Sweet Silver Shaker Card

I have loved Shaker Cards ever since I saw the first one - I believe it was in a local stamp store and I ended up going home and searching like crazy for directions on how to make one.  I eventually learned, but getting all the pieces together can be an issue in itself! I was thrilled when I saw Dies R Us carried Shaker Card Kits!  I grabbed the Cheery Lynn Heart Shaker kit as soon as I could. And this is the first card I've made from the kit:

Sorry it is so dark - it's difficult to capture the sparkle!

What I Used to Make my Card:
Cheery Lynn Shaker Card Kit - Heart (you can see ALL the kits here, plus extras)
White Card Base, Square, 5 1/4" x 5 1/4"
Silver Glitter Card
Silver Card
Shaker Fill (I used sequins, punched hearts & small beads)
Lawn Fawn Celebrate Border Die, LF-1429
Sequins - Darice Crystal Cup Sequins 5mm, 10043-8 

I was impressed with the amount of items in the kit.  The contents are all laid out here AND on the same page you will find 2 videos, put out by Cheery Lynn,

explaining these cards. It just could NOT get any easier if they made them for you!  I'm already thinking about which kit I'm going to get next.  Since I like to stretch my supplies,  I'm leaning toward the birthday cake kit. I think it'd be fine as a wedding cake; all you'd have to do is lop off those candles and you could make it any kind of cake you wanted! And they are all calorie free!

I started my card with a square white card base; I knew I wanted to use silver as my other color so when I found a nice piece of silver card I attached that to break up the endless white.  That also helped me figure out where I was going to add my shaker element.

Anyway, I had reservations about the foam cutting through and exactly what sandwich combination to use with my Big Shot (I have old base plates - they rarely show up on instructions anymore, but they work fine, so why spend money on them when I can get more dies?) but I ran the foam through my machine like I normally would; I even used the Tutti metal adapter plate and the foam went through just fine.  I have to say, if you are a serious die cutter you absolutely need one of these plates!  I've seen lots of different ways to ensure your die cut will cut properly and cleanly and I haven't had to ever use anything else once I purchased my metal plate.  It's glorious! OK, back to the card.  I basically followed the directions on the package, which just explained, step by step, how to make the card.

I cut my shaker heart out of silver glitter paper, then cut the acetate (the

acetate in the kit has blue protection paper on both sides that must be removed prior to cutting; I cut a shape out of the acetate that fit the heart, then took off the paper, so I wouldn't be leaving the unused portion of the sheet open to marking.) So I had my foam, my heart shaped front and my acetate.  You decide on your card where you want the shaker portion to be and stick your foam cut out there.  Next was filling the shaker before you seal it up.  The kit comes with 2 shaker filler options called "Shaker Mini's", they are essentially teeny little die cuts that you make using special little embossing pads that come with the kit (or, there are many you can buy separately as well to make your shaker confetti).  You might have noticed I didn't use the product of the Shaker Mini in my card, basically because when I attempted to die cut the little hearts the entire thing broke apart and was useless.  Now, I have emailed the company and explained what I did, I'm sure it was something I did wrong, and I am waiting for them to reply.  My point is, be careful with those Shaker Mini's, they are somewhat fragile! I just punched some teeny hearts out using a hand punch, then added a few small beads and sequins.  

Once my heart was filled, I removed the protector from the sticky foam (both sides of the foam are sticky, by the way) and attached my acetate heart.  I glued on my glitter heart cut out paper on the very top.  I had leftover "inside" foam and glitter paper cut out, so I popped that together and added it to my card.  I die cut the sentiment from white glitter paper, placed it over the silver paper

Another Look

and trimmed the tail so the word would fix properly.  Lastly, I scattered some of the sequins I used in the shaker mix around on the left corner and at the end of the sentiment.

