Ink It! Stamp It! Design Team Blog Hop: Technique - Embossing Mats

Welcome to the Ink It! Stamp It! Design Team Blog Hop - we hop every month so be sure to pop back and visit us again!  Today our theme is Techniques.

I love learning new techniques - so this is one of my favourite blog hops!  If you also like techniques - you'll want to use the list at the end of this post to click on the name after mine to continue around the hop.  You are currently at my page - Stephanie Fischer, The Crafty Thinker.  

The gorgeous Blended Seasons stamp set & coordinating Stitched Seasons dies
will only be available 1-31 August 2018 or while stocks last

For this project I've used some limited-time products: Blended Season stamp set and the coordinating Stitched Season Framelit dies.  These are currently available to Demonstrators and will be available to our customers from 1 - 31 August while supplies last. 

Anyone who knows me also knows that I love versatility - I like to make sure I get full value from my purchases!  Stampin' up! recently introduced into their range a Big Shot accessory that can add versatility to the dies in our collection.  I'm talking about the Big Shot Embossing Mats.

This technique is much easier to do than to photograph!  I've increased the contrast in the top photograph in an attempt to show the embossing on the card.

Having cut a piece of Shimmery White cardstock to size, I used a little washi tape to position one of the dies on the back of the card and ran it through the Big Shot with the Embossing Mats using the embossing technique shown here.

With the help of the Embossing Mats, this card front is embossed with one of the Stitched Seasons dies

My colour test patch

I then used Soft Sea Foam ink to stamp the floral image which I coloured with Stampin' Blends alcohol markers.  The colours I used were: Granny Apple Green Light and Dark, Poppy Parade Light and Dark, Cherry Cobbler Dark, Calypso Coral Dark and Daffodil Delight Dark.  

TIP:  Before I start colouring with alcohol markers, I like to test them on an off-cut of the cardstock that I'm using.

The base card is Poppy Parade with a layer of Granny Apple Green.  Using the coordinating dies, I cut the flourishes from Poppy Parade cardstock and cut the bow twice: once in Granny Apple Green and once in Garden Green and did a little paper piecing.

TIP:  Adding some Multipurpose Adhesive Sheet to the back of the cardstock before cutting intricate pieces makes them much easier to adhere to the project!

If you like the very versatile Blended Seasons stamp set and Stitched Seasons dies (here is a watercoloured card made with the set and in future posts I'll be sharing some Christmas cards), remember they're a limited release so get your order in fast!  If you can't wait until 1st August to get your hands on them, join up as a Demonstrator and you can include them in your kit.

Thank you so much for joining us today and we hope you'll join us again next month when we'll be showcasing the new Holiday Catalogue! 

I'm Stephanie Fischer and to keep hopping around see the list below to see who is up next with another great project.

Thanks for visiting
'Til next time
Stephanie

Product List - All available in my online store (Limited release products available from 1 to 31 August 2018)

Poppy Parade A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Granny Apple Green A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Shimmery White A4 Card Stock

$15.75

Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets

$17.00

Big Shot Embossing Mats

$26.00

Big Shot

$159.00

Stampin' Dreams Blog Hop: Theme - Card / Project Kits: Tea Room Memories & More Cards

Welcome to the monthly Stampin' Dreams Blog Hop.  You are currently visiting Stephanie Fischer (The Crafty Thinker) from Australia.  Our theme this month is card or project kits.

I made these simple cards at the same time that I made the cards for the Crazy Crafters Blog Hop with Danielle Kassing and so, to an extent, they are inspired by one of her cards.  To make these cards, you'll just need the Tea Room Memories & More Card Pack and the Tea Room Cardstock Pack as well as some adhesive.  You'll also need a craft knife and ruler or a trimmer in order to cut the cardstock. 

The Tea Room Memories & More cards make beautiful greeting cards!

The base cards are made from A5 pieces of Thick Very Vanilla card, folded in half.  I added some layers of Coastal Cabana cardstock cut 1/8" larger than the pieces of Tea Room card and I added some Glitter Enamel Dots for a bit of bling.

To make a lovely card, just trim a few of the Tea Room Memories & More cards
& add some layers and embellishments

Since some of the cards are pre-printed with greetings, there's no need for any stamping so this is a great place to start a cardmaking journey - with very minimal product requirements.

And one pack of the cards will make LOTS of lovely greeting cards!

Thank you for visiting.  I hope you enjoyed these cards.  You are currently visiting Stephanie Fischer - please see the list below and click on the next person on the list to hop through all of the people to see all of our projects.  You don't want to miss any!

'Til next time!

Stephanie

Product List - Everything you need to make these cards is available in my online store for Australian Residents

Tea Room Memories & More Card Pack

$17.50

Very Vanilla A4 Thick Cardstock

$13.50

Card Stock A4 Coastal Cabana

$14.75

Glitter Enamel Dots

$12.25

Tear & Tape Adhesive

$9.00

Stampin' Trimmer

$50.00

Blended Seasons pink flowers, grey frame

I'm having lots of fun at the moment with the new, limited-time products: Blended Seasons stamp set and coordinating Stitched Seasons Framelits dies.  They're soooo versatile!!

