Thursday, June 18, 2020

Back to original blog



Hey everyone, thank you so much for starting to follow me here on this blog.  Unfortunately Facebook decided this blog address (annetemplesblog.blogspot.com)
is SPAM and they have deleted everything I've tried to post using this URL.  

I even converted it to a Bit.ly URL and they still removed my posts. 😖

So, I will be posting on my old blog address again (at least for the time being).  If you are here, please click my link and visit me on my original blog, Anne-Made.

Thanks so much!!

Mom's Fairy Wish {Lavinia World #29}




Hey everyone, it's time for a new Lavinia World Challenges #29.  This is definitely a Magical place! The theme is anything goes using any stamped image (no digis please).  The winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to Lavinia World.

I created this card for my mom for Mother's Day last month using the Fairy Wish stamp. 


To start off, I created my background using Altenew inks (Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Sea Glass, Ocean Waves, Dusk, and Desert Night). Next came the stenciling with a Tonic Studio stencil (it was in one of their subscription kits). I used VersaFine Clair (Charming Pink) to create these cascading hearts.  I pressed firmly in several places so that the ink would actually go under the stencil to create more of a blurred look.

Then the Fairy Wish was stamped with VersaFine Clair Twilight ink and Nuvo Crystal Drops (Autumn Red) accents the berries.  A touch of glitter highlights the tiny wings of the little fairy.

My sentiment is a die cut from Die-Versions (Sweet Wordlet Happy and Sweet Wordlet Mother's Day).  I love the smaller size of these dies and think they are perfect for cards.  You can still find this company's dies here and there.

The final step was to dry emboss my card base with a Sue Wilson Designs embossing folder (Rambling Blossoms).  This is a larger embossing folder which allows me to only place the front of the card base into the folder.  That way the inside is still smooth for a personal message.

I have a trick I want to share with you on how to quickly place these smaller die cuts onto your card without any fuss.  First you line up your letters how you want them to look and then use removable tape to pick them up.  Add glue to the backside and then adhere to your card front.  Let it sit for a few seconds and then start peeling off the tape at a diagonal from one of the corners.  That way, if the glue hasn't completely set, it won't rip off the letter from your base.




Now it's your turn to join us.  You can either upload your current project to the Challenge Blog or you can join our Anything Lavinia Facebook group and upload your project there.  

If you upload into the Anything Lavinia album, your project must include something Lavinia (stamps, paper); if you upload to the Challenge Blog, anything goes as long as you have used a physical stamp on your project.  

You can share your projects with us on the Challenge BlogFacebookInstagram, and our Anything Lavinia Facebook group:

Anything Lavinia


Play in our Anything Lavinia Facebook Group
and/or our Lavinia World Challenge Blog

 Don't forget to include #laviniaworldstore on your projects and tag us at @laviniaworldstore so we can be sure to see and comment on your Lavinia projects!
Sign up to receive our Lavinia World Challenges and all the amazing inspiration from our Designers sent directly to your emails.

Please note that although we carry the full Lavinia range, we are not part of any other entity or Facebook group that carries Lavinia stamps. ONLY the cards posted to Lavinia World Challenges will be entered into the drawing for the Lavinia World prize.  Also note that the gift certificates are ONLY valid at the Lavinia World website.





Lavinia World has a new You Tube Channel and a new video team.  This wonderfully talented group will be bringing you how-to videos three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  So be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a single one! 


You have until Monday, June 29 to enter in either Lavinia World Challenges or Anything Lavinia.  Don't forget, the winner will receive a very generous $15 gift code to do some shopping at Lavinia World.



Until next time.....


Monday, June 15, 2020

Birthday Shaker Window




Hey everyone, I have a fun shaker card to share with you today.  I used the Queen and Co. Birthday Squares Bundle die set and added sparkles and sprinkles to the various windows.  Although it is sold out when I last checked, I think it's such a versatile set to have and could be used for almost any occasion. 

This was a quick and easy card to put together and the recipient LOVED it.  In fact, they couldn't quit shaking it. 😂

I heat embossed the stamped images, all of which came with the kit.  I also added a little bling using some Spectrum Noir Sparkle markers.


On the inside, I added a Tonic Studios die cut (Retro Birthday) and stamped more of the balloons and heat embossed them.



Until next time.....


