Sugar Rush

As much as i love everything that Basic Grey comes up, I have to say that at first Sugar Rush did not inspire me. However, it is a double sided collection, which means that you get two patterns in each sheet of paper and usually there is alway a side that I like. And I am a polka dots lover, so this combination of pink dots on red paper and red on pink dotty paper really appeals to me.

Here, in the close up, you can see the rosettes or flowers that I made using my trusted Cuttlebug and Nellie Snellen nesting dies. They are as good quality as the Nestabilities but with a much lower price tag, granted that you get less number of dies in each set.

The centre of the flowers are made with paper and a plain epoxy sticker or a thickj layer of glossy accents over it. The main flowers are made out of CoreDinations cardstock.

All the materials are available from The Craft Barn.

Stitches: Card

Since I am demonstrating tomorrow at Stitches the Cuttlebug products and Basic Grey new collections, I am posting this card today. I must say, I like this card for a man!

Be loved, part 4!

So, this is the front of the card.

The inside of the card is what is really elaborate.

The last page.

A close up of the inside detail.

Window die cutting

I dont think I have shared this card before on the blog, if I have, please forgive me. I am such a mess when it comes to organization of what I have post and what I haven't.

I combined a couple of large Sizzix dies for this one as well as some Basic Grey Stamps from Urban Prairie range. The window is part of the movers and shakers collection from Sizzix.

This is the last one of the Letterpress cards for a little while!

More Letterpress?

Well, yes, It may be a new year but I still have a few more cards made with the letterpress that i put together for the show. What can I say? I am loving this tool.

Embossing folder: Quickutz

Butterflies and Edge punch: Martha Stewart.

All available from Crafts U Love.

Hello

Another card shown on QVC using the printing plates that come in the starter kit.

By the way, the links I have posted bellow do not necessarily reflect my views on the Letterpress kit.

Also, I have seen proper letterpress experts complaining that this tool is not real letterpress, duh! Of course it is not, as anything in Crafting it is designed and adapted for people who want to get results without spending thousands of pounds and hours of training, of course the results are not going to be the real thing, but in my opinion they come pretty close and for me, as a crafter, they are good enough.

We are crafters, and although I can understand certain reservations about the name of the kit, I don't think no one is going to think that because of this tool they are bona fide Letterpressers, if that word even exists. If we went down that route, we better pack in all our crafting techniques as Picassos we are not, Manga colorists we are not, proper embossers we are not. We are just crafters that enjoy recreating beautiful effects on paper to our best abilities.

Questions about the Letterpress tool kit

As some of you know QVC is a shopping channel that is live, no pre-recordings. Everything is timed so it's not like a Youtube video or a tutorial when you can edit and explain in detail all aspects of the machine or tool.

At the 7pm show, Dawn saw that I was really nervous so she guided me through, something that I really welcomed as I was literally shaking. We only had a few minutes with that product, it was at 11 when we had more time to actually talk about the letterpress tool. But it is nerve wracking, I am so used to talk and talk at a demo without any time constrains that I found a bit hard to just have a few minutes to actually tell how it all work. I wish I had a full hour just to talk about it as I think the Letterpress tool from Quickutz is an absolutely brilliant tool.

So, I am sorry I didnt get to address certain issues or questions about the machine, I only got them this morning through some forums! If someone had pass them on to me I would have tried to answer them in a more clear way on air. There were so many things I wanted to mention on air but being the first time ever on live on QVC demonstrating, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to mention certain things.

But I can address some of them now:

Inks, if you are doing a short run, Brilliance pads and Black versafine work brilliantly, much easier to clean afterwards, a simple baby wipe works really well. For a long run (ie, loads of prints exactly the same, which incidentally is the main purpose of the tool) the letterpress ink with the roller is better as it's very good value for money and the ink stays wet a very, very long time. One obvious tip, whatever ink you use (brilliance ink pads or versafine) you can dab it directly onto the printing plates, however you will get the best results using a brayer.

Cleaning the letterpress inks, the best way by far that i have found is using Herma Label Off, maybe other sticky stuff remover also work, but I haven't tried myself. It really works. I know that Quickutz, the makers of the Letterpress tool, have develop a wet wipes for the ink, as of now they are very hard to get hold of in the UK. To be honest I haven't tried them myself so I can not comment on how they compare to the Label Off.
EDITED: Un-Du also works really well, so I am kind of sure now that any liquid that removes well sticky stuff will help to clean the Letterpress inks. Thanks to Ani now we know that Crafters Companion Stick Away also works.

Card to use, as long as it is thick and soft will work, something like watercolor paper and 300gsm and above if you want a very deep impression. The one that comes in the kit is extremely thick and soft, so you get amazing results.