I hope you had as much fun reading this as I had making the card and writing about it.  I try to write my posts as if we are having a cup of coffee (or whatever) and we are face to face.  My tutorials may not be the most technical, but I write them they way I like to read them.  I'd rather feel comfortable when reading a post; that helps me feel as if I accomplish the technique as well! I hope you know you can do that and give Shaker Card kits a try! Don't forget to enter your die cut creations in the Dies R Us Challenge, which runs every two weeks.  Pop by this Inspiration Blog every day to get a new dose of die cut goodness from me or my marvelous teamies! To make things easier, here are all the Dies R Us places to be: 

Don't forget to play along at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog for your chance to win a gift voucher to the Dies R Us Store.  A new challenge begins on the first and fifteenth of every month.  
Be sure to Follow Us on Facebook too. 

click below for:

STORE
CHALLENGE BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSPIRATION BLOG
FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

I am entering my Sweet Silver Shaker in the following challenges:
Country View Challenges M - Hearts
Scrap from your Heart M - #10, Wedding
Happy Little Stamps - Dies Challenge, Anything Goes
Alphabet Challenge - M - H is for Hearts
Fussy & Fancy Friday - #190, Punches & Dies
Time Out Challenges - #86, Celebrations (I did not use the twist)

Any Occasion Bunny Card

Hi all, today I am showcasing a cute little bunny card. This card originally began as an Easter Card, complete with the little bunny holding an Easter basket.  But, as Easter came and went, this little card was still left on my desk.  So I decided to change things up a bit.

What I Used to Make my Card:
Hoppy Easter by Lawn Fawn, stamps, LF1319
Hoppy Easter by Lawn Fawn, die set, LF1320
Die-Versions Stitched Nesting Squares, DV-572
CUTplorations Sweet Spring Wishes Die, CUTPL-070
Small Detail Water Brush
Pastel Cardstock
Clean Color Markers
Watercolor Card
Small white "puff" (for the tail)
Purple Scrap
Small Heart, punched out

First I want to share a picture with you of the original card. I know it doesn't look too different, but it's different enough! Notice the basket and the flat (no puff!) tail.

Back to when this was still an Easter card, I had stamped the bunny on watercolor card and used my Zig Clean Color Markers to lightly color the body of the bunny brown, with a slight tint of pink on the ears. I used the same technique to color in the basket as well. It's easy to get a very light wash when you are using a water brush. Just scribble some marker on your craft sheet and water the color down.  Remember, you can always add more, but you can't take it away and dry your watercolor card thoroughly before adding more color (a mistake I made all the time until I finally got it through my head.  I could never understand why my water color paper was always pilling so badly, no matter the brand, when everyone else's seemed fine.)  I die cut the bunny and the basket and set them aside.

I decided that some pastel papers would look very springy and pretty so I cut

out three squares using the DieVersions die set; one of each in blue, peach and yellow.  I stacked the squares together, glued them and set them to dry under my drying tile.  At this point I still had Easter in my mind, so I attached the basket to the bunny and set the card aside for everything to dry.  While the card was drying it hit me that I had a bunch of "puffs" hiding in a small drawer, that were eons old and would look charming on the bunny.  I attached the puff to the butt of the bunny and put the card aside.

The card stayed aside for entirely too long, but I really like the stamp/die set, so

Another Look

I decided to upgrade to an all occasion card.  I needed to find something that was slightly larger than the basket the bunny was holding, which I did. I punched a heart out of pink cardstock, then carefully removed the basket and attached the heart.  While I was pleased with the look, it needed something more, not bling, but something.  Wracking my brain, I discovered the word die from STAMPlorations hiding under a pile of stuff on my desk.  I die cut the sentiment out of lavender cardstock and used only the "sweet" portion of the cut.  Now my card was ready to go!

