Spellbinders Die D-Lites Sugar Skull and Hola Die set

Hello everyone.

I have a project using Spellbinders Die D-Lites today. I'm using the Sugar Skull set and the Hola set. The Sugar Skull is just as its name suggests, a skull that you can do so many different things to. I decided to watercolor with it today. The Hola set is a word die set with some of the most common Spanish words. The two sets pair well together and I'm using them today.

I started with two pieces of Ranger watercolor paper. I tape them down with Thermo Web Purple Tape to my black Epicurean board. This helps my watercolor paper from warping. It also allows me to use my heat tool easily when being impatient between layers.

Once my paper was secure, I used my Avery Elle Liquid Watercolors to water color the background and some additional matching panels for die-cutting. I used 6 of the 10 available colors. I dropped a few drops into my Ranger alcohol ink palette which also works great for watercolors. The colors were named Cherry, Mimosa, lemon Grass, Sea Glass, Sugar Plum, and Aquamarine.

I used a mix of wet on wet watercoloring and wet to dry watercoloring techniques on this project. Most of the background is wet on wet; which is where I would dampen the watercolor Cardstock with a good amount of water and then add my color with a wet brush straight from the palette. To finish off the background I also added watercolor straight from the palette to a completely dry background by flicking the watercolor on. This adds the most opaque color and I love the vibrant splatters.

After both panels were completely dry, I used the floral dies that come in the Spellbinders Sugar Skull die set to cut out all of the flowers that you see on the card. I also cut the Sugar Skull itself as well as the Amore word die from the Spellbinders Hola die set. I cut them from Ranger Stark White Simon Hurley cardstock four times each. I am able to cut many dies at once using the Spellbinders Platinum die cutting machine- which made things so much easier!

Using the Spellbinders Tool in One, I punched out the negative pieces of the very detailed Sugar Skull, but I didn't punch them all out. I wanted to keep the teeth and some of the facial structure to keep the stark whiteness of the skull. In the end, I may or may not agree with this decision. Part of me wishes that I could see more of the watercoloring behind it but I also really like how it turned out. I adhered all of the layers together using Nuvo Deluxe adhesive for both the Sugar Skull and the Amor word die.

I used Tombow Extreme Clear Adhesive tabs to stick the Sugar Skull and the Amor word die to the background panel. The background measures slightly less than 3 1/2 by 4 3/4 because I messed up and missed the proper cut... But it still looked good enough to use the panel.

All of the die cut flowers were adhered using various clear adhesive. Either the same Tombow Extreme Tabs or Micro Glue Dots and even some Nuvo Deluxe adhesive. I did this to give the flowers varying dimension on the card. I wanted flowers to appear to be coming out of the skull and wrapping around it almost like a crown.

I hope you enjoyed my project today. A complete list of supplies are listed below.

Thank you,

Koren

Heffy Doodle Comic Book Inspired Card Video

Hello Everyone.

Today I have a video for you using the Heffy Doodle Super Dudes and Bots of Love stamp sets. This is a comic book-inspired card to let someone know that they are super. I also used both Whatcha Saying and Whatcha Saying now stamps and dies to create my speech bubbles. As for the background I was inspired to layer 5 different stencils to create 4 scenes for my card background- which was super fun, and a great way to use a bunch of different products on one project. To see all of these products in action, click the video linked below. I also have a Copic Color Map showing all of the Copic Markers I used to color my images for this project.

Thank you for visiting my blog today.

Koren

Neat & Tangled March Release Week: Day Five It's LIVE!

Hello everyone. 

Today is Day Five of Neat & Tangled's March release week. Today we are wrapping up the week in a review. The Neat & Tangled March release is now LIVE and in the shop. (CLICK HERE!)

I am wrapping up this wonderful week. I hope you all enjoyed seeing all the inspiration from me and the rest of the design team. I had an absolute blast with the entire release but I have to say again that the Cactus and Llama stitching dies are definitely my favorite. I am a huge fan of stitching dies and these are now some of my favorites in my collection.

Although the stitching stole the show for me, I can't forget the great egg set.  I also can't wait to spend some more time playing with  that egg from the NEW Eggciting stamp set. I bet you could come up with a laundry list of ways to decorate that egg.

