Pine Cone Collage Picture Frame, Enchanted Deer, Christmas

I've used my all time favourite die from last year's (2016) Memory Box September release and paired it with one of this years Holiday release dies to create something just a little bit different...   a 'Picture Frame' - complete with attached easel.

Here's a few photo's so you get an idea of the depth created just by layering up a few die cuts between thin frames...

I did consider making this as a Diorama card, but opted for durability over any other consideration in the end.  Plus what's the point in buying an Easel die if I'm not going to get lots of use out of it? 

 Have stash.  Use stash.  

Doesn't that give us "Crafter's" some Brownie Points somewhere along the way?!!

Anyhow...

You want to know how it was made?

I'll mix things up a bit from my usual format and give you the list of supplies used first.

Supplies Used:

Dies:

Memory Box 'Enchanted Deer' Collage

Memory Box 'Pinecone Collage'

Mama Elephant 'Peek A Frame' Creative Cuts

Sizzix/Bigz 'Small Easel'

Holtz/Distress Ink:

Ground Expresso

Walnut Stain

Hickory Smoke

Pumice Stone

Embossing Folders:

Darice 'Tattered Page'

Sizzix/Texture Fades 'Birch Trees'

Other:

Recycled acetate (from craft packaging)

Pebeo Gilding Wax - Silver

Crafter's Companion 'Spray and Sparkle' - Pearl Diamond

First of all, I inked up two pieces of card stock with the brown shades of ink.  (I already had a 'mock' cut out of the Enchanted Deer Collage die so used that to help gauge where I wanted more/less ink to go).

Once happy with them, cut just the one Enchanted Deer to size - not both.  These die 'cut outs' need to match up exactly so get the one sorted (using your embossing folder for dimensions) before getting the other one to size.

Leave to one side, and using the Pinecone Collage die with another piece of card, cut out either a random pattern that you like or one like mine where there are no 'free floating' branches to be seen.

Then ink up yet another piece of card using the grey shades of ink.

With me so far..?

Now leave all of that to one side for a minute and make the frames that will be used to sandwich the layers together. 

 I used the biggest two dies from the Mama Elephant 'Peek A Frame' set to make two frames - and I doubled up the layers (which means cut out four - not two).  The main thing here is that the frames made are the same size as the Enchanted Deer 'cut outs' - and that they aren't too thick.  Even with mine I had to trim off a tiny piece that was peeking through into the 'picture'.

Whilst the glue on the frames dries, emboss one of the Enchanted Deer die cuts using the 'Tattered Page' Embossing Folder and emboss the Pinecone Collage 'cut out' piece using the 'Birch Trees' Embossing Folder. 

If everything hasn't been cut to the same size, do that now.

Then cut out a piece of card thick enough to be your base.  My easel has also been cut out from the same cardboard so the colours match.  (The thicker, the better.  I used some recycled 'grey board' used as packaging that came with some of my craft goodies.  Wish I knew how to get hold of this stuff commercially as my store of it is limited).

Now it's sandwich making time...

Glue the grey inked piece to the card base.

Then glue on one of the frames.

Now add the Pinecone Collage Cut out, gluing that just to the frame - nowhere else.

Now comes a tricky part...

Hold your two Enchanted Deer Collage 'cut outs' together - both facing the right way up and the embossed one on the top. Turn both upside down whilst still being held as one piece so that glue is on the underside of the bottom layer only.  Now turn both back the right way up - whilst still holding them together.  

(The trick here is to hold on to this die cut 'sandwich' in such a way that the two 'die cuts' look as one.  Once you've got that sorted, match up the edges of the 'sandwich' with the parts already glued into place).  

Press firmly 'round the edges and then put that top, unglued die cut to one side for a minute.

Add that second frame and glue into place - being sure that you won't be able to see any of it once that final 'die cut' is on the top.

Now I made a choice at this stage to add my acetate to the back of the Enchanted Deer Collage 'die cut' before spraying on the glitter.  It gives the grey of the pinecones a softer look - not that dissimilar to when you add vellum over bright, bold colours to tone them down.

So either do as I did and add the acetate before spraying or spray now, leave to dry and then add that acetate layer. 

 But either way, add a smidge of gilding wax along the edges first - where the 'Tattered Pages' are showing.  It just adds that 'someting extra'...

Once it's all been sandwiched together I suggest you put it under some weight for a while - and add the easel into place on the back at some point after it's all had plenty of time to dry.

Then, once completely dry, add some very thin Kraft card slivers to the sides of this frame to cover over the sandwiched layered edges and make it more 'frame like' in appearance.  

Finished...

...  and the perfect thing to add to my craft stall for Christmas...

This was made to play along with the latest Memory Box Challenge.

Memory Box

Challenge #26

I play here often as I love their dies!

Other Challenges I'm Entering...

Simon Says/Monday

You've Got The Edge

Die Cut Diva's

Christmas In July

Thanks so much for stopping by today...

Donna. x

Christmas Tag, 'Stag In Aperture', Decorative

My tag for Day 5 of Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas tags is another I made purely for decoration only.

I haven't done that before this year, but sometimes dies are just far too pretty to write on, don't you think?

Here's my tag...

I love Tracey's idea of adding bells to the top of her tags.