Thank you for visiting the Dies R Us Inspiration Blog and I hope you get inspired either by me or one of my fabulous teamies.  Perhaps inspired enough to join in the Dies R Us Challenge? We'd love for you to visit and follow all of Dies R Us pages, click below for an easy way to check them all out. Thanks again! Christi

Don't forget to play along at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog for your chance to win a gift voucher to the Dies R Us Store.  A new challenge begins on the first and fifteenth of every month.  
Be sure to Follow Us on Facebook too. 

click below for:

STORE
CHALLENGE BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSPIRATION BLOG
FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

I am entering my All Occasion Bunny Card in the following challenges:
Brown Sugar Challenge - Anything Goes, #255
Fussy and Fancy - Pamper Your Pets, #189
Delicious Doodles Challenge - All Creatures Big & Small, M June
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes w/ a Critter, M June
Creative Inspirations - Our Furry/Feathered Friends, #277
Deep Ocean Challenge - Use Die Cuts, Chipboard and/or Punches, #157

Playing with Oxide Inks #2, Happy Birthday!

I know I have been missing a bit from Blogland - I had foot surgery done and have to wear this walking boot. For the first week I was literally on my couch taking advantage of the nice pain killers. I am feeling better and will be back to full steam ahead shortly! 

I had seen some cool stuff made out of the oxide inks on black cardstock so I decided to give it a whirl.  Perfect timing as I had to make the Man a Birthday Card.  This is what I came up with:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Black Card
Mini Ink Blending Tool
Distress Oxide Inks: Wilted Violet, Worn Lipstick, Cracked Pistachio, Broken China, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade & Faded Jeans
Tim Holtz Mini Stencil, #10, Flourish
Tim Holtz Mini Stencil, #4, Blossom
Quietfire Designs - Happy Birthday Plain & Simple, #5899
Sizzix/Tim Holtz, Labels, #660060
Piece of Blue/Gray Card from Stash

I would have liked the colors to be more vibrant, but the muted colors are very pretty as well.  On this card, at first, I didn't use any spritzes of water - nothing

but the inks themselves.  I had been building on the color and building on the color when I remembered a technique where you could use stencils, and I had just gotten those 2 new mini sets, so I stopped my mad inking, went to Pinterest (I am totally, without a doubt, addicted to Pinterest) and found the technique I wanted. This one uses a baby wipe to remove some color through the stencil, which I did, then I used the ink directly through the stencil with the mini ink applicator.  On the left side of the card I used the flourish stencil; on the right, the blossom stencil.  I couldn't tell you which inks went where.  That, I think, is my favorite property (so far) about these Oxide inks - you literally cannot make a mistake and if you don't like your pattern, colors, etc. just keep inking until you do!  I've been inking paper after paper, incorporating Ken Oliver's Liquid Metals at times.  It reminds me of the old way of making Polished Stone with alcohol inks and Krylon leafing pens (way back in the day prior to Tim Holtz). I have lots more to show you, but let me get back to this card.  I put the black card panel under my drying tile and left it there overnight. 

Another Look

The next day, I stamped the sentiment on a piece of scrap card, using the Oxide Ink in Faded Jeans, and die cut it with the Labels die cuts.  I am absolutely thrilled with how the card came out; I'm really happy with all the new tricks you can do with these inks.  I've been making backgrounds like crazy but I had to have some minor surgery on my foot, and that is keeping me out of the craft room as I need to keep it elevated.  But, I promise, the wait is worth it! Thank you so much for your continued loyalty and perhaps I've inspired you to check out some new techniques! Fondly, Christi

I am entering my Man's Birthday Card in the following challenges:
Tuesday Throwdown - #347, For the Men
Everybody Art  Challenge - #405, Happy Birthday
Cards in Envy - You're the Man
Just For Fun (M) - For the Guys

Girls Just Want to Have Fun! Stinkin' Inkers

Hello everyone! Today I am showing you the card I made for this month's challenge at Stinkin' Inkers.  The theme is "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" or "create a project for a special lady (or girl)."  This is the first time I have played with the Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit from April and I had SO much fun I literally had to force myself to stop and write this post.  Here is my card:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Yellow Card Panel
Watercolor Panel
Distress Oxide Inks in Broken China and Fossilized Amber 
Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit from April 2017
Hero Arts Intense Black Ink
Designer Paper (from magazine)
Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer
Authentique Patterned Paper from "Remembrance D" Collection, (retired)
Clear, Detailed, Embossing Powder

Playing with this set was like making paper dolls.  I just kept getting more & more ideas about different ways I could make clothes, pose the character, patterned papers I could use and, every time I thought I was done, another crop of ideas would come rushing into my brain.  I made SO many outfits to mix and match for these ladies; they are certainly the best dressed ladies that I know!