Friday, June 12, 2020

With Sympathy




Hi there!  I have another for-fun (ie not for a team) card to share with you today.  I've had a chance to play in my craft area and have been having a blast.  Today's project uses the Altenew Build-A-Flower: Columbine layering stamp and die set and a fun glueless glitter technique using a stencil.

I started off by creating the background first with some new glitters I was trying out. It was so hard to capture in the photo, but there are actually four different (subtle) shades of glitter used, going from a white with yellow undertones to the three shades of blues.  Here is a closer look where I darkened the photo somewhat so you can see the variation a bit more.


The background was created using the Tim Holtz stencil (Woven Layering Stencil) and the glueless glitter technique.  This is such an easy technique to do.  Start off by temporarily taping down the stencil to your cardstock (I used white, but you can use any color), making sure you can place the stencil back in the exact same position.  Then cover the open areas with VersaMark ink and then heat set using Clear embossing powder.  For this stencil, I added tape to the top of the stencil and created a hinge so I could move the stencil out of the way when heat setting.



Next, lay the stencil back in the same place and cover with VersaMark ink again. (Do not heat set yet!)  Remove the stencil completely and add your glitters.  If using multiple colors, apply each color separately and shake off the excess glitter back into the container.  Keep applying the colors individually until the entire area is covered.  The final step is to heat set one more time.  You can see the glitter start to twinkle, indicating that it's melting into the embossing powder.  Once it's heat set the second time, the glitter stays in place.

Since my glittery background was in subtle shades of blue, I decided to stamp my flower in shades of blue as well.  I used VersaFine Clair inks for all the stamping on this project.  

Here's a trick I used to help me line up the stamps.  First I die cut the flower and the leaf shapes from a scrap of cardstock.  I then used this as a template to lay the stamps into. This helped me tremendously with the alignment issues I was having.  And as a bonus, it made the stamping go much faster.



I wanted a bit of dimension to the flower head, but not the stem.  To achieve the look I was going for, I added pop dots to the top petals and glued the base of the head and the stem directly on top of the background. When adhering the completed flower to the glittery background, be sure to use a good adhesive that sticks to glitter.  

The sentiment is part of the stamp set and I stamped onto vellum with VersaFine Clair and quickly heat set it with Clear embossing powder.  I wrapped this around the first two layers of my card and adhered everything onto my card base.


Until next time.....



Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Happy We Are Friends




Hey everyone, today I'm sharing a card I created using the new Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Lily die set.  I love these new layering dies and can't wait to get some more sets! 

I die cut everything from white cardstock and then used the Altenew mini dye ink cubes and blending brushes.  These inks go on a little splotchy at first and then smooth out as they dry. 

I was mailing this to a friend, so I didn't want a lot of extra dimension on the card.  I added my background directly onto the green card base using a TCW stencil (Mini Fern) and various shades of greens of Altenew ink.


Next, I stamped my sentiment from Reverse Confetti (Word Up) with VersaMark and heat set it using Alabaster White embossing powder from Brutus Monroe. Using one of the My Favorite Things Skinny Strips dies, I die cut the sentiment and adhered it to the bottom.

As a finishing touch, I added Glossy Accents here and there.



Until next time.....


Monday, June 8, 2020

Foiled Again!


Hey everyone, today I'm sharing another project I created for the Dies R Us Inspiration team using foil.

Last week I showed you how to create a foiled die cut using a small, thin die cut.  I wanted to show alternative ways to apply foil to die cuts without needing a foil machine. Today's project uses a similar technique but with a large die cut word and the same fun DIY embossing plate.

I used the following dies for today's projects:

Sue Wilson Designs: Italian Collection-Background (many of these would work as well)
Poppystamps: Luscious Script Hello
The first step in this project was to create the DIY embossing plate.  I used the Sue Wilson Background die and die cut a thin piece of magnetic sheet.  You might have to run it through your machine a couple of times to get it to cut all the way through.  But once it does, it created great dimension to your dry embossed projects.  

I used the debossed side instead of the raised side for this card front. After using the direct to paper method and grey ink to color the main part of the white cardstock, I added vibrant color to the indented areas using Spectrum Noir sparkle markers.  The contract between the dark grey and the bright blues and pinks really made the flowers pop.

Next I began the foiling process for my die cut.   


