Creative Cardmaker: Gold, vellum and layers...

Happy November! I can't believe it's November already...oh my! I have another quick card tutorial up for you at the Scrapbook Expo blog. Swing by to see how to make this card!

I've used Gossamer Blue's gorgeous Gramercy Road line. I couldn't help but to pull it out for fall again...it's perfect in every way!! Don't you just love that gold embossed floral paper?! The sentiment is stamped with Papertrey Ink's Basket of Blessings stamp set in Dark Chocolate and Classic Kraft inks. I'll see you soon. Be sure to check out my SHOP tab at the top of my blog, I'll be adding new things here and there! Happy fall!

Danielle

SAF Free Exclusive stamp set!

Papertrey Ink has a fun online Stamp-a-Faire event coming up this weekend, and the best part is that it's FREE! Anyone can attend, create cards or projects for the challenges, watch the videos we have prepared for you, and chat with us in the forum!

Here is a card made with a new stamp set called Fashion Sense by Papertrey Ink. Fashion Sense will ONLY be available on Stamp-a-faire day to all customers who make a qualifying $100 purchase. All orders made between 7am EST and 11:30pm EST on Stamp-a-faire Day (August 29, 2015) that total $100 (before shipping) will receive the set for FREE!

Kindness is Always Fashionable card:
STAMPS: SAF Exclusive stamp set
INK: Classic Kraft, True Black, Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy
PAPER: white, patterned paper by My Mind's Eye - Market Street
DIES: Sentiment Splits: Curve Vertical,  Tiny Tags
OTHER: washi tape -  Michaels, twine - The Twinery, triangle clip - unknown.
______

Be sure to check out what the other designers have done with this cute stamp set!

Amy Sheffer
Ashley Cannon Newell
Betsy Veldman
Dawn McVey
Laurie Willison
Lizzie Jones
Maile Belles
Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

The Creative Cardmaker...

I am so excited to announce that I will now be hosting a weekly blog column over at Scrapbook Expo's blog, the Weekly Scrapper! Each week, I'll post a handmade card or two along with techniques, videos and so much more to help inspire you in your card making. Hope you'll stop by!

Today I'm up with my first post. I've been asked a few questions on how I made the multi-colored embossed sentiments in my April 15th blog post, so I thought that would be a fun place to start. I'll share with you tips and techniques on how to achieve this multi-colored embossed effect.

Swing over to the Weekly Scrapper blog to see this new tutorial on achieving a fun look with these powders on your cards... and stop back each Tuesday for more card making ideas and inspiration!

And I have one more thing to tend to. I completely forgot to choose a random winner for the Craftsy class giveaway... Congrats Marianne-g! Please send me an email at dflanders71@hotmail.com to claim your free Craftsy class!

marianne-g said...

I've been a fan of your cards for years. I would love to take your class.

July 10, 2015 at 8:25 AM 

Want to win a Craftsy online class?

Welcome to a special blog hop hosted by instructors at Craftsy.com, an online classroom platform that includes classes on scrapbooking, card making, paper crafting and much more! 

Spend a little time getting to know each instructor on this list and the classes they teach through Craftsy. You'll discover that some of your favorite teachers are now offering classes through this incredible platform. Look for special giveaways from the instructors and leave a comment on the participating blogs for your chance to win! Then join us on Craftsy for inspiring new ways to craft and learn!

A little about me:
Many of you have been blog readers of mine for some time now, but for those of you who are new to my work, I'd like to take a minute to introduce myself! My name is Danielle Flanders, and I've been paper crafting for about 15 years now. It all began when my first daughter was born. I wanted to document her life as a baby and create a memory book for her. Since then, I've worked for many paper and stamp manufacturers and am so grateful to have had my work published numerous times. Cardmaking is a favorite pasttime of mine as well. I love to send happy mail to make people smile! I would say my style is trendy, light and airy, clean - yet layered, girly and colorful.

About my Craftsy class:
The class I'm teaching with Craftsy is: Cards With Dimension: Lovely Layers, Textures and Embellishments.  By clicking the link, I'm happy to offer 1/2 off my class today! Sign up and watch the class anytime, at your own pace. Ask questions of the instructors and post pictures of your cards in the class platform as well! It's a great way to work on your cardmaking skills and gain feedback from the Craftsy instructors. You can read more about the class HERE. In the class, I focus on creative and simple ways to add texture to your cards with embossing, stitching, embellishing tips and ways to use vellum, tips on layering patterned papers and much more!

