'Charming' Silver, Black & White Christmas Dress Card

Hello Blog Friends, I hope you like today's card, 'Charming' Black and White Christmas Dress Card! I always struggle with monochrome cards but I have to say, I am quite pleased with this one - let me know if you agree?

Card Recipe:
Stamp:Kanban
Tools: Tonic Studios - Mannequin Tag Die Set; Tres Belle Base Die Set; Domed Windows Die Set, Free Christmas Tree Die, Grand Calibur
Colouring Mediums: Versafine Ink Pad, Distress Ink Pads, Versamark, WOW embossing powder
Paper and Card: Stardream, Pearlescent White, Flocked Card, Velvet Paper
Embellishments: Organza Flocked Sheer, silver-tone Christmas Charms, rhinestone crystals, 3mm double satin ribbon.
It's our new challenge over at an Oldie But A Goodie and this fortnight the theme (picked by Natali) is 'Charming - use a Charm'.  Now whilst the inspiration for this card came from my brand new Tonic Die Sets (Tres Belle Square and Mannequin Tag), all the elements actually on my card are well and truly over 6 months old!  So, if you have lots (or even a little) old stash to use up, come on over to an Oldie But a Goodie and join in with this fortnight's theme with a chance to win a lovely prize.  So let's have a closer look at some of the elements on this card....

As soon as I got my Tonic Studios Mannequin Tag Die Set, I knew I wanted to make a dress card.  I started this card with the intention of making a dress-shop window with the dress behind the window.  However, once made, my dress was so full, it needed to go in-front of the window, so the whole concept of the card changed.

I made the dress by die-cutting 3 circles of a gorgeous swirl-flocked organza sheer fabric.  The circles were layered and gathered together to form the dress skirt.  I made the bodice by tracing around the bodice of the mannequin die and cutting it out before covering the top in a double layer of organza.  I stuck the skirt to the bottom half and used a narrow strip of double satin ribbon to hide the join.  A few rhinestone crystals added some bling for Christmas!

There were three stages to creating the stamped window scene.  Firstly, I wanted the effect of falling snow, which I did by tapping the end of a brush in Versamark Ink and tapping this onto my stamping card, before heat-embossing with opaque white embosssing powder. I then punched out a circle mask and coloured the rest of my stamping card with Black Soot Distress Ink. Finally, I removed the mask and stamped my Santa with Flying Reindeer in Versafine Black Ink.

I die-cut my window from white cardstock and backed it with an offcut of acetate (from some packaging heading for the bin!), before lining up my Christmas Sky scene behind it.

On this occasion, I've inlaid the window into my background card, it adds a stage to making your card but gives a more realistic finish.

Isn't the little stocking charm just so sweet?  But not as sweet as my Christmas Tree die cut - and that's because this die came for free (and there's nothing better than free) with a card-making magazine!

My photography doesn't really show this to well (apologies) but the damask background has been created from my new Tres Belle Square Dies, cutting a layer of black velvet paper and backing it with white pearlescent card.  

A second silver-tone charm, this time a pretty snowflake, adds to the 'Charming' theme over at an Oldie but a Goodie, do pop over and join in with this fortnight's challenge, they are always great fun and the perfect excuse to dig out old stash to use up.





So here's one final look at my card

This card was showcased in the following challenge:
Die-Cuttin Divas - Anything Goes Pin It Now!

Altered Christmas Cannister Tin

It's new challenge time over at an Oldie But A Goodie, but before I get onto the new challenge, can I just say thank you to all the wonderful crafters who entered my Dies and Punches challenge.  With well over 200 entries, I think it's been our biggest response ever!  If you pop over to an Oldie But Goodie to see this fortnight's challenge, you'll see the winner of the fantastic prize from Tonic Studios and the top picks.

I partake in a Secret Santa Swap on a craft forum and I always use it as an opportunity to do something a bit different from a card.  This project alters a canister of Biscotti Biscuits into a really feminine festive treat.   


So this was a perfect project to showcase the current challenge at an OBAG, which is a BINGO grid and I've chosen Ribbon, Pearls and Glitter. The "oldies" on my project include stamp, DCWV paper and card, lace, ribbon, crystals, charm, pearls, beads, promarker pens, ink and more!