I die cut a piece of a double side sheet using my hello die.


After carefully removing the protective layer from the front of the die cut, I applied the foil, decorative side up onto the exposed adhesive and burnished it in with my finger tip.


I also exposed the adhesive on the backside of the die cut and added a strip of vellum.



Once everything was burnished on both sides, I removed the foil and my sentiment was ready to be added to the front panel of my card.



For the background, I used a piece of glossy photo paper and added alcohol inks to the surface.  You don't see too much of it, but it adds color without overwhelming the focal point.

Here's one more look at the finished project:


I hope you've enjoyed today's project.  Head back to the Dies R Us Blog tomorrow for more fabulous inspiration from the DRU Inspiration design team.


Don't forget to come join in the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.  There's a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month and one lucky randomly drawn winner will receive a $10 gift certificate to the Dies R Us Store.  For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us links are provided below.


click below for:




Thursday, June 4, 2020

Magical {Lavinia World #28}



Hey everyone, it's time for a new Lavinia World Challenges #28.  This is definitely a Magical place! The theme is anything goes using any stamped image (no digis please).  The winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to Lavinia World.

Today's project is fairly simple to create using stencils, inks, and stamps.  I was going for a monochromatic look using browns and purples.  Although it doesn't look like it in the photo, the Fairy Chain was stamped with Pine Cone VersaFine Clair ink and heat set with Clear embossing powder.  No matter how many photos I took, it looked like I used black ink.  Oh well....at least in person you can tell it's a dark chocolate color.😀

For this project, I used the following Lavinia stamps found at Lavinia World:


For today's project, I wanted to use a stencil for the background.  After checking out the various stencils I have in my stash, I decided on a Momenta one.  This one already has a tacky backing, so no need to spray it with Pixie Spray or tape it down.

After taping down my white cardstock and adding the stencil, I blended three different shades of Distress Ink on top (Old Paper, Antique Linen, Tea Dye).  I used the lightest shade for my first pass, then removed the stencil and turned it a different way. Then came the second layer of ink.  Finally, I turned the stencil one more time and added my darkest color. By doing this, you get a whole new pattern and makes the stencils you already own more versatile.

As I mentioned above, the Fairy Chain was stamped with Pine Cone and the Quirky Mushrooms were stamped with Chianti.  I added white highlights to the mushroom caps.

I cut apart my Believe in Magic sentiment so I could space the words differently than what the original stamp has. I can always lay them back together on an acrylic block if I want to use the original design.

Taking a scrap of white cardstock, I added some shading with the Distress Inks and then stamped the words on top using VersaFine Clair (Chianti) ink.  I then added Clear embossing powder to this and heat set it.  The final step was to fussy cut out the words.



After adhering the sentiment to my focal point, I added 1/4" high pop dots to the back for lots of added dimension. This was then adhered to a sturdy piece of cardstock used for my base.

Now it's your turn to join us.  You can either upload your current project to the Challenge Blog or you can join our Anything Lavinia Facebook group and upload your project there.  

If you upload into the Anything Lavinia album, your project must include something Lavinia (stamps, paper); if you upload to the Challenge Blog, anything goes as long as you have used a physical stamp on your project.  

You can share your projects with us on the Challenge BlogFacebookInstagram, and our Anything Lavinia Facebook group:

Anything Lavinia


Play in our Anything Lavinia Facebook Group
and/or our Lavinia World Challenge Blog

 
 Don't forget to include #laviniaworldstore on your projects and tag us at @laviniaworldstore so we can be sure to see and comment on your Lavinia projects!
Sign up to receive our Lavinia World Challenges and all the amazing inspiration from our Designers sent directly to your emails.

Please note that although we carry the full Lavinia range, we are not part of any other entity or Facebook group that carries Lavinia stamps. ONLY the cards posted to Lavinia World Challenges will be entered into the drawing for the Lavinia World prize.  Also note that the gift certificates are ONLY valid at the Lavinia World website.




Did you hear that Lavinia World now has a new You Tube Channel and a new video team?  This wonderfully talented group will be bringing you how-to videos three times a week.  So be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a single one! 


You have until Monday, June 15 to enter in either Lavinia World Challenges or Anything Lavinia.  Don't forget, the winner will receive a very generous $15 gift code to do some shopping at Lavinia World.



Until next time.....