It was also tons of fun to color and create the card I made this week using the All the Bunnies stamp set. After this set debuted on Tuesday, I was very inspired by a few of my fellow design team members to create with it again. I love when a stamp set continues to inspire you.

If you missed any of these cards, you can find them posted earlier this week on this blog. Visit the Neat & Tangled online store to shop the NEW March release. (CLICK HERE!)

Thank you for visiting my blog today,

Koren

Neat & Tangled's March Release: Day Four

Hello everyone.

Today is Day Four of Neat & Tangled's March release. We are showcasing our favorites of the release and mine is... (drumroll)...  hands down, its the Cactus and Llama stitching dies. Make sure you check out what the rest of the design team is playing with over on the Neat & Tangled blog (CLICK HERE!)

These dies allow you to create creative felt projects using minimal effort. You can also use them to make cards, like I'm using them today.

To make this card, I started with cutting my Cactus and Llama stitching dies from an assortment of colored cardstock. I cut the two armed Cactus from Papertrey Ink's Ripe Avocado. I cut the llama from Stampin' Up!'s Speckled Cardstock, which I believe is no longer available. It's an off-white or natural white cardstock with natural fibers seen in the cardstock itself. It makes for the perfect llama shade for this card. I also cut the saddle pieces from My Favorite Things Coral Crush cardstock and Stampin' Up!'s Petal Pink. 

I stitched the cactus using DMC Floss № 734. I used a simple backstitch to accomplish this. 

I stitched the llama using DMC Floss № 3866 and № 352 for the saddle pieces. I used the same backstitch for these items as well. Making sure to tie off a knot at the end to secure my floss. 

I took a Simon Says Stamp Fog cardstock A2 size top folding card base and loaded it into my mini MISTI. I used the Good Vibes stamp set by Neat & Tangled and specifically the "good vibes" sentiment. I placed it in the upper right hand corner of the front panel of the cardstock. I used Versafine Nocturne Ink to stamp a nice bold version of this sentiment.

To complete the card, I used Tombow Mono liquid adhesive to adhere my cactus directly to the card base. Then I used Scotch 3M foam tape to pop up my llama as well as his saddle. I trimmed off an excess paper exceeding the card front with my Tonic Scissors.

I hope you enjoyed my card today and it helps you see the versatility of these awesome stitching dies. I will have another project later this month using these same dies, so watch out for that.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. Make sure you check out the Neat & Tangled blog to see what the rest of the design team has done for March release inspiration. The release will be available tomorrow, Friday, March 8th at 8am. CLICK HERE!)

Koren

Simon Says Stamp Fresh Bloom Release

Hello everyone.

You may already know that the Simon Says Stamp Fresh Bloom release is now LIVE in the Simon Says Stamp online store. I was really excited with this release because I got to play with the Bunny Kisses Die. This die is a rather large solid die that reads "Bunny Kisses and Easter Wishes". I adore the saying. If you haven't already, visit the SSS online store to see the entire Fresh Bloom release in all of its inspirational glory! (CLICK HERE!)

As for my project, all links will be listed at the bottom of this blog post. I wanted to create a very modern, farmhouse inspired design. I know how silly that sounds, but bear with me. I wanted it to almost look like a rugged wooden sign... or at least have the feel of one. 

I started with a piece of kraft cardstock cut to 4 1/4 by 5 1/2. I used my Heffy Doodle Basket Case stencil to dry emboss the stencil into the kraft cardstock. I adhered this embossed basket to a A2 size top folding card base also cut from kraft cardstock. 

Then I cut a piece of canvas from my stash to 3 1/2 by 4 3/4. I tried to make this imperfect. I almost wish that I had torn this, but I'm not sure if that would have worked out. I affixed it to my embossed basket, centered on the card with Tombo mono liquid adhesive. I was pretty generous with the adhesive when gluing the canvas down and also when adhering the word dies. I wanted to make sure there was plenty to keep the parts in place but I didn't want glue spewing out all over the place. 

Then I used the Simon Says Stamp Bunny Kisses die and cut it from black textured cardstock. I did this four times to create four layers of this collection of word dies. 

