Glimmer Hot Foil Birthday Cards

 Ok, confession time. I bought a Glimmer hot foil machine a couple of years ago (yes, years) and never used it until now. In my defense, a few things have happened in the last couple of years. Also, I have watched every YouTube video about it, and collected a lot of Glimmer plates and Glimmer foil (different from toner foil) to use with it. I finally told myself that I am not allowed to buy any more Glimmer plates until I actually use this machine. I also found some of the right kind of Hammermill cardstock at Amazon recently, so here are my first two cards.

This first one is for my son-in-law's Dad. His birthday is 6 days before my Son-in Law's, so I usually make their cards close to the same time. The really strange thing about this one is that the foil I used mostly looks gold in person. The color is Aura and it can have a rainbow look to it depending on the light and the angle you are looking at it. This is how it looked when I snapped the photo. Here's another shot that I think shows the gold a little better, but still shows some rainbow hues.

This was done with a Spellbinders Glimmer plate called "Birthday Hugs and wishes." I had a really nice leftover piece after I did this panel, so I decided to do a second card with it.

I recently got this solid round Glimmer plate from Spellbinders. This is why I had to use my Glimmer machine - I broke my promise of not buying any more plates until I used it. But I had to have this solid round one. I can see using it a lot, especially in using a leftover piece of foil like this one. Spellbinders also makes solid oval, solid square and solid rectangle plates. Pinkfresh Studio makes a large solid plate as well.

By the way, I get confused about the order for layering on the Glimmer machine sometimes because I also like to do toner foiling and it's different. If you do it wrong, you can foil your hot foil plates (which doesn't damage them, but is discouraging). If you have the same issue, here is the correct layering order (sandwich) for the Glimmer machine:

    foiling plate, front side up

    Glimmer foil, pretty side down (against the plate)

    cardstock

    2 Glimmer machine plastic plates

There are a LOT of videos on YouTube on how to use this machine. Some of the best ones are by Jennifer McGuire. Sometimes you might need a shim. I didn't need one for these examples.

Once I had the round plate and leftover foil positioned properly with my cardstock, I heated it up and ran it through my BigShot, and this is what I got! I love that even though I didn't use the special Hammermill cardstock on this panel (this was Neenah Solar White 80#, with Distress Ink on it) it still worked perfectly.

And yes, this gold circle on this left panel is the exact same piece of foil that is in the Happy Birthday sentiment on the panel to the right.

This is my Son-in Law's card. 

I'm so pleased that things turned out so well in my first foray using the Glimmer machine. After watching numerous videos I was afraid it would be much harder to get good results. I shouldn't have waited!

Products Used:

Spellbinders Glimmer machine

Spellbinders GLP-144 Birthday Hugs & Wishes hot foil plate

Spellbinders GLP-317 Solid Circle hot foil plate

Spellbinders Glimer Foil GLF-027 Aura

Distress Inks: Wilted Violet, Peacock Feathers,

Twisted Citron

Poppy 1263 Boddington Tree Border (discontinued)

The Greetery Crimped Frame die set

Hammermill Premium Cover Copy Color 100# cardstock

Neenah Solar White 80# cardstock

Stardream Fuse Fairway 105# cardstock

So Silk Glamour Green Cardstock

Memory Box Self Adhesive Fairy Jewels

 

Super Saturday at Magenta: Masking Stencil Distress Blending

 Hi everyone! I'm over at the Magenta blog with this post today and if you like, you can see it here.

I used just the outside or frame part of the Magenta MC48 Duo Texture mask set to blend Distress ink into a very cool design.

I put the stencil onto a panel of 80# cardstock and started blending. I added a circle mask that I punched out of masking paper using a 1 1/4" circle punch. I placed it to the right of the image to represent a rising sun, and continued to blend the ink, trying to keep it relatively light.

I stamped the Magenta Miscanthus image with Versamark ink and embossed in gold. The sentiment was added last in Onyx Black Versafine ink, and the panel was cut using The Greetery Crimped Frame die. Finally the panel was matted with So Silk Beauty Pink cardstock.