You can also use embossing folders to just print the pattern if you open them up and attach with the adhesive film to the top of the letterpress tool, perfect print impression, although they wont emboss at the same time.

About the cracking of the plates, I only got one set of plates and used it over and over, and they have not cracked, so I cant really comment on that.

Another tip is to use a repositionable wet glue -such as the Slice one- in the back of the printing plates, apply with a foam brush or an eye makeup tool, let it dry and you can use them time and time again, much better than the double sided sticky film supplied with the tool, which incidentally works great with the larger printing plates such as the 6" x 6".

I have a very old Cuttlebug, about three and a half years old, and I have made most of my samples shown on my Cuttlebug, even though I also have a Big Shot that it is right beside it.the letterpress tool is about 2mm to wide where the hinges are for the cuttlebug, so I feed the letterpress tool open side first forwards to the end just before where the hinges are, and then I roll it backwards. I am not sure why, but even though I had the Big Shot right beside me, I kept using the Cuttlebug for the letterpress. Obviously, the Epic Six works very well with it too, I just don't have one in my house, but I used one of them all day long at QVC and liked it a lot.

One of the listed beauties of the Letterpress effect is on the back side of the printed card there is no visible mark of the debossing effect. That is very different from the effect that you get when you emboss something with an embossing folder, as both sides -inside and outside- are clearly embossed/debossed. Bruising is what sometimes happens on the back of the front of the letterpress card. Basically, due to the thickness of the card plus the pressure of the plate, some gentle impression is visible. I have got some professionally made letterpress stationery that also has got that showing off on the back. In the printing world they call it bruising, and it is acceptable.

Also, there were some questions about what you got as extras on the QVC deal. The QVC item number for the Quickutz Letterpress with printing Plates, Inks, Cards and envelopes is 588749. The QVC deal includes the Lovely Everyday set 2 of 10 printing plates, 10 A6 envelopes, 10 square cards and 10 coordinating envelopes, 4 adhesive sheets, and the Gold and silver ink, all of which do not come with the standard off the shelf Letterpress Starter Kit.

Overall, after playing with it for long hours and demonstrating on live tv, I can honestly say that if you like using die cutting machines, this is a great addition to the craft world. I specially love the size of the 6 x6" printing plates -wider that any embossing folder- and the fact that you can emboss them without any ink. I also love the designs of the plates, they have that elegant, simple look that Quickutz are renowned for.

If you do have questions please ask them and I will try to answer them the best way I can.

Numbers

I know, this card is not appropriate for a 5th birthday card, but shows the possibilities that numbers can do.

More Letterpress

One of the cards I did for today's show, and bellow a close up so you can see in detail the letterpress effect ink + embossing, although in crafting terms is debossing or impressing.


I don't mean to take such a bad photos of the cards, but I am limited because light issues.

Blind embossing

Using the Letterpress kit from Quickutz without inking the printing plates. It is just gorgeous, isn't it? By the way, blind embossing is the name that printers give to this effect that us crafters call deboss or engraved.
Tonight in the launch of Craft Day, Dawn will be showing it on QVC.

The finished card...

...From yesterday post. As with anything related to die cutting, I would really recomend to play a bit with this set, not to worry making cards at first but experiment with it. Make as many bits as possible and then later assemble the cards.

Simple Joy

Simple cardmaking is what I find easier to do, but simple doesn't mean necesarly easy, although there may be people who think that. The key of cardmaking for me as a crafter is design rather than technique because I always think that is easier to learn technique than to learn design, as to learn a technique is to learn a process, whether design it is either based on an instinct or on pure theory. Anyway, either way, crafting is a hobby, so whatever you prefer is fine by me as long as you enjoy it!
This simple card I made for a demo. I had some paper left overs on my Christmas papers folder and decided to use it to highlight the beauty of this set of alphabet dies. I first covered with other bits of paper I had the mount board -yes, thick Sizzix dies will cut mount board even if it is covered with thick patterned paper- and then I put it through the Big Shot. Because of the thickness of the mount board it was a bit harder to roll it through but I was not difficult.
I used one of the Martha Stewart edge punches to add some interest to the card as well as some silver pearls to highlight the pattern of the paper. By the way, the papers are from Basic Grey, although not a hundred per cent sure from which collection as they were bits of paper, I think it is Figgy Pudding.

I love this paper - and this die!

Probably the most used paper in the last month was this notebook doodles one from My Minds Eye. For this simple card I used yet again the ornate card die from Sizzix. It is one of their XL dies so the price tag is a bit higher that what I am use to pay, but the possibilities are endless which such a lovely shape which fist nicely into a C6 envelope.