(Photos shown are actual cards from the class.)

Giveaway:

Would you like to win a spot in my online class? Please leave a comment. Let me know what would you would like to learn the most from an online paper crafting class? Giveaway will end Thursday, July 16 at midnight EDT. Next, hop on to the other instructors' blogs for more giveaways:

Wilna Furstenberg 

Jen Gallacher 

Nichol Magouirk 

Aly Dosdall 

Paige Evans

Danielle Flanders (you are here!)

Make It Monday video tutorial: Bringing the Inside Out...

Good morning. I hope you are all having a bright, sunny start to your day and are ready to break out your stamps and dies for the next Make It Monday challenge! I've got a new video up for you on "Bringing the Inside Out", which you can see HERE at Nichole's blog.

First, to decorate the outside of the card, I've used the new Make It Market Mini: Garden Guild stamp set.

Then to bring the inside of the card out to the front, a circle is die cut through the front of the card with the Limitless Layers 2.5" Circle die collection. The Scripted stamps and dies were used for the sentiment and a flower from Quilted: Summer added to the inside.
Using this technique of die cutting a peek-a-boo window and decorating the inside with a pop of color allows you to add some much needed color to an otherwise boring inside of the card! And you still get the enjoy the pop of color on the outside as well...two for one! I hope you'll play along in the challenge over at Nichole's blog for your chance to win a Papertrey Ink gift certificate. Thank you for swinging by today! Be sure to check out the video HERE.

You Brighten My Days card:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Make It Market Mini: Garden Guild, Quilted: Summer, Scripted

INK: Pure Poppy, Harvest Gold, Aqua Mist, Simply Chartreuse, Ripe Avocado

PAPER: Fresh Snow Fine Linen Cardstock, Harvest Gold Pattern Pack

DIES: Scripted, Quilted: Summer

OTHER: Gold metallic thread - Coats & Clark, sequins - Pretty Pink Posh.

Elle's Studio: April...

Do you love to work with die cuts? If so, you should check out the Elle's Studio kits sometime. They have a new kit for April available today, and the little pieces are so cute. I love to layer these on cards. Here on this card I used two of the die cuts from the April kit. One is the "hello triangle card", and the other is the "thinking of you" die cut.

Behind the Hello card, I used an Elle's Studio paper from their new Cienna line called Flowers. I also cut a few of the little flowers out to add to the front of my card as well.

Next I used the "Happy Note" die cut and the striped card from the April kit and layered them together. I put the striped die cut behind and just let a bit of it peek out from the top for color.

The sentiment on the front is from Elle's Studio - Shine Cutouts. And I added a Studio Calico flag, enamel dot and twine. The background paper is the Adorable paper from the Cienna line. Those little flags were actually from the kit I used in my Craftsy class. You can get them HERE.

These are the adorable cut files and printables for April.
I really need to get my Silhouette going again, so I can try these out!...

Elle's Studio also has grab bags available, too. This only happens twice a year so this is your chance to stock up and SAVE! There are three different types of bags to choose from: Scrapbook, Stamp, and Journaling Tags. These grab bags are available while supplies last, but they probably won't last long, so make sure you grab them now! 

Here are the links to shop the April deals at Elle's Studio: 

April kit, April printable, April cut file, Scrapbook grab bag, Stamp grab bag, Journaling tag grab bag. 

Stop by to see all of the design team's work this month in the gallery for more inspiration!

keeping organized and accountable...

Well, have you recovered from the February release yet? I've been so inspired by all of the new products this past month and projects by the team. And I'm ready to see what's next! Are you?

I've finally started writing in my new Moments Inked planner after three weeks. I think I feared it because I wasn't sure what I'd use it for. Laundry? Dishes? My life is pretty boring outside the occasional school play and dentist appointment, ya know? But I decided it would hold me accountable for exercising and meal planning (or just being more aware of what I eat, as I can keep track). So far, so good! Did over 9 miles the past 3 days on the treadmill and am eating healthier, and now I can be proud to write in those accomplishments! It's holding me accountable, which I love! If you want to read more about the planner, visit this link: Moments Inked Planner.

