Owl be home for Christmas!

Oooh! that's a bad pun, even by my standards which are pretty low!

Last week when I was making the Santa/Rudolph gift boxes I mentioned in passing that people are doing some amazing things with owls. Owls seem to be one of the things to hang on your tree this year so I thought why not?

The dies I used are;

• Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die - Pillow Box w/Labels (658268)
• Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strips Die - Mini Paper Rosettes (657177)
• Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 4PK - Holiday Greens (658759)

 I started by die-cutting, folding and gluing my box from heavyweight ivory card. Next I die-cut a selection of festive greenery from the same card before delicately inking the tips using 'Antique Linen' Distress Ink. Next I applied a little glue to the tips with my fingers and added some Distress glitter and a strategic smattering of sand coloured glitter before using them to cover the box as shown below.

I die-cut two of the smaller paper rosettes and inked the edges before assembling each one and placing a large pearl brad in the centre. Next, I used my finger to apply a little PVA glue around the edges before dipping them in Stampendous Glass Glitter.

To make the owl's beak I die-cut a small heart using one of the Framelits Heart dies before inking and applying more glass glitter.

All that was left to do was to attach the eyes and beak with a glue gun before inserting a loop of string through the hole in the top. The beauty of this decoration is that it can also contain a few goodies or a small gift. I hope you enjoyed it, I know I had fun?

More Circles Fun!

Yes that's right, I am once again using my blog to broadcast my ongoing obsession with the humble circle, In truth, I've had a pretty good response from you all in the past so I hope you will indulge me just a little more?

I'm also bringing my old friend the Decorative Strip Paper Rosettes Die along for the ride together with the Bigz XL Alphabet Die, Block Talk Capital which is never far from my grasp.

I have used two sets of Framelits circles dies imaginatively titled Circles and Circles#2. I combined the two sets as between them they offer me every size I will ever need. Just click on the highlighted links above to see the dies in question.

Materials wise I just dragged out scraps of decorative paper from my ever growing stash so I'm afraid that I can't provide anyone with descriptions or codes, it will be fine as long as you have a few festive papers dotted about the place.

The first thing I did was to die-cut the larger paper rosette from the blue patterned paper before sanding the edge to expose the white core of the card beneath after which I assembled my rosette by concertina folding it along the perforations.

Next, I die-cut a circle and folded it in half before placing the die back onto the folded circle in such a way that it forms a moustache shape when cut in my Big Shot. I then sanded the edges of the paper moustache before gently curling the tips.

Next, I die-cut a circle of cream card and a slightly larger circle of blue patterned card together with a tiny cream circle to form the nose. I then applied ink to create rosy cheeks and add some colour to the nose, I'm sure that we would all have a bit of colour in our cheeks if we got through a couple of billion glasses of sherry on Christmas eve?
I mounted the circle together with the rosette to form the face,hood trim, nose, beard and moustache. 
Next I die-cut a circle from patterned red card and used the same die to cut the circle in half, I then used the half in the shape of a crescent moon as the hood before adding a small blue die-cut bobble on the end.

With Santa sorted, it's time to create my sentiment. I die-cut the letter 'M' from green tartan card and I used the negative rather than the die-cut letter itself. I trimmed it to shape using scissors and repeated the process using a variety of shades of paper to create the word 'MERRY'. Finally, I die-cut the word 'Christmas' from gold card using one of the 17 different dies from the Thinlits Holiday Words: Script set which is new from Tim Holtz.

And here its is , the finished card. The stamps I used come from a festive set by the clever people at Darkroom Door  entitled 'Christmas Reindeer'

I do hope you like it?

If you are anywhere near Birmingham between 9-12th of November why not pop-along the the Hobbycrafts show at the NEC where I will be teaching Christmas themed mini workshops all day, everyday!!! I look forward to seeing you!

Snowflake rosette and borders dies!

So, those Christmas cards... well, if you are organized it would be a would idea to start them now. Here you have an idea using one of my latest dies for Sizzix, Thinlits Die Set 9PK - Winter Borders & Rosette - 659978.

The set consist of 9 dies, three borders, a rosette die, a snowflake, a flower and three circles. To make the rosette you will need two lengths of it, so just die cut it twice.

You can make it larger or smaller, but I like my rosette to have eight points, so I trim two on both. Then I glue the ends.

I die cut two circles to secure it in place. I used cool glue gun, a big blop of glue in the centre. 

I pushed the center to the glue. Then I used the smaller circle on top and pushed down to secure it in place.

One of the borders included in the set is the one I call Candy Cane as creates the diagonal lines of the sweet. This one fits nicely on a A6 card creating the apertures.

Perfect for a red card with a white insert. The second border has dots and stars and this one mesures up 6 inches tall and it does cut all four borders.

Quickly, I assembled this Christmas card with all the elements.