I then layered them together using the same liquid adhesive.  I arranged them onto the canvas, trying to center it onto the card. I rearranged the word die and justified all of the words to center. My center is naturally wonky. I glued them down also using a generous amount liquid adhesive. 

To finish off the card, I cut two small egg shaped silhouettes to go to the left and right of the "and". I did not layer these. I wanted to show off the dimension of the word dies and this definitely helps that.

That is it, that is my card for today. I hope you will head over to the Simon Says Stamp online store to check out the rest of the Fresh Bloom release (CLICK HERE!). 

Thank you for visiting my blog today, 

Koren 

Neat & Tangled March Release: Day Three

Hello everyone.

Today is day three of Neat & Tangled's March Release, and we are showcasing my favorite product from this release. I'm super excited when I get to play with NEW felt dies. I end up making a ton of them 'cause it's so fun. Not only do these dies make fun with felt, but if you come back tomorrow, you can see how I made a card using the same dies. This release will be LIVE Friday, March 8th at 8am. To visit Neat & Tangled (CLICK HERE!)

Whenever I find out that there is a NEW stitching die coming out I RUN to BenzieDesign.com. They have collaborated with Neat & Tangled on the stitching dies in this release, just like they have in past releases. These feature a Cactus set and a Llama set. Benzie even has a Color Palette of felt specifically designed for Cactus projects. If you haven't seen their Color Palettes you should take some time to check them out. They are an assortment of colored felt prepackaged to make it easier for you to select color combinations. I love purchasing their felt this way. They even have matching floss! To see more of what Benzie has to offer (CLICK HERE!)

I bought some white and off white shades of felt and floss individually and I also picked up the Cactus Color Palette. Those are the shades of felt I used on my projects today. I also supplemented with a few shades from my felt stash. Yes, I have a felt stash too, lol.

I wanted to make the llamas into little hanging ornaments for my colored pencil cases and wanted them to hang like a decoration. So, I first cut the llama body twice to have two sides. I also cut the saddle pieces twice so that it will have two sides.

Before using coordinating floss to stitch the two halves of the body together, I used black floss and created an eye using a French Knot stitch. I used just one to create an eyeball for my llama on both sides of the body. Make sure you remember that the orientation of the two halves will be opposite. I forgot, and had to remove the knot and flip it over, you know, so that it didn't have an eyeball on the inside of its head.

To make the harness design along the neck of the llama, I added some floss in a straight stitch from one side of the neck to the other. I did this in two different orientations. I wasn't sure which one I would like better. I made sure to finish all of my stitches with a knot at the end to keep it secure.

I also cut a small strip of 3/8 inch white elastic to hold a clasp in place on my llamas back. I strung the elastic through the clasp and heated up my Surebonder hot glue gun.

Once my hot glue gun was nice and hot. I used hot glue to keep my strip of elastic with the clasp attached and adhered between the two halves of the llama.

I placed the two sides together and used coordinating floss to stitch the two sides together. I used a running stitch to do this. I did stitch through the elastic strip to keep it even more secure.

Once the two halves where joined. I then stitched the saddle pieces together. On one of the llamas I used that same running stitch but on the second llama I used a chain stitch to make it a little different. You can use which ever stitch you would like.

You don't have to use a glue gun for this part, but I like to do it this way. You could also stitch all of your pieces together using floss. I covered the backside of my saddle with hot glue and glued it in place I did this on both sides.

I cut five of the little circle that is included in the die set and used hot glue to keep them in place along the harness for added decoration. To finish off the harness I also tied on a Mini Tassel by Maggie Holmes in a coordinating color.

As for the Cacti, I created a few magnets for my metal wall in my craft room. I love how they add a touch of greenery to my very dark basement sanctuary.

I cut two halves of each cactus, but this time, to add a little interest, I stitched some prickly points into the lighter green one using a contrasting green thread. For the dark green cactus I added white French knots. I did this to each side of the cactus.

Before sewing up the cacti, I added neodymium magnets to the inside using the same Surebonder detail hot glue gun. I get these from harbor frieght in various sizes.

To finish off the smaller light green cactus, I also hot glued a cactus flower in one of the hot pink shades from the same Cactus Color Palette from Benzie.