Magenta Products used:

MC48 Duo Texture Mask

0647.K Miscanthus

07.969.F have a Beautiful day!

Other Products used:

Distress ink: Picked Raspberry

Versamark ink

Onyx Black Versafine ink

Ranger Gold Embossing powder

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame Die

Neenah Solar White 80# cardstock

So Silk Beauty Pink cardstock

Happy Birthday Layering Stencils

I have become fascinated with layering stencils, and I have posted some of my projects here and here. This is my favorite one so far, and I used a set from Pinkfresh Studio called Cosmos Bunch. I hope to do much more with this set, since it comes with stamps, a die and layering stencils. For these cards I only used the  stamp and stencils.

I honestly wasn't sure which card to post first, since I love them all. They are all the same design, but with different colors, and most of them went to my friend Pam's Church charity.

I stamped each panel with a light color of ink. It really doesn't matter what color you use for this step because it will eventually be covered with gold embossing. There are 5 stencils: 3 for the blossoms and 2 for the leaves. I used my small iCrafter brushes to blend the inks. I like to smooth out some of the blending with colored pencils. A complete list of the colors used is below.

I made 2 or 3 cards with each color family. It's easy to make multiples while you have everything out.

After I stamped each panel I left the stamp in the stamp platform. Once they were all colored I stamped them with Versamark ink and embossed with gold embossing powder.

I very much enjoyed coloring all of these, both by blending the inks and then adding touches with colored pencils.

I used blends of orange, red, purple and pinks with accents of blue

I die-cut each panel using my favorite edge finishing die, The Greetery Crimped Frame die. I then cut the sentiment out for each panel from black cardstock.

I chose mats for each color family and put everything together. I hope you like these, I really think they're pretty and they were fun to make.

Products used all cards:

Pinkfresh Studio Cosmos Bunch Stamp Set 132721

Pinkfresh Studio Cosmos Bunch Layering Stencils 132921

Simon Says Stamp CZ Design Happy Birthday Die czd82

Versamark ink

Ranger gold embossing powder

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# cardstock

Products for orange cards:

Distress inks: Wild Honey, 

Spiced Marmalade, Prize Ribbon,

Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron,

Mowed Lawn

Prismacolor Pencils: 

PC1032 Pumpkin Orange, PC1003 Spanish Orange 

PC912 Apple Green, PC905 Aquamarine

Stampin Up Cajun Craze cardstock

Products for red cards:

Distress inks: Aged Mahogany,

Festive Berries, Prize Ribbon,

Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron,

Mowed Lawn

Prismacolor Pencils:

PC924 Crimson Red, PC994 Process Red,

PC905 Aquamarine, PC912 Apple Green

Malmero Pearl Red Cardstock

Products for purple cards:

Distress inks: Wilted Violet, 

Villainous Potion, Peacock Feathers, 

Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn

Prismacolor Pencils:

PC1008 Parma Violet, PC956 Lilac,

PC905 Aquamarine, PC912 Apple Green

PTI Plum Pudding Cardstock

Products for pink cards:

Distress inks: Kitsch Flamingo,

Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers,

Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn

Prismacolor Pencils: 

PC928 Blush Pink, PC994 Process Red,

PC905 Aquamarine, PC912 Apple Green

PTI Hibiscus Burst Cardstock

Super Saturday at Magenta: Card Exchange and Distress Blending

 Hi Everyone! I'm over at the Magenta blog today with this post, and you can see it here.

I want to take a few minutes to talk to you about the Magenta Card Exchange. It's hosted by DT member Mariëtte van Leeuwen on the FaceBook page Magenta Style - Passion Studio. It's a page for people who are passionate about Magenta, and a place to share and view cards made with Magenta products. Here is my exchange card this month

The Card Exchange will be taking a brief hiatus for the Summer (as usual) but will start back up in the Fall. I really hope you will join us. It's an amazing way to meet fellow card-makers all over the world. You send a card to the name and address you are given, and you will also receive one from someone completely different. I have had several really enjoyable conversations over FaceBook Messenger with card-makers who have received my cards. It's so rewarding to discover how much we all are alike. I have met the most remarkable people through this craft.