Good luck with your Christmas cards!

100% Winter - nostalgic layout

Hi,  hope you had a great week!
I'm back from USA to cold and rainy Ireland and now getting ready for the real winter: I'm visiting Poland in the coming days and believe me - I have to take a lot of warm clothes with me :) Snow, frost - real winter, all that made me think about a new project for you - a bit nostalgic, but so accurate for this season!

Here you can see some of the step-by-step photos. I've used several dies from Sizzix collections including Thinlits and Sizzlitz: they helped me create unique, light layered look.

Several layers of die-cuts, 3D Foam Squares and some veil added depth and delicate, vintage feeling to the project. I just had to add some of my Mechanicals - metal embellishments from Prima Marketing too!

Here are the dies I used on my page:
- 658947 - Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 2PK - Doily & Doily Border
- 659117 - Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 4PK - Springtime
- 658339 - Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Medallions

I hope you like my idea and you will do some more "winter composition" experiments in your projects too!
Happy crafting!
Finn 

Winter is Coming - Dimensional Greeting Card

Hi, I hope you have a great day!
Well, it's me again and I'm here today to continue the series of winter-inspired projects. You could see my winter gift bag few weeks ago - and today I'm back with multi-layered, dimensional winter card:) I hope you are ready for a bit of snow and frost!

As you can see there are many layers - as on most of my projects. I might be slightly obsessed with details and layers, but on the other hand - why fight with my nature? 
I had good time composing layers of paper, lace pieces, Sizzix cut-ut elements and Prima Mechanicals - and I'm quite happy about this effect!

As you can see  there is tour of gesso and Rock Candy Stickles by Tim Holtz and Liquid Pearls on it too - it was my plan to get this "frosted" cold look - and I hope I suceed!

There are 3 Sizzix Sizzlits dies used for this project:
- Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Medallions (658339)
- Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Winter Florals (658735)
- Sizzix Sizzlits Die - Vintage Doily (658506)

 The pieces of Winter Florals Decorative Strip Die were used in 3 different places: 2 pieces as "leaves" under the main composition and one of the bigger flowers with some leaves under the paper rosette. I love cutting elements into smaller parts and constructing new shapes, layers - get unique, interesting look!

I'm happy to see my paper collection - 9th Wave from 7 Dots Studio is versatile enough that it can be used also for winter projects too! I hope you like the final effect too!
Sending best wishes - see you soon!
Finn

Two Cards by Gerry van Gent

Happy Sunday Sizzix friends!
I created two cards for my post today and I hope
you will enjoy them as I enjoy making them.

My first card is using two types of Sizzix doilies - Vintage and Lovely doilies
which I like very much. Basically my card is a pure layering of
all the round shapes and adding small touches :-)

657900 Sizzix Big Shot machine 

658951 Sizzix Thinlits Die Ornate Hanging Sign

658506 Sizzix Sizzlits Vintage Doily 

658605 Sizzix Thinlits Die Set Doilies, Lovely 

657177 Sizzix Sizzlits Dec. Strip Die Mini Paper Rosettes

When the small rosette was completely ready I distressed the edges with blue Chalk Edger Pad.

Then I added on top a small die-cut Lovely doily. After that I added the twine bow en

finished with a circle from the pattern paper.

I cut the vintage small doily in two and I used only half to decorate the title.

OTHER PRODUCTS I USED:

Ingvild Bolme - Chalk Edgers Ink Pads  

Pattern paper - unknown

*  *  *

I love looking through all my pattern papers with gorgeous elements,

flowers, phrases, etc. For this card the text I saw on one of those papers

(Prima Marketing, Madeline) made me think at once of the round die from

Snowflake Frame set. I tried it and it fit perfectly. Then I decorated the

circle with a Vintage doily and this is how I began creating this card.

657900 Sizzix Big Shot machine 

657906 Sizzix Framelits Die Set Frame, Snowflake

658506 Sizzix Sizzlits Vintage Doily

658252 Sizzix Sizzlits Dec. Strip Die Cobblestones

657789 Sizzix Sizzlits Dies Love Set

657522 Sizzix Sizzlits Dies Card Phrases Set

The two hearts were die-cut from the Love Set. They are part of the word "LOVE".

I sanded the edges and adhered with a foam square pad.

OTHER PRODUCTS I USED:

Prima Marketing - pattern papers

Wishing you a very creative Sunday with our awesome Sizzix products!

Gerry 

White space and a lot of dimension - low budget scrapping :)

Hi,I hope you had a great week!
Today I want to share one of my new layouts - lighter in style - with just a touch of media on it and a lot, a lot of negative space. Projects like this are perfect for using the leftovers from 12x12'' papers or small paper pads such as 6x6'' or A4. You don't have to use big papers for scrapping, as long as you have a good background to play, right? Tons of embellishments are just an option, too...

