Category: CAS

Taylored Expressions Share Joy Challenge #19

Today, I’m playing along with the Share Joy Challenge #19 at Taylored Expressions.

SJC19Jan21

I used the sketch to create a Valentine’s Day card created with die cuts:

Jean Manis Taylored Expressions SJC19

I used the Little Bits penguin die to create a boy and a girl penguin. I sized down the skating pond so that it would fit on the stitched heart. I cut it once, and then re-positioned the die on one end and cut again. Then I re-positioned the die on the other end and cut again.

Jean Manis Taylored Expressions SJC19

I used the stitched rectangle die to create the Sugar Cube stitched piece joining the patterned papers by cutting once with the die and then again, leaving the stitched center.

Be sure to head over to the Share Joy Challenge Blog to see more inspiration and to link up your entry!

Let’s Cozy Up

I’ve been focusing on making winter-themed cards with products I own, despite being lured by spring-themed stamps, dies and papers (not easy to do, but I’m enjoying embracing the current season)! Today, I’m sharing a friendship card featuring the My Favorite Things Cozy Sweater die.

Let's Cozy Up

I created an ombré pattern with the My Favorite Things Sweater Stitch Background stamp (bought last year and had never used) using several Hero Arts inks (their ombré pads are on my wish list). It’s hard to tell, but the color is lighter at the bottom. I tried putting on white cuffs and collar, but the blue needed a bit of punch, hence the red. Once I had red, I needed a balance, so chose the gray for the background. Finally, I needed something to fill out the background, so I added snowflakes cut with dies in the Avery Elle Snow Caps set.

Supplies: My Favorite Things Die-namics Comfy Sweater, CS Cozy Greetings

Valentine’s Day Cottage

Today, I’m sharing a card featuring the Poppystamps Cute Cottage dressed for Valentine’s Day.

Poppystamps Valentines Cottage

It took me a while to figure out the colors for the cottage body, window boxes, trim, etc. But once decided, the card came together quickly. Since Valentine’s Day takes place during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere, I created a winter landscape with snow banks and a falling-snow dry-embossed background.

I heat-embossed the sentiment, from Taylored Expressions Welcome Home stamp set.

Supplies:

Penny Black Simplicity – Snowflakes

There are some lovely snowflake stamps, included in a number of Penny Black stamp sets, that I’m putting to use, along with an apt sentiment on a CAS winter-themed friendship card. I’m attempting to embrace winter this year rather than pretending it doesn’t exist!

Jean Manis Penny Black Simplicity Snowflakes

I first stamped the sentiment from #30-307 holiday snippets and then added the snowflakes (one on the same set and the other two from #30-316 season’s gifts). I finished off the left-hand side of the card base with a strip of patterned paper in coordinating colors (just my luck!) from the #80-012 wintertime paper pad set. I’m drawn towards shades of blue and purple at this time of year.

Taylored Expressions – Negative Die Cutting Technique

Today, I’m sharing a CAS card created with Taylored Expressions stamps and dies featuring the negative die-cutting technique.

Taylored Expressions Negative Die-Cutting Technique

To begin, I cut a frame with the Pockets & Pages – 3×4 Photo Frame die and stamped it with a sentiment from the Free Spirit set. I cut a panel of Cookie Monster cardstock three times with the Silhouette Stems 4 die, staggering the height for some design interest. I colored a piece of Sugar Cube cardstock with Distress Inks and adhered the die cut panel to the top, revealing the colors through the die cut. There were a few small pieces of that I had to glue on.

I added the frame to the top (which covered up the area where the stem bases were staggered) and adhered the scene to a card base which was dry-embossed (technically debossed) with the Paisley folder.

Taylored Expressions Negative Die-Cutting Technique

Tips for the negative die-cutting technique:

  • look for dies with solid images that have few small pieces and are easily recognizable;
  • die-cut frames or tags make assembly easy and provide a finished feel to the card.