May 29, 2015

Hand Embossed Wedding

Amy Jasper As You See It Challenge, Techniques As You See It, card, embossing, Itty Bitty Accents, Stampin' Up, technique, wedding 3 Comments

Tip Top Taupe is my new favourite neutral colour. The new annual Stampin’ Up catalogue launches on June 2nd along with a whole new set of 2015-2017 In Colours, like Tip Top Taupe!

I am a designer for the As You See It challenge blog and have the privilege of sharing a card with you each week according to the challenge put out by AYSI. Here’s your inspirational sketch for this week:

This layout inspired me to try a weaving technique with the Tip Top Taupe 1″ Dotted Lace Trim and the Hearts Border Punch with Blushing Bride cardstock. What a beautiful combination those two colours make! I also thought I would try a hand-embossing technique using a stylus and the Stampin’ Pierce Mat.

Check it out!

Can you see how the leaves from the Summer Silhouettes stamp set are raised? I stamped them first with Blushing Bride ink; stamping off on a scrap piece of paper to lighten the colour, then adding more ink on the tips of the leaves before stamping on my cardstock. I used the Simply Scored Stylus to outline the image on the front of the card, then I flipped the cardstock over and traced over the outline again and filled it in by rubbing the fatter end of the stylus in small circular patterns. All this was done over the Stampin’ Pierce mat as you need a surface that has a bit of give to it, while still offering stability.The most challenging parts of this card for me: adhering the bulk of the lace between the taupe layer and the punched layer without making a mess, and lining up the mosaic patterned stamp (also from the Summer Silhouette stamp set) as it needed to be stamped twice in Tip Top Taupe ink to make it across the card. A Stamp-a-ma-jig would have been the smart way to go, but I decided to try it without and only messed it up once!

Also used on this card: A thin mat of Whisper White cardstock, Whisper White Baker’s Twine, Basic Pearls, the sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and is stamped in Jet Black Stazon ink, Tip Top Taupe ink was sponged around the edges of the taupe layer, and the small heart from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack was used to punch out a bit of love from the gold lettered paper of the Neutrals Colour Collection paper which I coloured with my Blushing Bride Stampin’ Write Marker.

So, be sure to check out the As You See It Challenge blog and play along!

I hope you’ll leave a comment and let me know what you think of my take on the sketch. What do you think of the puffed sections of lace? Do they work or are they silly? Have you tried embossing by hand before? How successful were you and what tools did you use?

I’d love to hear from you!

Amy

May 22, 2015

Strawberry Thanks

Amy Jasper As You See It Challenge As You See It, card, challenge, embossing, Stampin' Up 1 Comment

Strawberry Slush and Basic Black card stock, make a stunning combination on this thank you card designed for the As You See It Challenge blog this week.

Not sure what I think of the staples adorning the top of this card. What do you think?

I love the Designer Series Paper Packs that are in the upcoming catalogue. This black and white handwriting is so fun!

This design showcases the retiring Chalk Talk stamp set and the retiring Strawberry Slush cardstock.

Hope you try this sketch for yourself and share it with us on the As You See It site for challenge #88.

Amy

May 15, 2015

Words of Encouragement

Amy Jasper As You See It Challenge Alphabet Press, As You See It, card, challenge, Dictionary, embossing, from my heart, Stampin' Up, Tip Top Taupe 1 Comment

Sometimes, a monochromatic card gives me comfort and Stampin’ Up always makes it easy. My design is a simple and clean Sahara Sand card with many words, but one intent: to encourage.

It all began with this sketch from the As You See It Challenge blog. Be sure to visit it and see what the other designers created using this same sketch!

I used Saharah Sand cardstock for my base and was determined to use Stampin’ Up product that is currently on the retiring list. I am very sad to see most of these items retiring, but will likely hang onto a few of my favourites, while others will go into my “For Sale” bin.

I chose a simple sentiment that is in the “From My Heart” stamp set and stamped it with Early Espresso ink. That layer of Sahara Sand cardstock is over a square layer of the same colour that is stamped with the Dictionary background stamp, also in Early Espresso. I only tapped lightly in a few spots on the paper while it laid over the rubber stamp so that I could get an uneven image.

The base of the card was embossed using the Alphabet Press embossing folder and the Big Shot so that only about 3/4 of the card front was actually in the folder. The remaining 1/4 of the card front was scored multiple times to create the striped embossed area near the folded side of the card.

I used Neutral Candy Dots and the Essentials Wooden Elements as the only embellishments on the card along with a strip of the (not yet available) Tip Top Taupe cardstock. I love using my Banner Punch to cut perfect v-shaped ends for banners and flags. It’s so easy!

As usual, there are many Stampin’ Dimensionals to lift each of the paper layers. If you don’t use these little foam dots, you are sorely missing out on instantly stepping up your projects! Make sure you order some!

I hope you’ll try this challenge. I found it difficult, but I’m sure you’ll breeze through it once you get started. I LOVE my final result and will be proud to give this card to someone who’s going through a rough patch.

Amy.