I have linked below all of the supplies that I used to create this cuties. I hope you will give these felt projects a try. I have some other ideas for these dies that I will have tomorrow and later this month.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. Don't forget to check the Neat & Tangled blog to see what the rest of the design team has created using these fun toys! (CLICK HERE!)

Koren

Neat & Tangled March Release Week: Day Two

Hello everyone. 

Today is Day Two of Neat & Tangled's March Release Week.  We are showcasing the NEW All the Bunnies stamp set and coordinating dies. After you finish here, head over to the Neat & Tangled blog to see all the inspirational projects that the design team created using these products. (CLICK HERE!).

This stamp set is completely adorable. It features a bear holding bunnies while wearing bunny ears. I don't care who you are. If you are wearing bunny ears and holding not one, but two bunnies, you're having a good time.

For my project, I started with stamping the bear image holding the bunnies. I stamped it with Simon Says Stamp Intense Black ink onto Ranger's Simon Hurley Stark White cardstock. I also stamped the solo bunny reaching up, and a butterfly. I colored these images with my Copic Markers. I have created a Copic Color Map for the colors I used on this project. It will be posted below. I used the coordinating dies to cut out my images after I finished coloring them.

I had originally wanted to create a tag instead of a card with this stamp set. Easter is one of my favorite holidays mostly because of the meaning behind it, but I also love to give to my children. Easter is one of those holidays that we give gifts and so tags are needed for said gifts.

After I cut the tag from the Neat & Tangled Build A Tag die set, I instantly wanted to put it on a card. So I started to add to the design to make it more and more elaborate. The first tag was cut using Stampin' Up! Powder Pink cardstock.  It was then ran through my Spellbinders platinum die cutting machine with a Heffy Doodle Basket Case stencil in the embossing sandwich. This embossed the texture of a basket into the pink. I also cut the Your Next Stamp Grassy edge die using Papertrey Ink's Simply Chartreuse. I lined it up at the bottom of the basket embossed tag and trimmed off the excess.

I broke out one of all time favorite 6x6 paper pads by Simple Stories. I don't think they make it anymore (insert sad face here). It's called Vintage Bliss and it has the perfect spring colors and patterns. I cut the top of the pink tag using this paper in a rainbow pattern and I also cut a second tag using newsprint floral pattern. The little reinforcement was cut using Simon Says Stamp Fog cardstock.

All of this was tied together and mounted onto another Fog card base. While the second tag is adhered flat to the card base with Tombow Mono liquid glue, the first is popped up with Scotch 3M foam tape.

They are tied together using Stampin' Up! Natural Twine and a piece of white twine that I enhanced by stringing some white Queen and Company pom poms along it before tying it to the tags.

As for the sentiments, I picked two coordinating colors that looked great with my patterned paper. I picked Stampin' Up! Bermuda Bay and Papertrey Ink's Simply Chartreuse. I chose two sentiments from the same All the Bunnies stamp set by Neat & Tangled that reads "hello from" and "all the bunnies". I stamped them accordingly with Nuvo Clear Mark ink and heat embossed them with Ranger White embossing powder. I cut them out using my Fiskars Wire Guide paper trimmer. They are popped up with Scotch 3M foam tape.

I did adhere parts of the twine, both the natural and the white twine, with glue dots so that it was easier to manage.

The matching envelope that you see in the photo is from Simon Says Stamp. All the products that I used to make this card will be linked below.

Don't forget to visit the Neat & Tangled blog for more inspiration using the All the Bunnies stamp set. (CLICK HERE!)

Thank you for visiting my blog today,

Koren

Neat & Tangled March Release Week: Day One

Hello everyone. 

It's Day One of Neat & Tangled's March Release Week. Today we are showcasing the NEW Eggciting Stamp set and coordinating die. This petite set features an adorable bunny coaxing a rather large Easter egg closer to it. It's so fun and I absolutely love decorating Easter eggs and this brings forth so many different techniques and card ideas to mind. The set will be available with the March release this Friday the 8th at 8am. To visit and shop the Neat & Tangled online store (CLICK HERE!).

I also encourage you to visit the Neat & Tangled blog for more information and more inspiration from the rest of the design team. (CLICK HERE!)

