Today I'm sharing a couple of cards with you. I held my monthly class online at the start of the week and it featured the Merriest Moments bundle and following the discussions we had on the call I wanted to share another couple of cards featuring the most versatile of bundles. My first card is for the current challenge over at The Alphabet Challenge Blog, where they are on 'N is for No Layer'. I made the simplest of cards using a festive red and white colour combination - take a look:
I embossed my thick basic white card base directly with the Merriest Frames Hybrid Embossing Folder and stamped my sentiment directly into the frame centre in Real Red. This embossing folder really is so pretty and whilst I did try a version adding some colour to the foliage, I didn't like it anywhere near as much as the 'naked' version - the detail of the embossing is stunning and I'm not sure that the photos do it justice:
This really is one of the easiest cards to make and would be great both for cards that need to be sent overseas and weight is an issue for example, or you simply want an impressive design that can be produced in multiples really quickly.
For my second card, I wanted to use the same embossing folder to join this week's trend week challenge over at Just Us Girls where they are asking us to experiment with a technique called heat embossed embossing folders:
If you've never tried this technique before, you should definitely watch Jennifer McGuire's video on it where she gives a thorough overview and lots of examples - you can see her video here. I've never tried it before, but though the Merriest Frames Hybrid Embossing Folder would be a great one to experiment with. For this card, I went bold with a festive Real Red and metallic gold colour combination - take a look:
I decided to use the whole embossing folder and not cut out the foliage frame, as I wanted the background detail too. I added my red panel to a red card base, and also heat embossed my sentiment into gold onto a red stitched rectangle which I popped up on dimensionals in the centre of the frame, adding a trio of red sparkly faceted dots for good measure. Check out the detail that the heat embossing adds to the foliage:
This was a really fun technique to try and I have to say I think the key to getting a good finish is to use a traditional rubber brayer to ink the flat side of your embossing folder with the Versamark - this way you don't get it into areas where you don't want to see the heat embossed detail and it picks out the surrounding space easily. This was my first attempt and will definitely be experimenting with other versions (and embossing folders!) If this technique is something that interests you, you should definitely check out the Just Us Girls DT samples and the gallery, where you will also see another sample using this embossing folder made by one of my lovely class attendees, Deborah Wheeler - how great that we were both inspired following my class!
I was asked by one of my customers last week, "If you could only choose one new bundle this Christmas, which one would it be?" This was a question that required much thought before answering, not least because I have never been known to buy just one stamp set and the beauty of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is that I acquire lots and lots of stamp sets cheaply or even for free! I decided that if I was only buying one bundle, it would have to be something that was versatile; I would want to be able to do lots of things with it and not get bored due to a lack of creative opportunities. The answer I gave to that customer? The Merriest Moments Bundle - it absolutely delivers on all fronts!
Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's projects for you to pin for easy reference:
You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any.
Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!
Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: