Mitering with a Twisted Oval Christmas!

I seem to be on a short hiatus from cardmaking of late! I've been really busy with other activities at home, away from home, and with family.  As usual, I have lots of cardmaking events that have pasted me by!

One thing that has been passing me by quite regularly is getting started on my Christmas stash this year.  I have been worrying about it, and since we've seen "Christmas in July" come and go, I actually got the yen to make a card very late in July!   I had a lot of incentive from Splitcoaststampers' challenges as well, and I will be posting it there as well.

I received some new free paper through the Stampin' Up Sale-A-Bration event going on in July and August, called Silver and Gold Specialty dsp (white glossy with gold or silver foiling), and somehow it got me interested in getting at least one Christmas card in July finished.  Take a peak below at my finished card, though I have not completed the inside verse or design, which I usually post.  I'm actually realizing that Christmas cards do not usually get a peak at the inside verse, because I'm not usually mailing them at the time that I make them!

Ingredients: Papers--White Metallic Shimmer cs (Amazon), Recollections-Gold Foil, SU-Silver & Gold Specialty dsp (Jul-Aug 2022 SAB). Dies--Spellbinders-Elegant Twist Etched Ovals, Ovals-Large; SU-Into the Woods (tree/ 2018 Holiday--2019-20 AC); Reverse Confetti Cuts-Winter Words (Oct.2015). Studio 112-Metallic Gems. Wink of Stella-Gold (3 of 4 peace layers colorized). Chatterbox verse-inside. 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

Happiest of Birthdays for an SCS Friend!

One of the ladies on Splitcoaststampers has a birthday in January, and she has kindly sent me a few cards over the years.  I seems to always be behind the eight ball and never have enough cards finished to send timely.  Even though that was still the case, I made up my mind that I would send her a card in January this year even if it was late.  It is on the way!

Take a peek at the cheerful little card sprinkled with lots of color and sequins that I made for her.  I'm hoping the Post Office is speedy in their delivery since she lives out of state from me and it's already late.  

Ingredients: Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Basic White, Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight.  Pattern Paper--Bubbles & Fizz (2018 SAB).  Ink--Bermuda Bay, Lemon Lime Twist, Daffodil Yellow.  Stamps--Picture Perfect Birthday sentiment + confetti).   Dies--2-3/8" Stitched Circles.  Ribbon--1/8" Satin Bermuda Bay (2018 SAB Shimmer ribbon pack).  Other products:  Dies--Lifestyles Eyelet Circles.  Pretty Pink Posh--sequins.  EK Victorian Corner punch. Chatterbox computer verse.  Size:  4-3/4" x 6".

A Son-In-Law "Born to Ride" Motorcycle Birthday!

My daughter, Michele's husband has a birthday in July.  One of his big-time hobbies is riding his big, black Harley Davidson motorcycle whenever the weather is ready for him to meet the road.  I wanted to use my new Stampin' Up stamp, One Wild Ride, especially for his birthday, because there is an excellent vintage-looking, big, black motorcycle in this stamp set, in addition to great sentiments, such as the one I chose, Born to Ride.

Ingredients:  Darice cardstocks: Midnight Black; Kraft.  Darice Core-dinations: Patterned Cardstock-Neutrals.  DCWV Stacks: Foil/ Gold; Glitter Cardstock/ Black.  Darice Embossing Folder: Diamonds.  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Versamark Watermark.   Stampin' Up products: Stamps--Born to Ride; Die--Sunburst Thinlit; Clear Embossing Powder.  EK CardCreator Corner Punch: Basketweave.  May Arts: Jute Fine Twine.  Kaiser Pearls: Black.  Computer-made verse.  Technique: Fussy-Cutting.  Size: 5" x 6".

The Card Assembly Story

My first step was to cut a 10" by 6" piece of black cardstock and crease and fold in half to form a tent-style cardbase.  Next, I cut a piece of gold foil 4-3/4" x 5-3/4" and texture-embossed it using the Darice Diamonds embossing folder.  This embossed gold foil was then adhered to the black cardbase, and set aside.

My second process was to die-cut two Sunburst designs. . .one in the Kraft patterned paper and one in the Black Glitter paper.  Instead of sitting them evenly on top of one another, I twisted them just slightly to allow the black glitter paper to peek out just under the edge of the pattern about 1/8-inch and adhered them together while in this "twisted fashion."  The edges of the rays will be uneven at this point, and and will need to be trimmed straight to the size you desire.  Mine are cut to 4" x 4-3/8" and trimmed so that the rays are as closely centered as possible.  I then cut a piece of gold foil the same size and adhered it to to the sunbursts to become their underlying mat, and now the gold foil shows through as rays as well.  I then cut a piece of black cardstock mat 4-1/4" x 4-3/4" and adhere it as the base mat for my sunburst set of papers.  This sunburst set was then popped up off the cardbase mats already prepared and adhered together in the first step above.

I wanted my vintage motorcycle to be black embossed, but I found with so much black in the image, it became muddied and unclear.  Following is what I found I could do to achieve a black embossed motorcycle using my MISTI stamping tool. 

First, I place my cardstock in the MISTI and aligned and mounted the motorcycle stamp onto my MISTI all according to the tool's directions and then inked up the stamp with Memento Black Ink.  I found that I needed to re-ink and repeat stamping the image at least three times to get a rich, black impression.  Second, while leaving my stamp adhered perfectly on my MISTI where originally placed, I cleaned off the black ink.  Next, I inked up the stamp with Versamark Watermark Ink and re-stamped over my image, repeating inking and stamping two times with the Versamark.  

The last step to finish the card front was to heat emboss the motorcycle by applying clear embossing powder to the wet Versamark ink and dusting off cleanly before heating.  I applied this same process to the "Born to Ride" sentiment.  After applying my twine, and I fussy-cut both the motorcycle and the sentiment, and popped them up off card front.

My final step, as is my cardmaking tradition, was to create an inside design and birthday verse that complimented the card front and the occasion for which it is to be given.  My verse was completed using my computer and printer.  I think Don will be very pleased with his motorcycle card!