I've also used a number of techniques including

Paper piecing ● Ribbon threading ● Fussy Folding ● Digital Die Cutting ● Manual Die Cutting ● Glittering ● Spritzing ● Charm Making ● Inking ● Accenting ● Decoupage ● Chalking ● and Lace Colouring 

Project Recipe:
Stamp: A-may-zing Crafter's Companion
Colouring Mediums: Memento Black Ink Pad, Promarker Pens, Cosmic Shimmer Mica Mist, Peebles Inc Chalk
Paper and Card: DCWV, Sateen Elegance
Tools: Spellbinders, Grand Calibur, Silhouette Cameo
Embellishments: Lace, Organza Ribbon, Double Satin Ribbon, rhinestone crystals, glitter, eye-head pin, glass and pearl beads, silver-tone charm.

There are quite a few stages to altering this canister, so I'll take it step-by-step.

Step 1 - Altering the Cannister Tube

I choose as my inspiration an absolutely gorgeous sheet of DCWV Christmas Glittered Card Stock that came in a QVC TSV year's ago - I loved both the beautiful images and the striking combination of black, magenta pink and white colours.  I carefully measured the height and diameter of the cannister twice before cutting, with only 1 sheet of this lovely card, I couldn't afford any mistakes.  I used Collall glue to adhere the sheet of card to the cannister.

To make the trimmings, I first coloured a piece of lace with one of my Promarker pens. Although I had used Cerise on my stamped image (see step 3), when I tested that on a small piece of lace, it looked to neon for my taste, so I used a softer pink instead.  I then threaded a narrow band of 3mm black double satin through the lace.  

Finally, I layered this onto the top and bottom of the cannister, starting with a wide band of black organza, and topped this with the lace threaded with the black satin.  On the top trimming band, I added a triple bow made from more wide black organza and 15mm magenta double satin.  Finally, using a eye-head pin, I created a hand-made pearl and crystal drop with snowflake charm.

Step 2 - Altering the Cannister Lid

I chose a cannister where the lid went inside the tube rather than fitting over the top.  This helps when doing an altered project as once you've added the extra papers and trimmings to the tube, the original lid may no longer fit if it needs to go over the outside of the tube.  If you are altering something like a Pringles canister, you may need to make a completely new lid to fit over the extra thickness of the tube once altered.

I used an origami fold to create the outer circle of the lip topper.  This is made by fancy folding 8 circles (in 2 patterns) and then adhering them to a scalloped base.  It would have been preferable to have had double-sided paper for this element but more coordinating papers were single-sided, so I colour-washed the back of the black patterned paper with a very pale shade of pink with a FlexMarker pen. 

On top of this layer, I added a layered Spellbinders Poinsettia and hot pink rhinestone  crystals.  Finally, I spritzed the whole lid with Cosmic Shimmer Mica Mist to give it a subtle shimmer.



Step 3 - The Stamped Topper

I love this sassy boot stamp made by Crafter's Companion in conjunction with Nigel May and have been itching to use it since I bought it in a sale in the New Year.  I started by stamping the image onto a piece of Elegance Satin stamping card.  I also stamped the image onto hot pink textured card, and patterned paper.  Using the paper piecing technique, I layered together the different cards and papers to create the boot.  I then coloured the rest of the image with a promarker pen before adding glitter accents and tiny rhinestone crystals. Finally, I chalked around the image and also spritzed it with Cosmic Shimmer Mica Mist.

I cut out the image with a spellbinders label die and created the matching narrow mat on my Silhouette Cameo using the trace technique.



Here's one final look at this Altered Christmas Canister:














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Deck the Halls Christmas Door Hanger!

Deck The Halls! - which is exactly what I've done when I made this decorative Christmas door hanger! It features the new Verso Christmas Holly Wreath and Christmas Sentiments Die Sets, along with a fair bit of fussy folding (more on that later)!