As you can see on this layout - you can create balanced, dimensional composition with a touch of gesso, paint, small scraps of paper and just a bit of embellishments - the most important elements here are layered cut-out doilies and a paper rossette, which was decorated with new Mechanicals - metal embellishments from Prima.

The whole secret is in not being afraid of the empty background and composing all the layers of paper, cut -outs and embellishments as close to the photo as possible. It is convinient to have some 3D foam  and double sided tape - it makes the creative process far easier and layers more spectacular ;)

To create a project similar to this you will need 3 different Sizzix dies:
- 658339 - Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Medallions
- 659068 - Sizzix Thinlits Die - Doily
- 658947 - Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 2PK - Doily & Doily Border 

All the papers, stamps and metal embellishments are new, coming releases of my products with Prima Marketing -  Vintage Vanity A4 Journaling pad, Vintage Vanity Clear Stamps and Mechanicals.  Layout was finished using a bit of Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink, tea stain and spray paint. For stricking the elements and dimension I used products from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L: 3D Foam Squares and Crafty Power Tape.

I hope you are a bit inspired - have a great, creative weekend!
Finn

Mini..... Card?

Choosing the right combination of dies, papers and embellishments makes my job so much easier. Creativity doesn't thrive in a vacuum, so choosing dies from the Pop 'n Cuts range by Karen Burniston and papers and embellishments from the Far and Away collection by Teresa Collins two fantastically smart and creative designers is half the battle.

Pop 'n Cuts allow you to create effortless 3D pop up cards using your Big Shot machine. The concept revolves around a base die which cuts the card and a number of magnetic drop in dies which create the pop up detail.

I wanted to create a scrapbook layout of my recent teaching trip to Portugal but I had so many images I wanted to use that I didn't quite know where to start. The obvious thing would be to make a mini album but time was pressing, so that's something I will have to come back to at some point. That's when that most elusive mistress inspiration struck!

Here is a quick run down of the dies and papers used:

• Sizzix Big Shot Starter Kit (658300)
• Sizzix Pop'n Cuts Base Die - Card, Square w/Ornate Edge 3-D (Pop-Up) by Karen Burniston (658378)
• Sizzix Pop 'n Cuts Magnetic Insert Dies - Suitcase 3-D (Pop-Up) by Karen Burniston (658377)
• Sizzix Bigz Dies - Suitcase by Karen Burniston (658366)
•  Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Paper Rosette (656931)
• Far and Away Paper Collection by Teresa Collins
• Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Cardstock (Nostalgic Collection) by Core'dinations

I started by cutting the base card using the XL base die from map patterned paper before inserting the suitcase 3-D pop up die into the base die.

Next, I die cut the pop-up centre and trimmed off the edges before distressing with inks and scuffing the top and bottom edge with the blade of my scissors. Once I have the look I require I placed the Pop-Up centre into the base card.

I die cut an ornate swirl which is attached to the base die from textured gold card together with a gold circle which I cut in half. I folded the halves and attached them to each corner of the card along with the decorative swirl.. Next, I used some decorative elements from the Far and Away collection, namely two banners and the Balloon motif to decorate the front of the card. as a finishing touch I used my PC and printer to create the 'Porto 2013' motif which I then die cut using the large Framelits circle from the Big Shot Starter Kit., I decorated the centre with a button and mounted it onto the base card along with the assembled banners.

To decorate the centre of the card I cut a strip of orange text paper which I folded and lightly inked the edges before attaching to the base card with eyelets before adding a couple of  paper elements (lightly distressed) from the Far and Away collection before mounting onto the foot of the base card.

The next task was to create a suitcase to hold my photos. i folded a piece of chipboard in half and placed it against the bigz die in such a way that it cut a mirror image. To find out about folding techniques using steel rule dies go to die cutting 101 and look for Folding Techniques on the Sizzix UK website. the one used here was the single fold technique. I used a dress makers pattern wheel to add a faux stitched effect around the edges and added some embossed detail to the front before using distress inks to enhance the detail. Next, i die cut the handle, corners and luggage straps from brown Kraft-core card and distressed with a sanding pad. The buckle was cut from the textured gold card.

I used the paper rosette die to cut a strip of card cut this in half, I concertina folded each half and attached them into the case as shown before die cutting and attaching the tag with a thin strip of the brown Kraft-core. I used my PC to print off my photos and matted each one onto a rectangle of different card from the Far and Away collection. I die cut 5 corresponding circles of card to act as tabs which I attached to the rear of each photo prior to distressing with inks.

I cut a strip of the red/blue diagonal stripped paper and attached another die cut 'Porto 2013' motif decorated with a threaded button to add the finishing touch. The finished project is a perfect compromise between a card and mini album, all I have to do is untie the string around the handles of the suitcase and the memories with come flooding back, Happy Days!