I was very much thinking of the Ukrainian people when I made this card. They are in my heart. I have followed a card maker from Ukraine, Yana Smakula, for many years, and I cried when I read her first post after Ukraine was invaded. She still posts on her blog and Instagram, and most of her posts start with "We are still ok." or "we are safe." I hope she and her husband and mother remain so.

To make this card, I used the Magenta TM277 stencil and blended Distress Ink into the square. I stamped the Magenta Graceful Tri-Petals stamp (one of my favorites) and used Prismacolors to color in the petals and leaves. I stamped the image once more onto my panel and embossed in gold; then added the Peace sentiment and embossed that in gold as well. I die cut the panel with the Greetery Crimped Frame die.

Magenta Products Used:

0810.P Graceful Tri-Petals

07.956.F John Lennon Peace Quote

TM277 Square Silhouette

Other Products Used:

Distress Ink: Mustard Seed, Speckled Egg

Prismacolor Pencils: PC1032 Pumpkin Orange,

PC1003 Spanish Orange, PC912 Apple Green

Ranger Gold Embossing Powder

Versamark Ink

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame Die

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# cardstock

Curious Metallics Super Gold cardstock

Super Saturday at Magenta: Foil Your Stamping

 Hi everyone! I am also posting this card on the Magenta blog today, and you can see that post here.

I recently watched an excellent video by Therese at Lost in Paper. Therese is a very talented paper crafter from Australia, and she did a live video on how to use toner foil on cards with or without a laminator. You can see her very informative and fun video here. One of the things that I picked up that I didn't know is that you can use heat embossing to add foil to your cards. In other words, you can stamp an image, emboss with clear embossing powder, place foil on it and run it through the laminator, and it will foil your stamped image. I was amazed because I had never realized that, and guess what? It works really well!

The first thing I did was to use the Greetery Crimped Frame die to cut a piece of scrap paper. I arranged my stamps on it and stamped to get the arrangement I wanted and to be sure everything would fit. I then die cut a panel from Neenah 80# solar white cardstock and stamped the sentiment first. I arranged the Magenta Curved Leafy Branch stamp onto the panel at the top and then the bottom, to frame the sentiment. I embossed the leaves with clear embossing powder.

I chose a color of foil that I liked and then cut two pieces out for the top and bottom. This is transfer foil that is often used in a laminator. Hot foil used for Glimmer type machines will not work in this way.

The best way I have found to cut out sheets of foil is a rotary type paper trimmer such as the one above. It allows you to measure the piece you want to cut, and you can hold the foil down securely while cutting. It cuts the foil beautifully. I prefer a guillotine type paper cutter for paper, but I'm very glad I saved this trimmer out - it's perfect for this task.

I taped the foil in place to cover the embossed leaves. I didn't want the foil to shift going through the laminator.

I sent the panel and foil through the laminator using a parchment/wax paper sleeve to protect it. I recently got this Royal Sovereign laminator to replace my very old one. I thought it only had one setting, but apparently it has two: cold and hot. I guess there must be a reason that you would want to send something through a laminator using the cold setting, but I don't know what it is. Not knowing about the cold setting at first, I sent the panel through that way and of course I thought my new laminator was broken. Luckily the cold/hot switches were very apparent on the front and I set it to hot, waited for the "ready" light and sent it through again.

It worked perfectly and I really was amazed. I plan to use this technique a lot more in the future. This birthay card is going to my daughter in law, because I think she will really like it.

Magenta Products used:

07.1034.I Wishing You Happy Birthday

0825.M Curved Leafy Branch

Other Products used:

Therm O Web Brutus Monroe Green Sketch

Foil Transfer Sheets 19029     

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame dies

Versamark Onyx Black ink

Versafine ink

JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# cardstock

PTI Pinefeather cardstock

Super Saturday at Magenta: Watercolored and Heat Embossed

Hi all! I'm doing this post over at the Magenta blog today and you can see that here. 