Project Recipe:
Tools: Tonic Studios Holly Wreath Die Set, Tonic Studios Christmas Sentiments Die Set 1,  Grand Calibur, Corner Rounder, Kushgrip Art Knife, Tonic Craft Tacky Glue
Mediums: Double-sided adhesive sheets, Versmark Inkpad, Shabby Blue Frantage
Paper & Card: DCWV
Embellishments: glitter, metal snowflake charms

I the hanger base is a piece of thin cardboard (either from a cereal packet or, as in my case, the bit if cardboard that you get in clothes for posting when they are bought online). This was cut to size (25cm x 10.5cm) and the tag shape created by cutting off the corners at the top (3.5cm down and 2 cm in on each side) and using my 10mm Tonic Studios corner rounder at the bottom.  I then spread Craft Tacky glue thinly over the tag and adhered a patterned paper to one side, retrimmed the resptective corners, then repeated for the other side.  I "hid" the cardboard sandwich by then going around the raw edges with a promarker pen.  Finally, I cut the hole to create the door hanger using the smallest circle in the Tonic Studios Verso Holly Wreath Die Set - it was the perfect size!

Now, I'm not going to lie, the next step was fiddly!  To make the wreath decoration, you will need to cut 2 medium wreaths, 2 small wreaths and a small circle from cardstock (about 250gsm, and the wreaths need their centres whole). Fold and score each wreath to create 8 even segments.  Make a small hole in the centre and then cut up one of the score lines to the centre on each wreath.  Now score and fold in the centre of alternating segments (these will create your peak folds).  On the smaller wreath, you will now be cursing me, as this is very fiddly - but the effect is lovely!  All you need to ensure is that for each pair of same sized wreaths, that you start this extra scoring clockwise on one and anti-clockwise on the other (so the folded segments are not in the same place).  On the medium wreaths, pinch up your peaks and apply a small amount of tacky glue to hold in place.  Adhere the two halves of the medium wreath to the small circle.  For the smaller wreath, apply a small amount of tacky glue to the back and then carefully arrange over the medium wreath. I used a pair of tweezers to help me manipulate the folded wreaths into place. Decorate the centre with a brad, gem, or (in my case) a bling-y button!  Accent the decoration with flitters of glitter.

The Deck the Halls message came from Tonic Studios Christmas Sentiments die set 1, which I then heat embossed with  Shabby Blue Frantage, as it provides a lovely textured and dimensional finish.  I also frantaged some metal snowflake charms and attached them with glue.  Finally, I used a sheet of double-sided adhesive on an off-cut of white cardstock to cut out a small holly wreath (with the centre cut out too).  I then covered the cut-out in iridescent glitter and adhered it to the hanger hole. 

It's always good to know that I'm not just chatting to myself, so please do leave me a message if you've liked this post!  

Here's one last look at this Christmas Door Hanger which I'm entering into the following challenges

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Sneak Peek - Tonic Studios Star Box & Christmas Cracker Dies!

It may be the hottest week for 9 month's but in Dips' house, it's getting all festive.  Why's that - because I've been having a play with Tonic Studios brand new range of Christmas Dies, want to have a peek?

The Christmas Cracker Die is brilliant, as well as the cracker die, it comes with 3 fabulous Festive phrases dies - so useful for all your Christmas projects, and I've used the Merry Christmas phrase (separated) on the cracker .  I've also teamed this cracker die with two other Tonic Studio products, the obvious one is the new Gothic border punch, but can you guess how I made the base of the bauble topper?  I used the bird cage door from the Bird Cage Die.

I have so many ideas of how to use this three-dimensional Star Box ornament die. The die itself comes with coordinating medallion dies, which can be used with the star box or separately.

Update: I've had several questions on dimensions on this.  The Die cuts a shape that is 18cm long but this is before you concertina-up each end. As you can see, I extended my cracker with the Gothic border.  Without this, my cracker would be about 15.5cm long, and with the borders, about 18.5 cm long.

To make the rosette toppers, I cut a strip of patterned paper and scored it every 5mm on my score board, folded it concertina style and stuck the ends together.  I then pushed this down to form a round and stuck it to either a circle (on the star box) or the bauble that I made (on the cracker).  I then topped it with a cinnamon stick, some evergreen spruce, a satin ribbon bow and a little charm.  The charms were actually silver-tone, but I covered them in versa-mark ink followed by pearl gold embossing powder and heated them, it worked like, well, a charm!

Don't forget to tune into Ideal World on Friday at midday and Create and Craft at 7pm and then again on Saturday at 5pm to see these dies and more! More details at Tonic Studios.

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