I've also been working on photographing my cards for the Craftsy class, so if you are taking the class be sure to check into the Class Project section to see them in closer detail. And please, please upload your cards as well! I want to see them! If you haven't purchased the class and still want to, you can still get 1/2 off by clicking here: Cards With Dimension: Lovely Layers, Textures and Embellishments.

This is one of the cards I made as an extra sample to share at the end of the "Machine Stitching chapter". There are 7 lessons with about 3 chapters in each lesson. I make one card in each chapter (= about 21 new cards you'll see me create on camera) and then at the end of each chapter, I share at least 3 MORE card ideas using those skills in that particular chapter (= over 75 cards shown in my class)!

On this card, I've used a Pink Paislee - Color Wash paper in the background, Beautiful Butterflies dies by Papertrey Ink and a sentiment from Feather Finery.

Winter has finally hit Colorado, and we've been getting snowfall after snowfall this month! I'm so ready for spring and colorful flowers, bright green grass and spending time outdoors again. How about you?

Gossamer Blue Feb kits and a process video...

The February kits at Gossamer Blue are now available! This month the colors are more primary and bold...and fun!

The "Hugs, Hugs and More Hugs" card is made with the February main kit only. I used the bold stripe paper and added "hugs" words that I die cut with a Papertrey Ink die called Big Hugs using my Cuttlebug. I trimmed it out two times from the floral patterned paper and the one from the sun ray pattern. I used the Snap! die cuts (label and heart) and a Pebbles enamel dot from the kit. Printed out "and more" with my computer to add to the die cut.

The next card is a mix of the Feb. main kit and the Bits & Pieces kit.

Loved the frames and the clip in the Bits & Pieces kit from the Pebbles Banner Kit and wanted to use one on a card! (There are 12 of these frames in the package, so you could make a lot of cards with it!) I added a few of the Snap! paper washi tapes around the edges, then backed it with patterned papers from the main kit. I stamped "absolutely love this" with the stamp from the main kit (gorgeous font!), and die cut "thanks" with a die by Papertrey Ink from the Wet Paint Cuts Die Collection.

Also, I decided to make a process video take one of the kits that I received, open it up on camera and create two cards with it! You can watch the VIDEO here at Gossamer Blue. To make these, I've used the February Life Pages kit.

The little project life cards are so stinkin' adorable. Who says they have to be used on scrapbooking pages? There's no rule that we can't use them on cards, right?

Everything here is in the kit except the machine stitching and the seam binding.
Hope you enjoyed seeing a peek into my process. I always pick my favorite things from the kits and then figure out how they work together, for example the floral project life card with the floral chipboard. Um hello, perfect! You can use them as borders, like I did with the striped card too. Make the products work for YOU! :) 

resist stamping with watercolor...

You know me, I love my watercolors! I'm actually taking a watercolor class right now at Craftsy. Love learning more about this technique!

For today's blog post at Elle's Studio, I've done some stamping with the January stamps (hearts in background) with VersaMark ink, then heat embossed them with white embossing powder. I painted over the top with my watercolor paints starting at the top with a darker, more saturated color, then adding more water to get a lighter color as I painted down the card for an ombre effect!

You can always add more color if it's not dark enough at first! Watercolor paper is an easy medium to work with for blending color.

After dry, I added some Elle's Studio die cuts and wood veneer that I've painted red. Visit the Elle's Studio blog for a complete supply list for these two cards and see a super cute Valentine card by Lisa Dickinson and one by Waleska Neris!

It's been so nice here, almost 70 degrees, so we have been enjoying the sunny, warm break from winter here in Colorado! Hope all is well with you. Happy crafting!

Cards With Dimension: an online class...

After several months of hard work and patiently waiting for the final result, I'm finally able to reveal something that I worked on feverishly last fall...an online class with Craftsy.com! It's here, it's here! We'll be creating standout cards that are beautifully layered, textured and embellished. I'll offer you tips and tricks to achieve that elegant, professional look to your cards!

Cards With Dimension: Lovely Layers, Textures & Embellishments

(Fancy title, eh? They are so crafty at Craftsy.)

