Unusual Tent Cards by Natalie Ballard

There is nothing more annoying than making a lovely top folding card... and then it slides off the shelf and lands on the floor. No matter how thick the card and how perfect the fold, they all seem to do it eventually. This is a solution to the problem with a difference: half stepper card, half tent card.

To make this card, you will need two long thin strips of card. Cut a piece of A4 card in half lengthways or use two top folding A6 portrait card blanks.

Scoring

With the first piece, score the card in half; fold and crease, burnishing the fold on the back of the card. This forms the right hand section of the card base. The left hand section starts with the same halfway score; but now we flip over the card to score either side of the centre scoreline by ½". We then fold each scoreline mountain in; creating an accordion style "w" fold. Burnish each fold on the reverse taking care to not emboss the other folds into either front or back panels.

Cutting

With the second piece of card (with the W fold), we are going to trim the front section to give a stepped appearance. From the back fold, draw a 45 degree angle downwards to the front fold. Then, draw a straight line from the front fold across the front panel. Trim using scissors or even a decorative edge blade if you wish.

Stamping

Don't assemble your card blank yet as we have a few more steps before we get that far. Firstly, stamp and colour your main panel: in the sample above, I used the Sacred Rubber Stamp Set and the square stamp to create a pinned front panel. As we haven't yet assembled our card base, now is the time to add any brad/eyelet attached elements to the right hand panel. The extra star point to one corner of the design makes it ideal for this kind of mounting to be featured. The colouring on this panel was done using blending tape and Distress inks; it relies on using a good quality black inked that won't react to having the Distress inks blended over the top. Always check this on a piece of scrap in the same material prior to working on your final panel.

Stamp your sentiment using the Oxide versions of the colours you used in your ink blending. Oxides typically stamp much better than their Distress cousins. Adhere this panel to the left hand panel and add any Washi tape, border stickers or ribbons to the front panel.

Stamp, colour and fussy cut a dragonfly and moth from the same stamp set. Adhere these to small acetate strips to allow them to "fly" above the card. Set these to one side for the moment.

Assembly

Adhere the open ends of the left hand panel using double-sided adhesive tape placed to the outside of the panels. Carefully, align and adhere the left panel to the inside back of the right. Use the grid on your cutting mat to help you. Close the left hand panel and hold the W fold shut. Adhere the front edge of the left panel into the rear of the front panel of the right. You can use a little wet glue if you wish; this will give you a little wiggle room.

Finally, add in the floating insects using double-sided adhesive. Trim the acetate pieces to your chosen height, and so your adhesive remains hidden.

As the card doesn't open fully, create a sentiment panel for the reverse of the card.

Here's another card featuring the same base design...

monochrome

 For my last post this month I have a couple of monochrome cards to share using two very different stamp sets.

The first card uses the lovely poinsettia script which I think does not have to be just for Christmas. I stamped it on grey card using black ink and clear embossing powder. It was coloured with koh-i-noor pencils using the white with blending solution on the flowers with yellow in the centre and green on the leaves.

I added silver and black mats before adding to a white square card blank with the sentiment stamped in blac

The second card uses the small geometrtic shape from Fiona Randall's sacred set, stamped four times on grey card and once on white in black ink and clear embossed.

The grey images were trimmed to square and mounted onto black card, with stickles glue on the centre triangles, although it doesn't show up well. The white image was closely trimmed and glued at an angle in the centre.

Heaven and Earth

Heaven and Earth 

Today I will be sharing some of my samples from last months newly launched designs by the talented Fiona Randall there are two A4 sets and to choose a favourite is nigh on impossible,

Celestial Rubber Stamp Set   and the 

Sacred Rubber Stamp Set

The first of my samples is using the Celestial Set, using Alcohol Inks and a Lift Out Inkpad which quite literally does as the name suggests.

Using Yupo and a selection of Alcohol Inks I used 3 different shades of blue. 

Ink up the stamp of choice with the Lift Out Inkpad as you would with any other Inkpad and stamp onto the prepared and dry Alcohol Ink background. Lift off after a few seconds which will have allowed the Inkpad to do its work. Do not waste what you have lifted from the background stamp it onto a spare piece of card or into a journal. Two for the price of one, that can't be bad can it ?? 

The next photo is from the Sacred Set using the same technique but a different colourway.

For another look you can also use Versamark and White Embossing Powder on the Heavyweight Yupo but add the heat in short bursts as because the Yupo is basically a plastic paper it tends to buckle if too much heat is applied to it.

These are fairly quick and addictive techniques but very effective, I hope you have enjoyed looking today.

Love Doreen

dragonflies (by Veronica)

Today I am sharing more cards using the sacred stamp set designed by Fiona Randall.

The first card began life as an 8" square card blank, with the front cut in half and both the front and inside sponged with grey and lemon distress oxide inks. The geometric design was randomly stamped in grey, as well as one of the leaf  stamps from the  walk tall stamp set along with the words from sacred.  The dragonflies were stamped in black on the front flap and coloured with marker pens. The one on the back was stamped in grey onto spare card, coloured and cut out

For the second card the dragonfly was stamped four times in grey ink using a stamping platform. I again used the pva/mica method to make four more dragonflies using black ink and blue and silver mica powders. These were glued in place in the gaps between the stamped ones. The word was stamped onto scrap card and die cut then glued into the centre - I'd like to say this was to give a focaL point, but if I'm honest it was more to hide the overlapping wings!
 

mica flutters (by Veronica)

Today I am sharing cards using the insects designed by Fiona Randall featured in last month's tv shows. I had the set called sacred which also had some very intricate geometrical designs. 

For both of these I used one of my favourite techniques, a bit fiddly and takes a long time to dry but a fab result - well, i think so anyway!

First ink the stamp up - I used black versafine -  sprinkle with mica powders and then cover the stamp with pva glue (the cheap stuff is absolutely fine as long as it dries clear) then leave to dry. Depending on the weather  and how much pva you used it can take up to 2 days to dry completely. Once dry, peel off from the stamp and trim the edges and it is ready to use.

Both cards have a light grey card background.

The DL card was stamped with one of the geometric designs using grey ink and the words stamped between the butterflies, which were glued on with more pva.

The square card uses the dragonfly and moth stamps, with the background stamped with the geometric designs in grey and randomly sprinkled with clear embossing powder. The powder bubbles up when you heat it without using versamark and I rubbed some mica powders randomly over the background as  well. The word was stamped using versamark and gold embossed, then the insects were added.