MFT & Friends October Release

Hello everyone.

I am so happy to be joining MFT  in celebration of their NEW October release and it is full of festive products, sure to get your holiday crafting underway. I absolutely love the cards I am sharing with you today. To check out the MFT & Friends post over on the blog (CLICK HERE!) and see all of the design team and guest designer inspiration using the new release. I will also be sharing more cards over on Instagram so check my grid later today for more MFT  October release inspiration.

For my first card today I started with a piece of Poppy cardstock cut to 3 1/2 by 4 3/4. I used my Picket Fence Studios Blender Brushes to add some Distress Oxide ink in Ground Espresso to the outside edges. I made sure to leave the center of the panel that pure bright poppy red color.

I used the NEW Merry and Bright Die to cut the words from Papertrey Ink’s Harvest Gold cardstock. I cut it four times and layered them each together using Nuvo Liquid Deluxe Adhesive. This creates a nice thick die cut sentiment that becomes the focal point of your card.

To enhance my card further, I placed both the red background and the yellow word die into my splat box. I mixed a little of the Gansi Tambi Starry Colors #903 and placed a small amount of it onto an acrylic block. I then picked it up with a small round Nuvo Paint Brush and applied it to the card elements. I did concentrate most of the splatter onto the center of the background panel the best I could, but other than that, I was still generous with my splatter.

I adhered the word die along with the same liquid adhesive. The background panel was popped up using black craft foam and Craft Perfect tear tape adhesive. I popped it up onto a Simon Says Stamp Fog card base cut to size A2 and scored in a top folding portrait orientation.

As for my second card I started with a piece of Kraft cardstock, and loaded it, along with many of the images from the NEW MFT Stamps Reindeer Games stamp set. I scattered the images throughout the background as if I were designing my own patterned paper. I saw an image on Pinterest that inspired this design. It was of Christmas wrapping paper. It was adorable and the reason why I made this card. I stamped the images in Nuvo Clear Mark Embossing ink. I heat embossed them using Ranger White embossing powder.

To color them, I used my Derwent Inktense pencils. To use watercolor on non-watercolor paper is a real gamble sometimes. You can easily add too much water and destroy your project. So, I added the smallest amount possible to move the color around on my card without it pilling or warping. I only used two colors. I added Red where I thought the red should be and brown, where I thought brown would be. To make it a little more interesting I also filled in the white spots with a Gelly Roll white gel pen. I cut this panel down to 3 1/2 by 4 3/4.

I grabbed some white twine from my stash and wrapped around the panel just like I were wrapping a Christmas present. Before tying a bow in the front, I added a small tag that I cut using MFT’s Blueprints 1 that I think I’ve owned my entire life : ) I cut it out using the same Poppy cardstock as before. I stamped “for you” from the NEW Reindeer Games stamp set with embossing ink and used the same white embossing powder to heat emboss it. I added it to my twine and tied it into a bow. The tag was then popped up using Craft Perfect foam squares so that It would stay in place. I also added a Glue Dot beneath the bow in order to secure it in place.

I added this panel to a Simon Says Stamp Fog card base also in size A2 using tear tape adhesive and craft foam.

I hope that you enjoyed my projects today. Make sure you (CLICK HERE!) to visit MFT Stamps online store and blog to find tons of October release inspiration. I will have more on my Instagram feed later today.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog.

Koren

MFT & Friends June Release

Hello everyone. 

I am always excited to be participating in the MFT & Friends' posts. I am a huge fan of Birdie Brown, I’m sure you have heard this before. And this month, I am simply in love with these adorable sea creatures and their punny coordinating sentiments. 

The MFT June Release is LIVE in the shop right now. (CLICK HERE!) to check out the entire release. You can also (CLICK HERE!) to see the MFT & Friends post with tons of inspiration for this release. 

Today I have two projects for you both using the NEW Friends with Fins stamp set and coordinating dies from My Favorite Things and Birdie Brown. This set has whales and dolphins and an absolutely adorable shark that I just had to color. I actually cut him out and stuck him onto a collage I’ve been creating behind the scenes here in my craft room. The other images found their way onto this adorable oversized card. 