I am going to tell you a little secret! When Craftsy contacted me last fall, and I heard that I would be filmed on camera, my first reaction was, "Oh gosh, no. No, no, no." I'm not really one for being in the spotlight. I'm very quiet and shy (until I get to know you, then I talk up a storm! ha), so for me to go on camera was a huge stretch out of my comfort zone and my little studio at home! I'm much more comfortable being behind the scenes and behind the computer. Maybe I'm just used to it after all of these years of creating and blogging and doing my thing from home! After I gave it some thought... a lot of thought...and talked to my husband about it, he very much encouraged me to go for it. Try something new. Grow. Learn. Take some chances! Put myself out there a bit more. So...hesitantly...I said yes. After all, I love sharing ideas and inspiring others to bring out their creativity!

From that moment on, Craftsy was WONDERFUL to work with. My acquisitions editor worked with me weekly to develop the content and devise an outline of what I was going to teach. We also put together a mini kit that is optional to the class, and of course it is chock full of supplies that I adore! I used everything in the kit on my cards for the class (plus a few other things not in the kit, like some stamps and dies by Papertrey Ink). The great thing is that you can pick one or two items to buy, or you can grab ALL of the items to go with the class! OR you don't have to buy a thing. It's totally up to you. :) If you'd like to follow along and try some of the card ideas, grab a kit. You'll love it! Here's a sneak peek. Click here to see the kit items that I used, available at Craftsy.

In the class, there are approximately 30 never-before-seen projects, and I'll also show several more cards as extra examples of the lesson at the end of each chapter. So all together you'll see over 70 cards throughout the class! (And please...ignore my long, scraggly hair and the scared look on my face! Ha I have cut it short since then! And by the end of the class, I promise I'm not as scared of the camera. Hee)

We'll cover ways to incorporate patterned papers, how to mix and match them and how to layer. And let's be honest: as paper crafters, we all LOVE embellishments! They're fun to work with and make our designs to much more visually appealing. I'll share ideas for incorporating a variety of embellishments for cards that are multi-dimensional and absolutely captivating.

We'll also work with texture in several ways, and I can't wait to show you my process when creating a dimensional card.

Currently, the class is $29.99, however, as a huge thank you to you for being a blog reader of mine, I can offer the class to you for 50% off! YAY! Click HERE to purchase the class for 1/2 price.  You must create a log-in to see the description for the class, I believe. Thank you for letting me share about this journey with you. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to stretch myself, and truly hope you enjoy the class on techniques for creating dimension. xo

P.S. Have you seen the Vibrant Stamping class by Laura Bassen? She's so adorable and fun, you'll love her class!

Danielle

Gossamer Blue: January kits...

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to put the holiday stuff away and am longing for spring again already! The January kits are available at Gossamer Blue and are so pretty! Have you signed up for their kits yet? Don't forget, you can cancel at any time with no cancellation fee, and I PROMISE you'll adore these kits like I do! Amazing...each and every month! Here are two cards made mainly with the main Jan. kit.

The only thing I used extra was an enamel dot from the Jan. Life Pages kit on this one below. I simply cut the big gold heart (which I used on my other blog post, coming soon!) and used just a portion of it at the top of this card, along with other die cuts from the main kit, and then a bit of seam binding from my stash.

The gorgeous die cuts are by Crate Paper in the main kit, from their Kiss Kiss line. I adore them! You could make ENDLESS cards with these, there are so many in one package! Just lay out little layers of die cuts and other products you like together and then add them to a card! If you saw my post on Instagram a couple of weeks ago, you'll see how I like to lay out all different little vignettes with my goodies, and go from there to build cards.

Main kit only here, love that typed vellum. Oh my goodness. I love anything with type on it, and any kind of vellum, so I was in heaven.

I did add a tiny bit of mica flakes from my stash for some sparkle without adding bulk.

The last card is a mix of the main January kit and the Life Pages kit. The background paper is by Dear Lizzy's Serendipity line!

Layer, layer, layer. Love how all of these items are tucked together. So much fun, they fit perfectly together. The red stripe is an edge I cut off of one of the main Jan. kit 12x12" papers.

I have more to show you soon with these kits soon. Thank you dear friends for stopping by, I am always grateful for each one of you! Danielle