Merci Bouquet

I may have already mentioned how much I love Wendy Vecchi's new Tabbed Classics Collection from Spellbinders; and also that I (now) love stenciling on perforated paper. This time I used the Build a Plaid Layering Stencils (from Not Your Ordinary Card Collection) with Wendy's Archival Inks on the perforated, having cut the decorative pocket cover from the Essential Envelopes Everyday Add-On set and added more decorated stitching to the widest strip of plaid.

I decided the pocket shape was a bit like a vase (...just go with it...) and since I had a bunch of leftover blue and purple flowers (also from Everyday Add-Ons) from this post, I decided they'd be the perfect addition. I made a split background with the Polka Dot and Posy Duo Embossing Folder to set the scene. 

Check out the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi Facebook Group for lots more ideas, inspiration, tips, techniques and projects; you can thank me later!

More Pink? (YES, Of Course!)

I try not to use pink for EVERY project, even in October, but the fact is that Wendy Vecchi's Archival Ink collection from Ranger sported two of the best pinks ever: Pink Peony and Rosy Posey so it's hard to resist. For this card I made quite a loose background by "watercoloring" with Archival Ink and rubbing alcohol. 

I added some really rough stenciled flowers (also Rosy Posey, but with a heavier hand) using the stencils from Wendy's Thank You Bouquet Bundle from Spellbinders. Then I placed the dry panel, slantwise, into the Polka Dot and Posy Duo Embossing Folder and topped the whole thing off with the individual flowers from the Thank You Bouquet's emboss and cut feature. I added a soft swipe of Peachy Keen Archival and finished off with small dots of Rosy Posey Liquid Pearls in the centers. 

See the entire Tabbed Classics Collection and lots more awesome Wendy Vecchi goodies at Spellbinders!

Stenciling on Perforated Paper

One of the coolest ways Wendy Vecchi has been using her new Thank You Bouquet Bundle Stencils from Spellbinders is stenciling them on that perforated paper you can use for needlework. The question that raises is: HOW do you attach such a panel to your card? Of course you can use spray mount or any other invisible adhesive; or you can add a couple of diecuts on top of the design and hide a visible adhesive behind them. But... you can also "show your work" as they used to say in math class, and here are a couple of ideas for doing that:

Idea #1: Brads! I've added three Eyelet Outlet Dragonfly Brads, pretty evenly spaced, towards the center of this panel. I placed my stenciled flower panel on top of the pale blue mat, secured it very lightly with low-tack tape at the corners, then pierced holes through the holes of the perforated paper, threaded the brads through and opened the prongs at the back. Job done. Secure your thread ends at the back of the cardstock panel with tape.

Idea #2: Stitches! Perforated paper was literally designed to be used for stitching, and if you happen to have some laying around, chances are you have some embroidery floss, too. This time I didn't need to secure the corners because I had my brads in place, but if stitches are going to be your only attachment, you will want to keep the panel from wiggling while you pierce your holes.

Bonus Tip: How to pierce holes for stitching or brads if you don't have a paper piercer: A push pin is absolutely perfect for this, and you almost certainly already have one somewhere in your home or office. Pointed tweezers also work. Spellbinders' Tool n One (more commonly used for poking diecuts out of intricate dies) is good, as well. I actually have an ancient Heidi Swap Paper Piercer and I use it ALOT atop a piece of an old mouse mat that I saved especially, but any piece of semi-stiff foam or an old padded envelope works well to put underneath. 

(Just FYI: Yes, you really do need to pierce holes; a needle or the brads' prongs will probably not be able to go through your backing cardstock without bending or marring it. Ask me how I know!!!)

A few other ideas that I haven't shown here: Staples, either regular or decorative (especially cool with a grunge aesthetic); Eyelets; Machine stitching; and possibly... I haven't tested this but I suspect it will work... A wax seal applied on top of your design? Experiment and have fun!

So! Much! Texture!

If you haven't yet tried Spellbinders' 3D Embossing Folders, you have a treat in store because they really do live up to their name. There are two* in Wendy Vecchi's Tabbed Classics Collection, and I've used them both on this super-textural pumpkin greeting.

Ok, so, you may have noticed there are three distinct embossed patterns on this card, and you're correct about that. The ovals which make up my pumpkin (more on that in a minute) are embossed using the bouquet area of Thank You Bouquet Emboss and Cut Folder without the dies. The four small square background panels are courtesy of the Polka Dot and Posy Duo which, at 5.5 x 8.5" is big enough to emboss two A2 panels at the same time.

A few years ago I stumbled upon a social media post in which the artist showed a super-easy way to draw a pumpkin: basically, it's just five ovals. One in the center, two set behind the first one and just very slightly higher up; then two more flanking those and again a tiny bit higher up from the base line. When it comes to card-making, an even faster and easier way to do it is with five oval diecuts! I was a bit stumped for a pumpkin stem until I saw the candy corn outline dies in the Halloween Add-On set from last year's Not Your Ordinary Card Collection. It turns out, if you layer them behind and offset from each other, one large corn and two medium corns make a pretty flippin' awesome stem!

