• Tag Archives Spellbinders
  • Christmas Card Extravaganza!

    Welcome to our 1st ever Christmas Card Extravaganza  ISC Blog Hop!

    The Architects were challenged to choose a different image from the Joyful Christmas and create a card making it the focal point!

    This is my Victorian Ornament card, featuring the round ornament from the new sheet. Victorian Ornament 3586a2
    The ornament was stamped onto vanilla c/s using the bordeaux ink and again onto dp using black ink then the ribbon part was paper pieced onto the vanilla image. I cut a reverse mask of the ornament and stamped the stars and snowflakes inside using the merlot pigment ink then heat embossed using a red/gold glitter powder. The holly leaves were colored w/ a marker then the oval was cut using a Spellbinder’s die. I cut a larger oval and a narrow rectangle out of the same dp. A vanilla rectangle layer was also cut using a die.

    Victorian Ornament close up3585a2c
    The sentiment was stamped and a tag punch used to cut it out. A narrow layer of the dp was added and then it was attached to the image panels. A larger panel of the tree dp was added. The trees were a little too far apart for my layout, so I cut out a couple of the burgundy trees and attached them close to the pine colored trees.

    I hope you enjoyed this Christmas card and I know you’ll love the beautiful cards the rest of the ISC Architects have created.

    Yet, there’s more! Win  3 FREE of the Newest Christmas Stamp Sheets (Joyful Christmas, Eclectic Christmas, Festive Christmas)! Super easy, leave a message about what Christmas means to you & yours on the ISC blog or any of the Architects’ blogs. This opportunity will end Wed Oct 14th

    You want more?

    ISC is also offering 10% off your order (good thru Friday 10/16) ! The Christmas Stamp Line is jam packed and for a limited time only the retail price has been reduced!

    To continue the hop, please click on over to view Joanne’s Blog.

     

    Don’t worry, if you get lost, here is the blog hop order.

    Start at the ISC blog
    Kathy
    Sabrina
    Julie (me)
    Joanne
    Connie
    Wendy
    Back to end at the ISC Blog

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

    Supplies:
    stamps: ISC- Joyful Christmas
    paper: vanilla, dp (BasicGrey Figgy Pudding collection, Karen Foster trees)
    ink: Ancient Page bordeaux and coal, Colorbox merlot pigment ink
    accessories: glitter ep, Spellbinders oval and rectangle sets, SU tag punch, ribbon, foam tape

    SaveSave


  • Out of the Box Nestie Tutorial

    This tutorial came about after an ongoing discussion with Roxie at SCS about our methods of doing the Out of the Box Nestie Technique. We each were using this technique, we just went about it differently.  (6/23/10 Edited to add: Roxie now has a blog and here is her version of this technique.)  I promised I would take some pictures to show my method.

    (Click on any image to enlarge.)

     

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/
    Step 1

     

    For Step 1, I stamped my image(s) and selected the Nestie shapes I might want to use. I selected the sizes of the circle and rectangle that were slightly smaller than my image in order to get the Out of the Box look I want. Usually, I just cut this frame out of white copy paper, but I’m using a light blue in order to be more visible here. The only reason I use a cut template and not the actual die is because of the 1/8″ difference in size. The inside of the die will be 1/8″ further into your image than the template. Most of the time this won’t matter, but on some of the more intricate ones I’ve done, it did make a difference.

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/
    Step 2

     

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/
    Penciled Frame

    For Step 2, place the frame around the image and lightly trace the frame with a pencil.

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/
    Step 3

    In Step 3, I use a craft knife to cut the areas which will be Out of the Box. In order to insert the Nestie die under this area, I have to start the cut inside the circle. I cut very close to the image outline and continue around the image to other side.

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/
    Top Cut

    The Out of the Box area is cut. Note that the very top is just a rough cut for now. I don’t want it to be too unstable when I insert the Nestie die. I will go back and finish trimming this area with detail scissors after I’ve cut and embossed the Nestie circle.

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/
    Step 4

    In Step 4, I insert the die under the Out of the Box area I’ve cut out. With the die under this area, it will not be cut or embossed. Test fit your die before cutting to make sure you have cut your image deep enough to allow the die to be inserted on your pencil lines.

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/
    After cutting & embossing

    Now I will remove the die and finishing trimming the top area.

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/
    After top is trimmed

    My Out of the Box is ready for coloring. It doesn’t really matter if you color your image before or after. I have done it both ways. With this method, it has worked the first time for me and I haven’t had to do it over. If my Out of the Box area has a lot of cutting inside the shape, I will usually add a little scotch tape to the back after it’s cut and embossed. This just stabilizes the area and really makes the cut disappear.

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/
    Detail scissors

    I’m including this picture to show you my detail scissors. Quite a few people have commented on my detail cutting so I wanted to include this. The little orange pair of scissors have small, curved blades. You can see they are only about 4″ in length but the small curved tips make cutting a breeze. I’ve done a lot of decoupage and these scissors are invaluable. Fiskars made these, but cuticle scissors work, too. Another trick is to remember to turn the paper, not the scissors, when you are cutting.

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/

    All done! This was colored with Prismacolor Pencils and OMS (odorless mineral spirits, aka Gamsol).

    Thanks for looking and I hope you try this fun technique. Here’s the finished card I made with this fun image.

     

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/

    Julie2 sig

     


  • Diamond Latte

    Julie Warner - justwritedesigns https://thewritestuff.justwritedesigns.com/

    Love the sketch, but the circles gave me a little trouble. I see now that maybe the circles weren’t supposed to overlap. Oh well.

    I stamped the latte cup (IO), made a template of the circle die and lightly penciled around the image. The top part of the image I cut around w/ a craft knife so I could slip the circle die underneath it so it wouldn’t get chopped off. Then I cut and embossed the nestie as usual. Roxie and I have had an ongoing discussion about our different methods of doing this nestie out of the box thing. I promised I would do a tutorial as a pic is worth a thousand words. So, I took pics as I did this one and hopefully, I’ll have tutorial to go w/ this tomorrow.

    Anyway, I stamped the rows of diamonds (SG) on the bottom band and more on the two pieces that became my overlapping circles. I colored everything w/ Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol (Odorless Mineral Spirits).

    On the m.mustard layers, I used an emery board to sand the edges. I placed one of these layers behind my latte cup then attached it, slightly lower, to the negative frame left when I cut it out (I placed a rect nestie around the circle when I cut it.)

    I used the scallop nesties to cut a red frame for my image and also the greeting.

    Supplies:
    Stamps: Impression Obsession, Studio G
    Paper: white, rose red, old olive, DCWV mat stack = to more mustard
    Ink: AP coal, primrose
    Accessories: gamsol, Prismacolor pencils, nestie circle, scallop rectangle and rectangle sets, foam tape