Tonic Studios

I am actually on my first design team ever, for Tonic Studios! They make some wonderful punches, trimmers, Tim Holtz scissors, etc., so pop on over and have a look around.

I did a couple of projects for Mother’s Day, a journal and a card.

The journal is one I purchased and I just created a cover for it, using some Tonic Studios punches along with a Spellbinders die, some ribbon and a few gems & pearls. The scalloped borders, butterfly, and flowers are all Tonic Studio punches. They punch like a dream and they have so many beautiful designs. The Simplicity Border Punches are geared punches, so no more getting the paper stuck in the punch! I can’t wait to use some of the other ones they sent.

Punches - Simplicity Dotty Border (#778), Multi-Detail Butterfly (#925) & Petal Pairs Set 2 (#935)

For the card I used a couple of different punches, accented with some adhesive pearls. The stamp is from Gina K Designs and the patterned paper is Basic Grey’s Kioshi.

Punches - Border System (#605), Fancy Edger 1 (#940), & Butterflies Accent (#952)

You can download the complete instructions over on Missy’s blog. I am excited about being on the design team and you will be seeing more projects using their wonderful punches.

Thanks for stopping by – I hope you are all having a wonderful week.

A little decorative punching and a reject

I have had this Martha Stewart punch for a while and didn’t really know what to do with it until I saw another card - online, of course - using it like this. I gotta tell ya, it isn’t easy to line this thing up and this was not my first attempt. This is just the first one that turned out well. I added some twine (and it still looks crooked to me, doesn’t something look crooked to you?) and used the Stamp-a-ma-Jig to stamp the sentiment. I wasn’t about to take the chance of messing up the stamping at this point. I love the look, but those punches are so difficult to work with and get stuck so easily that it’s not something I would do every day.

 

This was a failed attempt at using that Hero Arts stamp, embossed with white and colored with colored pencils. The coloring is not that great because the card stock is textured, and the squiggly border is awful. I like the look of the colors against the gray, but not the end result on this one. I will give it another go, but I will use smooth card stock next time, if I can find some, and use a ruler to create the border. I wonder if I can get those gems off of the card.

Pink flowers and butterflies

As I was going through some of my scrap drawers the other day I came across this image that was stamped a while ago and stashed away.

It had a small spot on one of the flowers that didn’t stamp entirely but apparently I couldn’t bear to toss it. So I covered up that part with a punched butterfly (Martha Stewart punch), mounted it on to some pink scalloped card stock and on to a gray card, added another butterfly and a couple of pearls. I’m glad I didn’t throw it away! The stamp is by Stampendous and it’s a couple of years old, I think, but I can’t part with it. It’s one of those versatile images that never go out of style. The sentiment is by…..

 

wait for it…….

 

Hero Arts! Surprised?? Nah, I didn’t think so.

Cuttlebug Border Embossing Folders and Plumber’s Gasket

I posted some cards last week on which I used the Cuttlebug border embossing folders and some plumber’s gasket. A couple of people asked for a more detailed explanation of just how the technique is done, so I got out the folders and the camera and here’s how I do it.

This is the plumber’s gasket. It looks a lot like the red rubber from which stamps are made and it comes in 6” x 6” pieces. I use the 1/8” thickness. I do have some that is 1/16” thick, but I really can’t remember why I bought it. I suppose it would work as well, but the sandwich would need to be different.

Trim it (I use the Tim Holtz scissors) so that it is slightly narrower than the embossing folder but make sure it covers all of the design.

                 

This is one of the really skinny folders.

 

It is a little hard to see in this photo but it is just a smidge narrower.

       

Next, place your cardstock in the folder and place it on the Big Shot platform, with just Tab 1 open. I know, I see the warning - “This is not a cutting surface!” but we aren’t cutting anything so just ignore that. Place the plumber’s gasket on top of the folder.

Put a clear plate on top and run it through the machine. My clear plate is well loved, as you can see.

There you go – a nice impression without the lines of the folder.

I do apologize to those of you with a Cuttlebug, I don’t have one so I have no idea what sandwich to use. I suggest trying just the A plate and the C plate with the plumber’s gasket, if it isn’t too thick to roll through. Do not ever force it through, it could damage the machine! If it is too thick, try shimming with layers of cardstock or chipboard with the A plate and B plate.

I bought the plumber’s gasket – actually DH bought it for me – at either Lowe’s or Home Depot in, of course, the plumbing section. It’s not expensive at all, I think it was less than $5. If you can’t find it you can always cut strips of chipboard and glue them together to make the same thickness and that should work just fine.

This method will work on the smaller square or rectangle folders, too, just cut the gasket the same way – a little smaller than the folder. It just occurred to me that it might even work for partial embossing, if you just wanted to use a portion of the regular size folder. I can’t imagine cutting a piece out of the center of the gasket, but if you only wanted to emboss half of a piece of cardstock, this just might work. I have to go give it a try now!

I hope this helps. Not go find those neglected folders and emboss something!