I've kept this card basic and suitable for any occasion.  In upcoming posts I'll be sharing some Christmas cards that I made with these great products.

As they are limited-time only, they'll be available only from 1 - 31 August or while stocks last.  If you'd like to get them right now - join up and include them in your starter kit.

Limited-time Blended Seasons stamp set & coordinating Stitched Seasons dies
available only from 1-31 August 2018 or while stocks last 

The base card is Flirty Flamingo followed by Basic Gray and Smoky Slate layers with a frame cut from Basic Gray cardstock with two of the framelits.

I cut some of the leaf shapes from Shimmery White cardstock and gave them a quick watercolour with Mint Macaron ink.

The main floral image was stamped onto Shimmery White cardstock with Petal Pink ink and then watercoloured with Petal Pink, Flirty Flamngo and Merry Merlot inks with centres of Crushed Curry and Mango Melody and foliage in Mint Macaron and Shaded Spruce.

I fussy cut the floral image and adhered everything to the card front, finishing with a scattering of Share What you Love Artisan Pearls.

Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Product List - All available in my online store (Except for Limited-time products - available from 1 to 31 August 2018 only)

Flirty Flamingo A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Basic Gray A4 Card Stock

$14.75

Card Stock A4 Smoky Slate

$14.75

Petal Pink Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad

$11.50

Merry Merlot Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Share What You Love Artisan Pearls

$10.50

Big Shot

$159.00

Tea Room Memories & More with heat embossing

This continues my recent theme of using the Tea Room Memories & More cards to start off a cardmaking stash.  Here I've used two cards from the pack with similar print but different sizes.  The base card is Thick Very Vanilla and I've made mats with Coastal Cabana cardstock. I've included the dimensions below.

A simple card made with Tea Room Memories & More card pack and some heat embossing

We've already covered all the steps required to make this card but now we're adding a new technique - heat embossing.

In order to add the heat embossed greeting in the centre of the card you'll need to add some more products to your craft room stash but don't worry - they'll last you a very very long time!

Tools/products required:

Embossing Powder:
I've used black in this sample and that's the colour I would recommend as a starting place.  As and when your budget allows, other must have embossing powders (in my opinion) would be clear, silver, gold, white and copper.  A little goes a long way so, although the pots looks small, they will last a long time!

Versamark Ink:
This is a clear pigment ink.  It stays tacky for a while, making it perfect for holding the embossing powder in place.
This is a very worthy addition to your stash because of its versatility.  It can also be used to create watermarks and is useful for other techniques that you might eventually want to try such as ink resist. Refills are available, making this an investment that will last and last....

Heat Tool:
This is the biggest investment but it's great quality and will last the distance!  The Stampin' Up heat tool has two heat settings making it useful for things like drying ink as well.  Mine gets quite a work out!

Embossing Buddy:
Technically you can heat emboss without this BUT it's a very small investment for perfection and I'm pretty sure it will last a lifetime.
Use this to wipe over the cardstock before you start the heat embossing process and it will remove any residues to which the embossing powder may adhere, causing unwanted marks or splodges!  The fine embossing powder can even stick to our finger prints.  The embossing buddy eliminates all those problems and ensures that the embossing powder only sticks where we want it to stick.

Stamp set:
You'll also need a stamp.  The greeting I've used is from the Better Together stamp set which has bold greetings that cover most situations.  This is going to be an investment in your future crafting.  Choose a set that  appeals to you, something that seems like it will be versatile (can be used for a variety of occasions, has a mix of good sentiments and images, can be paired with other things).
You'll also need to give some thought to the type of stamp set.  Wood Mount sets cost a little more and take up more storage space but they come with their own wooden block.  Clear Mount and Photopolymer stamps require appropriately sized acrylic blocks in order to use them but they take up less storage space and are less expensive. The acrylic blocks last forever and can be purchases as a complete set or individually as you need them.

Embossing Tips:
Use the embossing buddy.
When pouring the powder onto your project, work on a sheet of paper with a valley fold in the middle.  The paper will catch the excess powder and the valley fold will make it easy for you to pour the powder back into the container.
Experience will teach you at what height and for how long to heat the project for perfect heat embossing.  Heat in one place at a time until the powder melts and goes shiny and smooth then move to another part of the project.
Overheating will burn away the embossing, so if you find that your heat embossing is looking matt rather than shiny, try heating it from a great distance or for less time.
See this video for more basic tips.
Once you're ready, you might find this video useful for some different ways to use heat embossing.