As for my project, I started with a sheet of Papertrey Ink's Aqua Mist 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock. I cut it into four quarters at 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 each. I took the Nested Egg die set from Frantic Stamper and cut the first and largest nested egg from one of the quarters. I did not measure. I simply tried to arrange the cut to be in the center of the quarter sheet. I then took the next largest size and cut it from another of the Aqua Mist quarters, then again with the next size. Each time I set the larger egg in front of the next piece and arranged it in the center. The last layer being just a flat uncut quarter of Aqua Mist cardstock. 

 I have seen many cards like this on Pinterest and the egg shape is very reminiscent of Easter and Spring, just like the Eggciting stamp set that I'm using from Neat & Tangled. When you line up the layers of eggs, it appears to be a sort of egg tunnel. I think it helps set the scene for the card. 

To add to this, I cut three pieces of Papertrey Ink Simply Chartreuse cardstock at varying lengths to add to each layer. I used the Your Next Stamp Grassy border edge die. 

Each layer was popped up onto the next using Scotch 3M foam tape. The grass was incorporated into place with Tombow Mono liquid adhesive. 

I stamped my image from the Eggciting stamp set with Simon Says Stamp Intense Black Ink onto Simon Hurley Stark White cardstock. This is a Copic friendly ink. I then used my Copic Markers to color this sweet bunny and egg image. A complete list of all of the markers I used to color this image is listed below in the Copic Color Map that I created. 

I love how the image has a lot of movement in it on its own. I was excited to place him into the scene tucking the egg two layers deep into the card while leaving the bunny to appear in the foreground. I used the same foam tape to pop him up. 

For the sentiment,  I thought that this sentiment needed to add to the suspense of the image pulling a giant egg from the background. So, I chose the "Get Eggcited!" sentiment and stamped it onto StampinUp!'s poppy parade, using Nuvo Clear Mark embossing ink and heat embossed it with Ranger White embossing powder. It was cut down using my fishers wire guide paper trimmer. The right side of the sentiment only required liquid glue but the left side needed some foam tape to prop up onto the same level. 

To finish off the card I added a few clouds, cut with Memory Box Cloud Bank die set from the same white cardstock. I used liquid adhesive to adhere my clouds into place. Then I used the same liquid adhesive to adhere the entire front panel to a Simon Says Stamp Fog,A2 size top folding card base. 

I also used Sprinkled Sugar Stickles on the little heart that I stamped to accent the egg on the image. This gives it a little something interesting to look at. I also stamped "an Easter treat for somebody sweet" on the inside of the card using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. 

Make sure you stop by the Neat & Tangled blog to see what the rest of the design team has created using this adorable stamp set. (CLICK HERE!)

Thank you for visiting my blog today, 

Koren 

Video: Heffy Doodle Dino-Mite Scene Building Card Video

Hello everyone.

I am sharing with you a NEW video on my YouTube channel. I'm using Heffy Doodle's Dino Time stamp set and coordinating dies to create a masculine greeting card. I am also using the NEW Tag A Long die set from Release 6 to set the stage for a prehistoric scene.

I colored my images with Copic markers so below you will find a Copic Color Map that lists all of the markers that I used for this project. You will also find a complete list of supplies listed below the video.

I hope you enjoyed my video and thank you for stoping by my blog.

Koren

Spellbinders March Card Kit of the Month 2019

Hello everyone.

Today I am sharing with you several projects that I created using the NEW Spellbinders Card Kit for March 2019. The NEW kit for this month is filled with fun card making supplies. It has everything you need to make a card from start to finish, and I'll show you what I made below.

Spellbinders also offers a few add-on items at their online shop that coordinate with this month's kit and I have used those on some of my projects as well.

In fact, I have several cards that I made using this kit that were super simple and easy to make. Cacti seem to be a trend right now. I remember my Mother's sister, Aunt Teresa used to love the South-Western decor. She had it all throughout her home, and this card reminds me of that.

