My Secret Love - Water Color Roses

My Secret Love - Water Color Roses

 

This week I've been making cards using Couture Creations My Secret Love collection.  My cards are 14.8cm square - I've used an A5 card blank and cut it down to a square.

Down the left hand side of the cards I've used a 4cm strip cut from one of the 12x12" papers - plenty left to make more cards.  For the rest of the background on both cards I've used some of the stamps from the collection. 

I've made masks for my stamps so that I can over lap them.  To make the masks I just stamped them onto some smooth white card and cut them out, and then used a Zig 2 in 1 glue pen to make the back of the mask tacky.  The masks can be used over and over again, and if they lose their tackiness, you can just put a new coating of the Zig 2 in 1 glue on the back.

I've made a video to show you how I use my masks, and created and coloured the background for the 2nd card. The same techniques are used to create the background for the 1st card.

On the first card, I've added a lacy detail to the left panel using the Flourished Corners die.  I've stuck the die cuts together in pairs to create diamonds and then arranged them in a chain.  

I've used the same die for the corner details behind the topper on the 2nd card

My sentiments are also stamps from the collection - I've heat embossed them on both cards.

On the first card, I've used the "Lovely Tags" Cut and Create die set to create the topper with the foiled edge.  I've used some grey/green pearl card and to avoid getting any over foiling in the centre I've removed the foil from that part before applying the foil to the card - see my video.

I've made two videos to show you how I created these cards - one of the stamping and one for the foiling.

Stamping Video

Foiling Video

Couture Creations Products Used

CO727631 - Cut and Create dies - My Secret Love - Lovely Tags (2pc)

CO727629 - Cut and Create die - My Secret Love - Hovering Butterfly

CO727598 - Double sided pattern papers - My Secret Love - 304.8 x 304.8mm

CO727591 - Double sided pattern papers - My Secret Love - 304.8 x 304.8mm

CO727612 - Mini die - My Secret Love - Flourished Corners set

CO727605 - Mini die - My Secret Love - Trio of Posies

CO727619 - Mini Stamp - My Secret Love - Bloom

CO727620 - Mini Stamp - My Secret Love - Open Branch

CO727625 - Mini Stamp - My Secret Love - You and Me Mini Sentiment Set

CO727602 - Stamp and Die Set - My Secret Love

ZMSB20M - Zig 2 Way Glue Pen - Fine (2mm)

Creating Foiled Toppers using Corner Hot Foil Stamps

This week I've been experimenting with some ways that corner hot foil stamps can be used to create card toppers.  These techniques can be applied to any corner hot foil stamps - not just the used I've used in my samples.  Some of the ones I've used may not still be available, but I've shown them so that as new designs become available, you will already have some ideas for how they can be used.

If you are making a square or rectangular topper with straight edges then it's best to cut your topper to size (with a die or paper trimmer) before you foil it.  But, if you are making a topper with a fancy shape then it's best to cut the card to a square or rectangle just a little bigger than the die you are going to use to cut it out and foil the card before cutting with the die.

Some corner hot foil stamps are symmetrical like these ones - if you imagine a line from the top left point to the middle of the longest side the pattern on both sides is a mirror image.

 

Others are roughly equal in size on each side, but the pattern is not mirrored - like these ones.

 

I use the plastic frame around the edge of the hot plate to line my card up against - putting it in one corner.  I use a magnet (the kind used with a stamping platform) covered with masking tape (so it has a handle) to hold my hot foil stamp in the correct position on my card.

Place the card on the hot plate, lined up with a corner, and hold the hot foil stamp in place with the card while I slide the magnet off using the tape handle.  I show you how to position the hot foil stamps in my video.

You can then repeat the foiling without having to heat the hot foil stamp again - just add a new piece of foil and rotate the card to foil the next corner.

 

If you are foiling a rectangle, you need to foil 2 corners diagonally opposite each other, and then re-position the hot foil stamp to foil the other 2 corners.

If the corner hot foil stamp is longer on one edge than the other - like these

 

Then just foil two corners and maybe add some die cut flowers, butterflies or other embellishments to the other corners.

Here are details of some of the hot foil stamps I've used:

Couture Creation  - Gentlemans Emporium Acanthus Corner
Gemini Foilpress - Lyon Border and Corner
Spellbinders Glimmer - Gilded Leaves Shaped Panel
Couture Creations C'est La Vie Hotfoils Stamp - Intricate Corner

Steampunk Dreams Butterfly Cards

Steampunk Dreams Butterfly Cards

For these cards I've used some of the beautiful 12 x 12 papers, dies and stamps from Couture Creations Steampunk Dreams collection.   The dies are "Cut and Create" dies that can either die cut and emboss or cut and foil when used in conjunction with the GoPress & Foil machine.

When cutting and embossing with the dies you can either ink the die with pigment stamping ink, or emboss and then use gilding wax, mica polish or ink to highlight the embossed details. I like to add an extra piece of wast card on the cutting side of the die when I'm die cutting so that I get a deep but crisp emboss.

I've also used foil with the butterfly die and foiled onto some vellum.  The vellum I've used is 100gsm.  As the vellum is much thinner than card, I add a card shim so that the vellum is pressed into the die properly.

To create this strip, I die cut some card with the .... die and used it as a stencil on some of the same red card as I used as the mat for the patterned paper.

For this card I've also added a stamped sentiment.

On the other card I've layered some pieces cut from the 12 x 12 Papers with the butterfly foiled onto vellum, and then added embellishments 

After sticking the vellum butterfly in place, trim the wings in line with the backing paper.

I've stamped and heat embossed one of the sentiments on a tag cut from black card.  I added some clear texture medium and then some gilding wax to the edges.

See my video for how I used gilding waxes and foiled the butterfly on vellum.

Couture Creations Products Used:

CO727720 - Cut & Create Die - Steampunk Dreams - Stamp of Love

CO727724 - Cut & Create Die - Steampunk Dreams - Steampunk Butterfly
CO727711 - Die - Steampunk Dreams - Mesh
CO727713 - Die - Steampunk Dreams - Straight Tags Cutting Die Set (4pc)
CO727719 - Stamp Set - Steampunk Dreams - Steampunk Sentiments Stamp Set
CO727707 - 12 x 12 Paper - Steampunk Dreams - Double Sided Patterned Papers 1
CO727708 - 12 x 12 Paper - Steampunk Dreams - Double Sided Patterned Papers 2
CO727709 - 12 x 12 Paper - Steampunk Dreams - Double Sided Patterned Papers 3
CO726073 - Foil - Golden Cream (Light Mirror Finish)
CO726039 - Foil - Grey (Dark Mirror Finish)
CO726074 - Foil - Latte Brown (Dark Mirror Finish)