front and the owl pops up.  The greeting then shows where you pulled it out.  The images and sayings are all from Art Impressions.

Cute and fun new card techniques using Art Impressions rubber stamps

I saw this technique on YouTube and just knew I had to try it.  It is easy and fun to do.  I bet you can't make just one!!! 

Supplies

Cut one sheet of heavy card stock 7x5 for the front.  You either want to color this, dry emboss it or use a decorative card stock (one that won't detract from your scene inside).  Or you can adhere decorative paper to the front.  

Cut one sheet of heavy card stock 7x5 for the back,  This can be plain card stock

Die to cut out a "window" on the front piece.  Or manually cut a hole about 3x4" in the center of the front.

Scraps of heavy card stock for two tabs

Score and fold at the 1" mark in from each end

Score and fold at the 1 1/2" mark in from each end

You should have a 4" by 5" space in the center of each.

Decorate this 4 x 5 area on the back piece.  I water colored the Snowy Tree and the Little Lambs from Art Impressions onto watercolor paper and adhered to the 4 x 5" spot.

Position your die in the 4 x 5" center part of the front piece.  I used a Nestabilities die to cut out an opening and ran it thru my Cuttlebug.

Cut two tabs out of scraps of the heavy card stock.  About 1" x 2" each.  These tabs will seem like they are moving.  So think of something interesting to put on them.

Stamp two images onto the tabs or stamp and cut out two images and adhere to the ends of the tabs.  That is what I did.  I stamped and water colored two birds from Art Impressions.  Then I water colored the tabs to match the sky on the background and glued the birds to the ends.  I trimmed my tabs to 1/2" x 2".  Then after gluing the birds onto the tabs I trimmed around the birds so not as much blue showed on the tabs. 

Using a temporary adhesive, place the tabs on the 1" x 5" areas on each side.  Position them where they show the background best and glue the ends of the tabs WITHOUT the images to the 1x5 edges.  If you are putting a word or saying on the back and want to cover up that saying by these two tabs, position them accordingly so when you pull the sides the word will show.  In my case, I wanted them up in the sky but at different levels not to cover the star or the lambs.

Glue or use a Red Line tape along the outside of the two back edges (1x5").  Be sure to tape over the tabs to catch them in with the heavy duty tape. 

Carefully place the front piece over the back piece and press down. 

When you pull back and forth on the two side pieces it will look as though your images on the tabs are moving.  How fun is that? 

New Owl Stamps from Art Impressions

Sale price - $18.00 unmounted

Sale price - $6.00 unmounted

Please contact me, Phyllis, at phyllis610@yahoo.com for ordering at the sale price.  Thank-you.