To make it, I used a gray piece of cardstock (not included in the kit) as my A2 sized top folding card base. On this card base I mounted a piece of patterned paper found in the add-on 6x6 paper pack. I chose a very South-Western inspired pattern. I stuck it to a piece of white craft foam, cut slightly smaller than the piece of patterned paper that was 4 3/4 by 3 1/2. Included in the kit is some 1/4 inch double sided adhesive. That is what I used to stick it on.

I then used the textured cardstock included in the kit to cut the cactus and his parts. Most of the cactus was adhered together using Lawn Fawn liquid adhesive, but any liquid adhesive would do the trick. I popped up some parts of the cactus die cut using the included foam tape from the kit.

As for the sentiment, I stamped "let's stick together" from the add on stamp set (also by Spellbinders) in Nuvo Clear Mark Embossing Ink, on to Lawn Fawn Black Licorice cardstock. I used my Fiskars wire guide paper trimmer to cut it into a rectangle. I used the little heart included in the kit, to cut a piece of the peach colored textured cardstock which is also in the kit. I also popped it up with the same foam tape.

The next card that I created also used some of the add on 6x6 patterned paper. This time I picked a floral pattern. I cut the the paper to fit the entire front of another A2 top folding card base. This time I used one of the white card bases provided to you in the Spellbinders Card kit this month. 

I then cut three pieces of Strathmore Bristol Smooth White cardstock and I cut one down to 3 1/2 by 4 3/4", and the other two I left alone. I am planning to add some color to them as well, but only using the die cuts to cut out shapes from them.  To add some color, I used my Ranger ink blending tools to blend on a bunch of Distress Oxide ink. The first two panels I used Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick, Victorian Velvet, and Aged Mahogany. I blended them from dark to light. I used this color combination for the background that you see in the photo above and for the flowers on top of the arrangement. 

I also blended a panel using Forest Moss and Bundled Sage. This is what I used to cut the greenery that you see on the card. Before cutting anything I grabbed some Gansai Tambi Starry watercolor palette (one of my favorites is number 904- It is a very pretty opaque gold watercolor and it looks fantastic splattered over Distress Oxide inks), and  I broke out my Ranger Splat Box and splattered all of my pieces.

While I waited for it to dry, I cut the word dies included in the kit. I cut them each four times so that I could layer them together and place them on my background. I cut them from the textured white cardstock included in the kit. I used the same liquid adhesive to adhere all of my layers together and then onto the panel.

I used the included foam tape and double sided adhesive to adhere everything together. To finish it off, I added three of those copper colored sequins also included in the kit.

The next two cards were even easier to put together and the kit practically included everything except I did use one stamp from the add on stamp set to add a little heart sign in one of the planters. I took some of the included ephemera and added them to the included white card bases with the adhesive provided. I simply made a collage of like images in an interesting cluster and fixed them in place. I love how they turned out.  

The included ephemera as a copper foil accent on many of the pieces. There is also sentiment strips as well as accent strips in the kit to include on your projects, which is what I did for these last two cards.

As a bonus card, I created one using only the add on stamp set from Spellbinders. I started with a piece of Ranger Watercolor Cardstock cut down to 3 1/2 by 4 3/4. I used my Ranger Ink Blending tools to blend on some Distress Oxide ink in Salty Ocean. I used only that one ink and blended up into white. Before this panel was done, I wanted to splatter on some Gansai Tambi gold watercolor paint number 904 from the starry palette (again). Then I popped this panel up onto a Simon Says Stamp Fog card base with white craft foam and double sided adhesive.

I stamped my succulent images onto another piece of Fog cardstock, this time with My Favorite Things Hybrid ink in Cement Gray. I like to use this color for doing no line or light line coloring. This is my attempt at that technique. I used my Faber Castell Polychromos to color my images. I have a list of them on the Polychromos color map that I created below.

For these images, I took the time to fussy cut them out. I stamped the geometric container in the same stamp set with Nuvo Clear Mark embossing powder and heat embossed them with Hero Arts Gold embossing powder. I popped them up onto the ink blended background with the included foam tape. I used that same technique for the sentiment at the top.

That is all for today. I hope you enjoyed seeing what I created using the Spellbinders March 2019 Card Kit of the Month. A full list of supplies are linked below.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. Check back later today for another project using the NEW March 2019 Spellbinders Card Kit of the Month.

Koren