I started the card by making the background using the Oxide inks.  If you

haven't played with these inks yet I strongly urge you at least to find someone who will let you try them out.  Or, better yet, splurge and buy yourself 2 or 3.  I only used two colors to make this background, Broken China and Fossilized Amber.  Using the small blending tool, I began with Fossilized Amber, just a few pounces and swipes, then added the Broken China in a circle around the middle. Once I was happy with the ink distribution, I used the Distress Sprayer to spritz some water on the inks and watch the magic.  Now, I consider myself a frugal crafter; truthfully, I'm fairly frugal in my "real" life, too.  I rarely buy things when they first come out, and I never buy things just because there is a fancy name attached when I can get the same item, or close to the same item, cheaper.  Well, if you are going to invest in some Oxides, you have to get the Distress Sprayer.  A run of the mill spray bottle just doesn't work as well with these inks.  At least that has been my experience.  OK, the background was done and I set it aside.  

This next step definitely took me on a ride.  I was so all over the place making

clothes that I finally had to step away, take a break, and then come back.  But it was SO MUCH FUN! I eventually settled on yellow patterned pants and an olive colored shirt for my classic beauty.  I stamped the yellow paper with Oxide Fossilized Amber and noticed the paper had a slight coating to it.  The paper was a freebie and I could see no coating on it until I applied the ink.  So, in order for the ink to set I embossed the pants with clear, detail, embossing powder.  Once that was done, I die cut the pants and set them aside.  I realized that the long sleeved shirt I wanted to use didn't have separate hands, so I stamped the shirt on white card, die cut it, and then just used the die cut for the olive green layer.  I put the green on top of the stamped shirt and I had my hands!  I lined everything up (after all, I didn't want her head to be way over there and her feet over there), using the MISTI, then I stamped her head and her feet.  I dressed her with the clothes I had chosen.  

Lastly, I stamped the sentiments directly on the card using the Intense Black ink.  Again, since I was stamping on the watercolor card where I had built my image, I used my MISTI.  Inevitably, I have to re-stamp a few times to get the black ink to really sink in to the watercolor card stock.  Then I trimmed the panel, attached it to some yellow card and attached that to the white card base.  I kept the yellow panel the same size as the card base.  Whew! I hope you stayed with me during this whole process; it really isn't as difficult as it sounds when I am writing it all out.  I hope you will find the inspiration to join us at Stinkin' Inkers this month! Thanks so much! Christi

I am entering my Classic Beauty Card in the following challenges:
Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper - M, Anything Goes w/ Patterned Paper
Naughty or Nice Challenge - #40, M, Anything Goes
Just Us Girls - #396, Die Cuts
Creates and Makes Challenge - #12, M, Anything Goes, Option: Use Yellow

Stars for the May Card Chain Challenge

I cannot believe it is already time for the May Card Chain Challenge reveal!   It is absolutely crazy how time just slips away from me.  Anyway, this month I used Stars from the Theme Options and Washi Tape from the Product/Technique Options.  Now, if you decide to play, you can use all four options, or just one; it's up to you!  If you would like to see all of the options, please take a peek at the Card Chain Challenge website.  While you are there, why not sign up for the June challenge; you have until June 7th (plus, you can check out what the upcoming colors, sketch and themes are for the whole year - just click here.) Here is the card I designed for this challenge:

What I Used to Make my Card:
Navy Blue Card Base
Alcohol Ink Panel
Metallic Mixatives in Silver
Verses Birthday Sentiment Stamp, Star Danced, BB0407-D
Silver Star Foil Washi Tape (Available Online)
Silver Paper & Silver Glitter Paper Punched Stars
White Embossing Powder, Detail, Simon Says Stamp

Before I get into how I made my card, I want to share the card I received all the way from Jo in England.  Please do check out her amazing creations by clicking here:

Isn't that card darling??