For the butterflies I use Martha Stewart punches (the three in one and the single one) and for the message I used a sentiment from my Essentials Sentiments set, of course!

Gap Cards

As soon as I saw this die I knew I could do a gap card with the Noel. As it is an intricate die cut, I cut two, one of the patterned paper and another one out of the plain green card. Once the card was done, I glued the green card Noel in the inside to strengthen the gap. I just added the scroll from this decorative scroll.
However, I think I over did it a bit when I inked the card with distressing inks, it became a bit too dark for my liking.

Letterpress effect

I did have a system so I could know which cards I had posted photos of and which ones I had not. However, when I had some trouble with blogger last time I decided to use online albums, Picasa to be exact, which works great. But I did that hastily without thinking about my system.
The result is that now I have got loads of photos online and in my computer and I am not sure which ones I have shared. So, from now on you may see some repeat cards. It is not you it's me!
I wish I had more time and energy to actually explain how to make cards, but the truth is I hate writing instructions so I only do when I need to, ie for an article just because that is part of my job. But I can share that the background were don with the Snowflake Impresabilities.

Do you watch Stricly Come Dancing? It wasn't until last year when I started to watch it from my computer -we don't have a tv!-. It was my friend Julie -as in Julie Hickey- who actually talked me into by passing comments here and there about how much fun it was. Last year I was home for week one so I watched it online. I soon became addicted because I LOVE to dance, not ballroom as I don't know how, but pretty much everything else. I really enjoyed series Six and was quite happy with the outcome.
This year I am watching it again online either live or on the iPlayer on the Sunday and I am enjoying it as much or even a bit more than last year just because in each couple I like either the celebrity, the pro, or actually both. Yesterday there was a bit of an upset as one of the clearly better dancers was voted off. Personally I could not warm myself to the celebrity, but I like very much James Jordan the pro dancer not as best pro dancer but because he is one of the few -with Vincent and maybe Brian- who has some masculinity dancing. The other dancers are great, I consider some of them even better, but I don't see them as males dancing just as dancers, if it makes any sense.
The funny aspect about all this Stricly thing is that once I watched about ten minutes of the Spanish version, Mira quien Baila, and it confirmed what I already suspected: UK TV rules! Spanish, unfortunately, is a thousand miles behind.

More Die cutting

Another one of the cards I made for last week workshop, it is rare that I decorate the insides of the card, but with such a gorgeous pattern it was hard not to do so!


As the previous entries, the paper/card is from My Minds Eye and the dies are from Sizzix, Label from this one, square scallop from this one, and the scalloped borders from this one.
The front is done by layering the different strips -previously die cut- so it creates a subtle pattern.

My mum is here for a few days, and she is now making her own Christmas cards. I think she would love to come to my workshops, but she tries to come when I am not busy so she can actually see more of me, more relaxed me as well.

Birthday Die cutting Cards

For this die cutting card I used an ornate die to cut the blank card.


I used like for yesterdays card I used My Minds Eye patterned paper/card.
It's funny that when I started this blog I found much easier to write than to post photos. Nowadays is the opposite. Maybe is because I find my life a bit boring, nothing too exciting to share, but, what would you like? More words or just as it is?

Diorama Card

This is now my latest favorite card. I did it this week for my recent class at The Glitter Pot.
I can not take credit, obviously for inventing such a fun paper engineering structure. The best thing about it is that it folds completely flat, or as flat a any other card.


A view from above may help to see how it is all assembled. If you would like to learn how to make this type of card you can click here for a wonderful tutorial by Diana Gibbs. I have done a few things differently -size, apertures and center piece- but more importantly the way I assembled it, because I glued the left side first then the right one.



The apertures are cut with Nestabilities and the Snowflakes as well. The paper has become one of my most used ones, it is from My Minds Eye, click here to see it. It is more like card than regular patterned paper, has a lovely texture and is double sided. Pure lush.
The little holes on the paper are not part of it, I just made them using a Screw hole punch (Japanese style).
Also, in other news, my new sets of stamps are now available in craft shops around the country.

Back in the UK

Yes, I was on holiday the last two weeks. Omar and I visited his parents in Toronto as we have been doing almost every year since we have been together.
I am jet lagged, going West is fantastic as I get to wake up at a decent hour, going East is not that easy for me.
Tomorrow I am demonstrating at The Glitter Pot, hopefully I wont be as sleepy as today. Come along to check my creations using die cutting and punches, my favorite products.

Outside/Inside

The chilly outside gives way to the warm inside, thanks to the pretty double sided patterned paper from Imaginisce.

Again, this card was part of the Die cutting workshop at The Glitter Pot last month.

Over the edge cards

Using die cutting products I produced this card for a workshop for The Glitter Pot last week.

