Celebrate!

This month at Die Cut Divas we are using the color "Yellow" as well as some adorable digis from Kinda Cute Digis.  

You still have a little time to join in the challenge if you wish!

What I Used to Make my Card:
Square {5 1/4" x 5 1/4"} White Card
Black, Yellow and Light Blue Cardstock
Graphic 45 Artisan Style Paper, Patterns & Solids, 8" x 8" {available online}
Border Die - Dotted Line {unknown manufacturer}
MFT/Die-Namics Wonky Stitched Circle STAX
Lawn Fawn Celebrate die, #LF1429
Big Rose Image by Kinda Cute Digi's
Alcohol Ink Marker in Yellow

The lovely Arlene sent me this image {as she did for the image I used here} and I used the wonky stitched circle die to cut it out.  I colored the image with alcohol ink markers.  That was my mistake.  I typically try to get all the supplies I need together before I put a project together {or I at least know in my head what I am going to use} and this time I colored the rose before I had anything else to go with it.  The hunt begins for the perfect background paper with me first going through all my 6" x 6" pads, 8" x 8" pads, as well as any odd sized pads.  Then I move on to my 12" x 12" papers.  Well, I overlooked the Artisan pad that I finally used and it took me DAYS to figure out what else I could find to match this rose.  I am so new at working with alcohol markers that I was afraid to try and blend any other shades of yellow in the flower {watercolor I can handle,

Another Peek

alcohol ink, not so much} because I was certain I'd ruin it and I only had this flower left.  Yes, I had other images I could have used, but give a girl a break!  Honestly, I was so invested in the rose at this point that using another image didn't even cross my mind.

Finally, I found the paper I decided to use.  I think the yellow matches nicely.  I cut the paper using a dotted line border die I have; it's literally a metal line of dots. Unfortunately I don't recall where I acquired it but it's pretty handy when you don't have a die large enough to cut what you want, as long as what you want is straight edged.  I mounted the rose onto the background paper.  Then it was time for the sentiment.  I typically stamp in black ink, but I wanted to pick up some of the other colors in the background paper so I decided to use the celebrate die.  The word was cut three times, once out of light blue card, then once each out of yellow and black card.  I layered the cuts and there have been quite a few times where my eyes played tricks on me and I thought the word was 3D.  I didn't plan on that effect but hey, I like it! 

There you have it!  My square Celebrate card.  I hope you liked my little tutorial and if you can't make the challenge at Die Cut Divas this month, be sure to check back tomorrow!  Thanks for visiting ~ Christi


I'd like to enter my Celebrate card in the following challenges:
Art Impressions - #242, Vibrant Colors
Addicted to Stamps & More - #311, Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes {entry #2}
Tuesday Throwdown Color Challenge - Use Complimentary Colors
Pause, Dream, Enjoy - M, Anything Goes
Daring Cardmakers - With a Flourish {flourishes on the word}
Creative Knockouts - #265, Anything Goes
Retarte - #128, Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown

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:

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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)

Celebrate with the Cats!

My local stamp store has a mascot - a kitty named Sacha - and they are celebrating her 2nd birthday.  I had already been formulating a card using these stamps in my mind, so when I read about the celebration in their email newsletter I was happy to see that they requested birthday cards be mailed to Sacha. I really need to get to the store to see the birthday girl as I doubt she'll be at the convention coming to Denver (I am hoping be there Friday, Sept. 12, 2014 - if you are going as well let's meet up! Drop me an email)  I quickly put this together and dropped it in the mail.

How can you not want to celebrate with these felines!?!

What I Used to Make this Card:
Cherry Pie Stamps, Group of Cats, R8509
Lost Coast Stamps - Party Cat (this is a hand mounted stamp and I had written Lost Coast Designs on it, but I couldn't find it in their catalog)
A2 White Card Base
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Scraps of festive paper
Celebrate rub-on - 7 Gypsies ALa Card Birthday Rub-Ons (discontinued)
Stickles in Diamond
Pop Dots

A fairly simple card - the hardest part for me was cutting the little party hats small enough! I stamped the group of kitties on the card base first, then stamped the party cat on separate paper, fussy cut her out and added Stickles, in Diamond, to the hat, with my finger.  There is no coloring under the Stickles, but it looks like there is - very cool! I cut out a bunch of little party hats out of scrap, trying to pick the sparkliest, most festive scraps I could (not easy when they are SO tiny!) and glued them on to the cats that were facing forward - a little detail that I bet you didn't notice (keeping you on your toes!).

The Party Hat Makes the Cat

I added the Celebrate Rub-On (I have to tell you, I used to be terrified of rub-ons - not in the scary horror movie way, but scary in the "I know I am going to mess this up and can't fix it" way, so I have TONS of them! I belonged to a kit club and I got rub-ons every month.  So, I am working on my fear of rub-ons!) and then pop-dotted my party cat on the card, after the Stickles dried, of course.

Dimension!

No coloring needed!   By now Sacha has her card, and birthday wishes from my five felines - I hope her birthday month is fabulous! 

Another View - you can see the white outline a bit on the rub-on

Thanks for popping by ~ don't forget, the new challenge at Craft-Room Challenge is up and there is a Design Team Call at Anything But a Card! Come and play with us ~ Christi

I am happily entering my card in the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments - Any Sentiment Other Than Birthday  
Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge - Use Snippets of Paper - the party hats are snippets :)
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Be Bold 
Loves Rubber Stamps - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes w/ option of recycle (I recycled those bits of paper!)
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Fan-Tastic Tuesday - Anything Goes