This card actually measures around 4 1/4 by 7. I never actually measured it. I just assumed I would have to us a big old envelope to send it in.  I was inspired to create it with the MFT Pop Up Wiper Card Components that are also being released today. I used the long wave border die in that set to create the seamless waves on the top of my card. This was so easy because of the length of this die. 

Before cutting the waves into the top of that panel, I did use my Nuvo Blender brushes to ink blend some Distress Oxide Inks for the water and the sandy ocean bottom. I used  Mermaid Lagoon, Salty Ocean, and Tumbled Glass for the water, and the sandy ocean bottom was created with Antique Linen and Brushed Corduroy. 

Once I saw how good the background looked, I needed to do more ink blending so I ink blended four additional smaller panels to use as well. I  used the NEW MFT Under the Sea dies with them to add to the underwater environment.  For those panels I used...

• Teal - Cracked Pistachio, Evergreen Bough, and Peacock Feathers
• Purple - Wilted Violet and Shaded Lilac
• Coral - Abandoned Coral and Ripe Persimmon
• Gray - Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke, and Black Soot

Once the panels were all inked. I used one of the colors from each blend to add a little bit of splatter with the Ranger Splatter Brush and an acrylic block. I just simply add some ink to the acrylic block and dip my brush in. Re-inkers are fabulous for this technique. It gives you a lot of ink to play with.  I rub the bristles over against the block over my project and try to direct the splatter onto the backgrounds the best I can. The Ranger Splat Box helps me contain my mess, but I have used an old diaper box for this in the past as well.  

Since I already had my splat box out, I decided to cover them with shimmer as well. I used Imagine Crafts Frost and Sparkle shimmer spritz as well as Hero Arts White Iridescent spray to make all of the panels shine before die cutting them. 

I then used MFT’s Extreme Black Ink to stamp the images from the Friends with Fins stamp set onto Neenah 110 lb Solar White Cardstock. I used my Copic Markers to color them. I also added a bit of shading with my Faber Castell Gold Faber Colored pencils. 

I added the images and the die cuts onto the background with either Nuvo Deluxe Liquid adhesive or Scotch 3M Foam Tape.  I almost forgot the bubbles!  The bubbles are also from the Friends with Fins coordinating dies. I cut them from the lightest parts of the blue ink blended background that I used for the water. We are just going to pretend these fish are talking amongst themselves for this scene. 

I stamped the “ I would cross and ocean for you” sentiment  with Nuvo Clear Mark embossing ink and heat embossed it with Ranger White embossing powder.  I quickly trimmed it down with my Fiskars wire guide paper trimmer. 

I also added some Gelly Roll Stardust pen to the hearts and I coated them with a layer of Nuvo Crystal Glaze. 

My second card is super simple, but really fun. Does anyone remember the fish from finding Nemo that could work together to transform themselves into just about anything? Well, that was my inspiration for this card.  

I used my Brother Scan N Cut to cut out the shape of a heart out of Avery repositionable label material. I placed it onto a piece of Neenah 110 lb Cardstock. I loaded an acrylic block with the two solid cluster of fish images  from the Friends with Fins stamp set and stamped them repeatedly with Nuvo Clear Mark embossing ink.  After every couple of stamps, I coated them with Wow Under the Sea embossing glitter. Once the heart was completely filled in, I heated up the fish with my Wagner heat tool to finish the embossing. 

I removed the heart shaped mask and added a sentiment strip made from Papertry Ink’s Tranquil Tide cardstock.  I stamped the “sending you an ocean of love”  with the same embossing ink and Ranger White embossing powder.  This sentiment was also trimmed with my paper trimmer. 

I hope you enjoyed my projects for today. If you would like to see more from this release or see more inspiration (CLICK HERE!)  to visit My Favorite Things online store and blog. 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today, 

Koren