Dimensions:
Very Vanilla:        9.5" x 6.75" scored and folded (on long side) at 4.75"
Coastal Cabana:   4.25" x 6.25"  (mat for larger card)
Coastal Cabana:   3.25" x 4.25"  (mat for smaller card)

Thanks for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Product List - All products required to make this card are available in my online store for Australian Residents

Tea Room Memories & More Card Pack

$17.50

Tea Room A4 Cardstock Pack

$14.75

Tear & Tape Adhesive

$9.00

Stampin' Trimmer

$50.00

Versamark Pad

$15.00

Embossing Buddy

$10.00

Black Stampin' Emboss Powder

$8.75

Heat Tool

$50.00

Tea Room Memories & More simple cards

These cards are very slight step up from the first set of cards I shared with you using the gorgeous Tea Room Memories & More cards - but only because I've added the coordinating Tea Room Specialty Designer Series Paper as well as some Old Olive and Crushed Curry cardstock to the mix.  These  colours can be found in the Regals Collection.

Card 1: Tea Room Memories & More Card Pack
with coordinating Tea Room Specialty Designer Series Paper

Card 1 Dimensions:
The base card measures 10" x 6" scored and folded at 5".

The Today is the Day card from the pack measures 3" x 4".  I adhered it to:
a piece of Old Olive cardstock trimmed to 3 1/8" x 4 1/8"

The next layer is piece of the paper cut to 3.5" x 4.5" which is adhered to:
a piece of Calypso Coral cardstock trimmed to 3.75" x 4.75"

The last layer is another piece of the paper cut to 4.75" x 5.75"

Card 2: Tea Room Memories & More Card Pack
with coordinating Tea Room Specialty Designer Series Paper

Card 2 Dimensions:
The base card measures 10" x 6" scored and folded at 5".

I trimmed the Hello card from the pack to 3" x  4" and adhered it to:

a piece of Coastal Cabana cardstock measuring 3 1/8" x 4 1/8"

The next layer is a piece of the paper cut to 4.25" x 5.25" adhered to:

a piece of Crushed Curry cardstock measuring 4 3/8" x 5 3/8"

The last layer is a piece of the paper trimmed to 4.75" x 5.75"

If you have some Glitter Enamel Dots, you could place them in the corners of the focal card for a bit of bling.

Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Product List - All products required to make these cards are available in my online store for Australian Residents

Tea Room Memories & More Card Pack

$17.50

Tea Room A4 Cardstock Pack

$14.75

Tea Room Specialty Designer Series Paper

$24.25

Regals A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Tear & Tape Adhesive

$9.00

Stampin' Trimmer

$50.00

Crazy Crafters Blog Hop with special guest: Linda Cullen

Welcome to the Crazy Crafters' Blog Hop with our Special Guest stamper, Linda Cullen - we are thrilled to have Linda join us this month and so excited to CASE (Copy And Selectively Edit) any project that has been created by her.

Click this image to visit Linda's blog

Whether you are starting the blog hop here at my blog, Stephanie Fischer - The Crafty Thinker, or have come from the person before me, be sure to click on the person listed under me further down the page to continue your journey through the blog hop.

Linda is so talented that I had a HUGE short list of her projects and it was really difficult to choose one - but eventually I narrowed it down to this one based on the layout.

So here's my version:

Black, gold and soft suede: a multipurpose card suitable for any gender or occasion

Step 1 was to black heat emboss the greeting from the Rooted In Nature stamp set.  I then placed the soft suede card topper into the Sparkle embossing folder at an angle and partially ran it through the Big Shot .

Step 2 I cut a strip of Broadway Bound Designer Series Paper and trimmed it at an angle into two pieces which I adhered to the card top.

Step 3 I added pieces of the Mini Sequin Trim in gold and the 1/8" Black Cord and fastened it to the back with some sticky tape.

Step 4  I glued the card front to the basic black base card.

Step 5 I used the Natures Roots Framelits to cut and emboss three leaves which I swiped with a Versamark pad and then Gold heat embossed.  I then glued them to the card top.

Step 6 I cut the Botanicals Tag in both gold foil sheet and black cardstock, having first applied some Multipurpose Adhesive Sheet to the back for easy application to the card.

Step 7  Having adhered the gold flower outline to the card front, I paper pieced the little black pieces from the other die cut and then added a black Faceted Dot to the centre.

The leaves sit over the top of the trims which provides some dimension to the card

Thanks for following our blog hop.  Remember that currently you are at my blog - Stephanie Fischer - so click on the next name in the list to ensure that you don't miss out on seeing any of the blogs and the amazing inspiration that they contain.

Thanks for visiting.

'Til next time!

Stephanie

Product List - all products required for this card are available in my online store for Australian Residents

Botanical Tags Thinlits Dies

$47.00

Rooted In Nature Clear-Mount Bundle

$126.75

Broadway Bound Speciality Designer Series Paper

$24.25

Sparkle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$13.00

Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets

$17.00

Gold Mini Sequin Trim

$10.50

Black 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Cord

$10.50

Faceted Dots

$10.50