Peek-a-boo

You may not think that this card has a peek a boo element to it , but there is. Look bellow:


I used the Peek-a-Bow window, Sizzix die, from the movers and shakers range, to create a flap in which to stick the flower, which gives a lot of movement to the card.


And this is the inside. I decorated with a scrap piece of card leftover from the flower, again a cut with a Sizzix die.
And to add the messages, both inside and outside, I used the Mixed Sayings set, of course!

Even more butterflies

Another butterfly using the same Crate papers as before, or at least from the same collection, and some Bazzill dots cardstock. Funny thing, that embossed card, it has taken me months to get into that but now I can't get enough.

By the way, if you are around the Manchester/Blackburn area, be sure to go to Dawn Bibby's Demonstration weekend, click here for more info. Apart from the lady herself, the lovely Leonie Pujol, Lindsay Mason, Sarah McCrossan they all will be there, and many many more equally talented demonstrators.

Impressabilities

This card is one we did at the Impressabilities workshop.

Supplies:
Paper & Card: Elegant Wrap and Bazzill card.

Impressabilities: Snowflake.

Ink: Brilliance - Starlite Black and then Perfect Pearls - Pearl.

Other: InCircle's Birthday - Craftwork Cards.

Nestabilities workshop

These are the cards and box that we did last week at the workshop I taught at the Glitter Pot.

Ah, the Bigz dies!

As you may know by now, I love die cutting. It is, I think, my area of expertise whether is digital die cutting (Slice and Cricut) or traditional (Big Shot, Cuttlebug and Quickutz). Yes, I do have one of each and love and use each one of them because each one of them is best for a thing!
But when it comes to traditional dies, my heart belongs to the Bigz. Truly. These beasts - there is no other word to call them- are absolutely fabulous. They cut through anything and produce a really nice cut every time.

PS: sorry about the lack of photo but I lost the one I wanted to use! So it's back to the studio.

Apertures

Do you like to create apertures in your cards or layouts? The Slice is the Best for apertures. Is so easy! You can position the slice anywhere you want it and make an aperture.
I made two apertures one in the paper and then one in the card, then I mount them on top of each other.

Mini albums with the SLICE

If you live in the UK or just have access to the internet you will see that QVC's TSV (Today's Special Value) is the Slice.


I helped Dawn to prepare some samples as die cutting is one of my specialties. One of those samples is this little accordion mini album that is decorated with shapes from the Basics 1 cartridge included when you get the machine.


I used some lovely double sided card and Making Memories Flower Patch papers.



And the pictures are some of my current favourites. They are the ones Omar and Itook of his brother Hassan and his fiance.

Making cards while demonstrating

Making pretty cards while demonstrating is not an easy job, that is why I admire those demonstrators that keep coming up with faboulous cards while showing off how to do the lastest technique or products, Julie Hickey comes to mind as the expert to achieve that, but there are many more.

Me, I still finding it challenging to show how the die cutting machines work and make pretty cards. This one card I made the other weekend while demoing and was pretty excited that came out all right. Actually it was a left over that I die cut the heart out and reuse the negative space for a blank card. The I use Basic Grey stamps and Hero Arts message, ribbon and unusually large amounts of bling.

I shall see how I get on today demonstrating at Crafts U Love!

The Big Shot

The other day I got a Big Shot and a load of Sizzix dies. I have been playing all day with them. There a no better dies than the really thick ones, the Bigz, originals or XL. The blades are so deep that can cut through really thick stuff.

So what do I think of the Big Shot? I love it! and so does Omar. We had a little die cutting session and he was almost as excited as I was.

One of things I did get was the texture plates. Some people told me that they were disappointed with they effect specially compared to the Cuttlebug embossing folders. So my expectations were not that great. But, oh Boy, was I surprised! The embossing effect is fantastic, some of the patterns come up as well as the folders while others are a little bit more subtle, but still nicely embossed.

The new borders, 12" long, from the Hello, Kitty, collection are great, there are some that are scalloped with dots and others that are just like the frills.

Hopefully, the light will be better tomorrow so I can take proper photos of the stuff I am making.

Using left Die cutting Overs

To create the flower in the centre. It is actually from a Sizzix die that I showed you yesterday.
This one was part of the class taught at The Glitter Pot last Friday.

Die cutting

I love die cuts, and when they are string robust dies, such as Sizzix ones, my love grows, becuase they became a really versatile tool. Using this Bigz die you can make lovely shaped card that zig zags and every single page is different.


This is side A.


This is side B, with a space to write the message, because without it would not be much of a card!
So, this is the sort of thing that I teach at my die cutting classes at The Glitter Pot, dawn Bibbys Design Studio or wherever I am next!