Thank you, Tracey. x

My inspiration came from this duo of stag heads...

Supplies Used:

Dies:

Mama Elephant 'Tags A Lot'

Taylored Expressions 'Birch Tree Accessories Set'

Memory Box 'Holly Vine''

Other:

Altenew 'Woodgrain Bark' paper

Bell

Natural Twine

Gems - Red

Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen - Clear Overlay

(Before I forget to say, I did marry up dies to the back of this tag to cover up the glue marks.  I can't have a horrible splodgy mess showing on the back now, can I)?!!

I'm afraid my blog posts are like trains again today.  You wait ages for one to turn up and then several do all in quick succession!

I have one more post to squeeze in for today...

If you are reading through these quick bite sized blog posts -

Thank You...

Donna. x

Snow Globe/Stag, Aperture, Female

I was fortunate enough to win a Guest spot on the Design Team at City Crafter a few weeks ago and was over the moon at the theme I was scheduled to play along with for this week.
'Into The Wood' couldn't be more perfect for me as I adore making nature themed cards.  

But the rules were very clear..  Include 'wood' somehow in the design, but NO TREE!!!

My plan from the beginning involved the Stag and Snow Globe die along with the Woodgrain embossing folders.

As for the rest...  that was more trial and error.   That's often the way it goes for me (having a partial design in mind that I then have to 'play' with).  I don't know about you!

Here's the card...

My aim (please feel free to tell me if it worked or not) was to create a pretty 'girly' card that wasn't overtly girly.  Does that make sense?  I also purposefully chose the whole 'brown' look, but still wanted to achieve a CAS 'feel' to the design.  Clean and Simple meets Layered meets Aperture...

Dies used:

Taylored Expressions 'Birch Tree Accessory Set' (Stag)

Memory Box 'Large Snow Globe'

Marianne Design Collectables 'Tab With Text'

Memory Box 'Holly Vine'

Impression Obsession 'Pine Branch'

Open Studio 'Snowglobe Bases'

Embossing Folders:

Sizzix/Texture Fades 'Woodgrain' (Background)

Crafter's Companion 'Woodgrain' (Snow Globe Base)

Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes'

Stencil:

Memory Box 'Splatter Spray'

Gluing two cards together and then adding inner panels is a favourite trick of mine for aperture cards, but it does add to the weight quite a bit...  so these cards are generally reserved for hand delivery only.

(I generally console myself with the fact that at least they are sturdy rather than flimsy)!

A bow with a bell attached and three vanilla/champagne Morning Dew Drops...  and this card was done...

...  except for this...

I cant't wait to see what you design if you decide to play along :)

Challenges I'm entering...

As you Like It

(Monochrome or Colour...  and Why?)

I like the challenge of getting a Monochrome card to 'work' for me.

House of Cards

(Add Texture and/or Colour Inspiration)

I chose to add texture.  

The Sisterhood of Crafters
(Die-lirious and Punchy)

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge

Creative Card Crew
(Challenge #98 'Ribbon')

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge

My patterned paper and stag were both cut from my snippets stash.

Sunday Stamps

(SSC112)

Crafty Ribbons

(Challenge #130 'Christmas to Die for')

Cas-UAL Chic
(CCC04)

Stencilling, Die Cutting, Embossing.

Hope you are having a good week so far...
My thoughts are with those of you I know are having a rough time right now.

Christmas, Stag, Muted Colour Tones

A completely new Christmas Card challenge site began running a short while ago and today I've decided to take the plunge by playing along.  After all, we're almost half way through the year people!

I have to say I'm quite pleased that this card would suit a man or a woman equally well.

I would love to say that that was my intention all along, but I would be lying.  Cards for men are not my strong suit at all :(

To begin with, I used my Memory Box 'Drop Ornament' as I wanted to echo the fact that a strong main shape was a huge feature of the design inspiration post.

Next, I echoed the snow with my Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder.  Rather than cut my snow slope freehand I used the Drop Ornament again.  I don't really know why from from the word 'go' I knew that my design would focus around the Drop Ornament rather than in it.

I just love the stag from my Taylored Expressions, Birch tree Accessory Set.  I've paired it with the Fir Tree set from Impression Obsession, Star of Wonder (Memory Box), Christmas Baubles (Poppystamps) and some additional snowflakes from my Martha Stewart/All Over The Page 'Aspen Flurry'.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture but the stag and the medium sized fir tree have been mounted on foam pads for added dimension.  I should probably also mention (as the picture does not capture it at all) that other than the snowflake embossed background, the top of the ornament and the white snowflakes, everything else (including the card base) has been cut from Centura card.  I'm slowly growing fond of it's subtle shimmery effect :)

Do you like the embossing on my fir trees?  I used my Sizzix/Alterations Pine Branch folder for this. I haven't used this folder before today but I like the effect :)

Some grass from a very hard to get hold of (not to mention very expensive) Martha Stewart/Edge Punch (again procured from the USA)...

And that's one card ready for Christmas:)

Here's the design that was used as inspiration...

As you can see, I digressed from a purely white on white card.  I still haven't tried one of those as yet!

Why don't you try playing along with the next MUSE: Christmas Visions challenge?

'Bye for now...

Donna.