I received the nicest gift from a close Japanese friend who is an amazing artist and a master craftsman who works in Cloisonné. I wanted to send him a thank you card using his artwork as color inspiration.

This first card is my choice to send him, but I made 3 others using different cardstock. A photo of the Cloisonné artwork is at the bottom of this post.

To stamp each card I used a MISTI stamping tool, and used the technique where you stamp and then turn the card upside down to stamp again. 

The panel in the middle of these two stamp platforms above is just a piece of typing paper that I stamped to see if the sentiment would fit. I have the flowers on one platform and the sentiment on the other.

The image above shows how I stamped on one corner and then turned the panel upside down to stamp on the other corner at the bottom.

I stamped 5 panels, but didn't use one of them that was white bristol cardstock.

The beautiful flower image is Magenta's Bloom Crescent. I also set up the sentiment (Multilingual Thank You) in a second MISTI to be sure it would be stamped in the right place for each card.

For each card I tried different mediums and substrates. In the first card, I used Karin Markers and a waterbrush. I used the same markers on white Tim Holtz watercolor cardstock.

The Karin Marker colors look very different on white cardstock. I like it both of them though.

For the third card I used the Twinkle Tones watercolor paint that I and my friend Pam made last year. 

To see other posts about Twinkle Tones click here and here.

For the last card I used Kuretake Clean Color brush markers. I put the ink onto a block and picked it up with a waterbrush.

Here's the absolutely stunning artwork from my friend

Cloisonné Artwork by Shinya Okamoto

Magenta Products Used:

09.256.P Bloom Crescent

07.882.I Multilingual Thank You

Other Products Used:

Card #1:

Karin Markers: Cerise375, Magenta359

Royal Blue045, Egyptian Blue305

Strathmore Toned Blue Mixed Media cardstock

So Silk Fair blue cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Judikins Detail Silver embossing powder

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame Die

Card #2

Karin Markers: Cerise375, Magenta359

Royal Blue045, Egyptian Blue305

Tim Holtz Watercolor cardstock

So Silk Fair blue cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Ranger Gold embossing powder

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame Die

Card #3

Twinkletones Shimmer Watercolor

Strathmore Toned Gray Mixed Media cardstock

So Silk Fair blue cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Ranger Gold embossing powder

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame Die

Card #4

Zig Kuretake Clean Color Real Brush Markers:

Persian Blue032, Pink025

So Silk Glamour Green cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Ranger Gold embossing powder

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame Die

Super Saturday at Magenta: Distress Blending

Hi everyone! I have this post over at Magenta and you can see it here.

 It's the time of year for Thank You cards, and one of my favorite kind to do. 

For this one I first blended Distress inks on a panel of Neenah Solar White 80# cardstock. I used an older Magenta stamp called Chickadee - Thinking of You. I have a card using the full stamp at the bottom of this post, and it's the first one I made for this post. But since I really wanted to do a Thank You card, I inked only the bottom of the stamp and added a Thank You sentiment from Sally Penley's beautiful calligraphy stamps. Both were stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink.

I painted the leaves using the Twinkle Tones shimmering watercolors that my friend Pam and I made. For more information on that, check out my post here. Any shimmery or glittery watercolors would do for this. Since I was painting on regular 80# cardstock, I didn't use a lot of water, and that brings out the beauty of these shimmery paints.

Here's an angled photo that shows how pretty the shimmery watercolors are.

Before I made the Thank You card, I made a Thinking of You card with the Chickadee. I love this stamp because it makes a card without adding anything else. For the Chickadee card I added Stickles on the leaves for some sparkle. The background is blended Distress ink using Tumbled Glass, Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn.

Magenta Products used:

0561.R Chickadee-Thinking of You

07.979.G Medium Thank You

Other Products used:

Distress inks: Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers,

Twisted Citron, Tumbled Glass, Mowed Lawn

Twinkle Tones Shimmer Watercolors

Firefly Stickles

Versafine Onyx Black ink

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame Die

Neenah Solar White cardstock 80# & 110#

So Silk Beauty Pink cardstock

PTI Enchanted Evening cardstock

Honey Bee Prism Gems