I sent my card off to Sara in MO, who shows her cards off, as well as her sister's cakes, on her Flicker page.

Now, on to the tutorial. I made the alcohol ink panel first. I always make a few 
8 1/5 x 11" sheets when I have my alcohol inks out; I find that I typically use MUCH more ink than I need to and having the extra sheets out & ready makes it easier to make more sheets and not waste so much ink. .  If you aren't familiar with alcohol inks, I have a sort of

Original on Left; Reworked on Right

"beginners guide" here.  Anyway, my goal here was to make a background that looked like nightfall for this card as well as one that looked like the ocean for another card.  As I show in this comparison photo, I originally made the night sky a bit too busy and too silvery.  So I inked up the applicator with some blue inks and blending solution and lightened the panel up. 

Originally I wanted to emboss the sentiment in silver, but when I tested it out on the alcohol ink background,  the sentiment wasn't readable. I really didn't want to put the sentiment on another piece of cardstock, so, I used detail white embossing powder from

Another Look

Simon Says Stamp. I embossed directly onto the alcohol ink panel.  I edged the long edges of the panel with the washi tape and then placed the stars I had punched out onto various places on the card.  

I can't get a good picture due to the background being so shiny.  I always have a blast when I'm making things using alcohol ink - the only thing I struggle with is actually coloring with it! I've said this before, but making one card a month is such an easy thing to do and I look forward to receiving my card all month long.  It is a very rewarding experience, so, go to the Card Chain Challenge page and sign up to play!  There is even an option to opt out of sending cards overseas if postage is an issue.  I hope you have enjoyed my card ~ Christi

I am entering my Stars card in the following challenges:
Di's Digi Stamps - Birthday
Brown Sugar - #253, Celebrations
4 Crafty Chicks - #353, Birthday
Outlaws Twisted Thursday - Anything Goes, Twist: Stars
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
The Crazy Challenge - #249, Birthday

Where did I find all these fabulous challenges?!? At

Challenges for Days!

Guest Designer at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies

I am beyond thrilled that I was chosen to be the Guest Designer for June by the gals at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies,  Since this month's challenge is being sponsored by Sparkle 'n Sprinkle, I got to choose an image to use! If you follow my blog, you know how much I love to create with kitty stamps and, while the image isn't a traditional one, I still love it and am glad to have it for when the need arises.  Also, not only does the set have a cat angel, there is also a dog angel! And both have images that are pre-colored; here's the one I used on my card:

What I Used to Make this Card:
White Card Base
Purple Cardstock
Digi Stamp Set by Sparkle 'n Sprinkle, 472M Pet Sympathy
Die-Namics, MFT, Stitched Oval Stax
DieVersions Whisper Stitched Nesting Squares, DV-572
KaiserCraft Violet Crush Designer Paper, PK-463
Pop Dots

First step for me was to die cut all the pieces; the pre-colored digi, the sentiment and the two purple panels to layer them, then I glued them together, stuck them under my drying tile and left them overnight.  I also cut out my designer paper panel, attached that to the white card base and left it to dry overnight along with the die cuts.

The next day I just assembled the card.  I pop dotted both the square and the oval die cuts onto the card and I was finished!  This is my first time using a pre-colored digi and I can definitely see where you could save oodles of time and how easy they are to use if you need to make a bunch of cards. Having the choice to use either the plain or pre-colored digi certainly

Another Look

took the stress off of me; I did try to color the kitty in with various alcohol markers, but I just could not get the look I wanted.  Having the choice between the two digi's was nice.  I want to thank 2 Crafty Critter Crazies for inviting me to be their guest designer.  They run a super fun challenge and all you need to do in order to play is have a critter (any critter! Aardvark? Yup! Manatee? Yup!) on your project and you are in! It's also a monthly challenge, so you have plenty of time to get a card together and enter.  Plus, the team over there certainly LOVE animals - I went to the "The Team" page and WOW! - those ladies are critter lovers! Please pop by and give them some support.  Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by and check out my creation.  I appreciate it more than you know! Christi

I am entering my Sympathy Cat Card in the Following Challenges:
Watercooler Wednesday - #121, Anything Goes
Crafting with Dragonflies - #81, Animals
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Kitty Bee Designs - #95, Animals
That's Crafty! - Feline Fine 

House of Cards End of Term Blog Hop

Wow, did the last six months fly by or what!?!? For our end of term Blog Hop here at House of Cards, we are offering the lovely inspirational photo below or you can use the theme of ANYTHING GOES! I wish I could stay on with the fabulous & talented group of ladies but, due to some ongoing health issues, I feel it is in the best interest of the blog that I step down.  However, no need to be sad! The team is carrying on and will have many more challenges for you to enter, and, it's the perfect time for you to follow me so you don't miss a post! Before I get into the hop, let me share this card I made, actually using a digi stamp from Digistamps4joy (if you are a follower/reader of my blog you know I do not do well with digital stamps) and this time I think I did fairly well!

First:

This hop will run FROM June 1st AT 6:00 AM CST THROUGH June 15th
 AT NOON CST.  ANY CARD STYLE is welcome and we've got a gorgeous photo inspiration for your crafting enjoyment!

Here is the photo inspiration~

And, here is my Card:

What I Used to Make my Card:

Light Blue Card Base

White Cardstock Panel

Digi Stamp from Digistamps4joy Coral Corner

Copics & Spectrum Noir Markers

Wink of Stella in Clear

Hero Arts Ink in Intense Black

Various Colored Cardstock

Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit, May 2017, #heroarts 
Oxide Distress Ink in Broken China 

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Labels, #660060

Nuvo Crystal Drops in Duck Egg Blue, #680N

Pop Dots

I'm sure you want to get hopping, so I'll be extra quick with my tutorial.  I first

printed the coral stamp on some white card, trimmed out the panel, colored it with Copics and Spectrum Noir markers, then set it aside.  I stamped the mermaid with Intense Black Ink, colored her with the alcohol markers, die cut her with the matching dies (seriously, these Hero Arts kits are an amazing value!) and added some clear Wink of Stella to her fins.  I then stamped the fish on some colored cardstock, die cut them, and began to work on the placement of everything.  I adhered the white card panel to the blue

card base and stamped the sentiment on some light blue card and die cut it.  I Pop Dotted everything except the coral image, attached the items to the card, and finished off with some dots of Duck Egg Blue Nuvo Crystal Drops.  I've decided to start adding to my Copics collection as I really enjoyed coloring these images! 

So, are you ready to get hopping?!  Yep, it's time, but first we've got some 

fabulous sponsors  to share with you!  Make sure you leave a comment at each person's blog along the way because the prizes are hidden and we'll be doing random drawings from the blogs where they are hiding! :)  After you're done, make a creation to share with us here, too, for another chance to win!

Here are all of our fabulous sponsors.

MHKDesigns

Prize: Any three products of your choice!

All Dressed Up

Prize: 2 Images

Prize: $10 to use in store

Prize $10 Gift Certificate to use in store

 You should've arrived here from Judy's blog

and your next stop is Cohenna's blog

Here's your hop order in case you get lost along the way

 House of Cards Challenge Blog

Mynn | | Judy | Christi | Cohenna | Donna

 Em | Heather | Jane | Karen | Katarina | Maria 

Merethe | Michele |Nancy |  Paula | Rocky | Rosi 

Shawna | Shirley | Sue N. | Susan 

I am entering my Mermaid card in the following challenges:

Die Cuttin; Divas - #319, Anything Goes

The Cat's Pajamas - #336, Sun, Sea & Sand

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Come & Get it Challenge - Nautical

Mod Squad Challenge - Background Stash

Best of luck to you all!

And a HUGE thank you to my teamies, Judy and Mynn!!

Hugs, Christi