Back to the more traditional elements of the card: The large flowers are also from the Thank You Bouquet set, and YES, you really can emboss and cut at the same time, it's very cool! I added a little bit of Archival Ink to the centers and attached them to the pumpkin. The dark and medium green leaves are from the Essential Envelope Everyday Add-Ons Die Set. The pale green fronds are from The Christmas Add-On to Not Your Ordinary Card Collection; and the tiny blossoms are from the original Essential Envelopes set.

One final shot to show you the inspiration for this card, which was a super-fancy paper plate of all things... just goes to show that cool ideas can come from ANYWHERE! ♥

*There was a gorgeous 3D Embossing Folder in Wendy's last collection, too; it's called Flowers & Foliage, it's one of my alltime faves AND... it's on sale at Spellbinders. Just sayin'...

Hearts and Flowers

It's a Very Vecchi Mandala Monday! I'm using (somewhat non-traditionally) the stencils from the Thank You Bouquet 3D Emboss and Cut Bundle*, which is one of my favorite elements from the Tabbed Classics Collection that debuted on Friday from Wendy Vecchi and Spellbinders. For this creation, I used only the first three stencils in the set, because basically I just wanted the petals and the centers this time. I did, however, move the stencils a few times, so that I could have multiple repeats of each flower.

For this mandala, I "watercolored" a 12 x 6" panel of cardstock with Pink Peony Archival Ink and Isopropyl Alcohol; splashing on a little bit of Goldenrod Archival that was leftover from something else. After the panel dried, I used the Thank You Bouquet Stencils, as I mentioned above, quite selectively: coloring just the biggest flowers but giving them two sets of Rosy Posey petals, spread across the whole panel; finishing off with a coat of white gesso to make the centers pop. I filled in the non-floral areas with one of Wendy's older Studio 490 Polka Dot Backgrounds. At the end, I took a black Fineliner and added super-scribbly outlines. Then I cut out a large circle, and used the heart dies from last year's Heartfelt Thanks and Scallops set to make petals of various sizes, which I matted on bold brick red cardstock and attached around the edges of the circle.

As I said, it's not a very traditional piece in any way, but I absolutely LOVED making it and I think it shows how very flexible these sets are!

♥♥♥♥♥

*Just a reminder the Thank You Bouquet 3D Emboss and Cut Folder IS available without the stencils; but honestly... I cannot imagine NOT having the stencils, so I definitely recommend the Bundle!!!

Blue Bouquet (Blue-quet?!)

The last few days, I've been celebrating the awesome new release from Wendy Vecchi and Spellbinders; it's called the Tabbed Classics Collection, and not only is it outstanding on it's own, it builds on (and works beautifully with!) Wendy's FAB Not Your Ordinary Card Collection from last year!

One of my favorite items from the new release is the Thank You Bouquet 3D Emboss and Cut Folder Bundle. You can get JUST the Folder with Dies, but... the stencils take the whole thing to the next level, imo; so I highly recommend the Bundle!

For this card, I wanted to try using the stencils without the embossing folder or die, and I have to say I looooove the results. Since I wasn't going to incorporate any texture into the bouquet, I chose to use several shades of blue, green and yellow to add contrast to the various elements. I did add texture to the background layer, though, by embossing my pale blueish/greyish cardstock with the Polka Dot and Posy Duo 3D Embossing Folder. This folder is 5.5 x 8.5" which means you can emboss TWO A2 cardfronts at the same time; or, if you're like me and enjoy making BIG cards, you can place your panel in the center of the folder to get both dots and posies on the same piece. The sentiment is from the Thank You Bouquet set, and yes, it does emboss and cut in one step!

Be sure to check out the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi Facebook Group and Wendy's Instagram (@wendyvecchi) for lots more ideas and inspiration!

Embossed Bouquet (New Wendy Vecch!)

Yesterday saw the release of some brand new goodies from Wendy Vecchi and Spellbinders, which is always a good thing! This release is called the Tabbed Classics Collection, and I'll tell you about all of the elements in a minute, but first here's a super-textural card I made:

Ok, so the Tabbed Classics Collection consists of: the Essential Envelope Every Day Add-Ons Die Set (accessories developed to perfectly accent the Essential Envelope Die Set but honestly, all of the parts work on their own, too); the Tabbed In & Out Sentiments Stamps and Dies which give you LOTS of mix-n-match greetings perfectly sized to fit the tabs on the Add-On set; the outstanding Thank You Bouquet 3D Folder and Stencil Bundle (you can purchase just the 3D & Cut Folder on its own, but TRUST ME you definitely want the stencils!); and finally the Polka Dot & Posy Duo 3D Embossing Folder which is big enough to emboss A2-sized panels for TWO cards at the same time... or... you can split the panel to have a bit of each together, which is what I've done for the background of this card.

And now a bit more detail about the card: I embossed a square of Core'dinations Whitewashed cardstock with the Polka Dot & Posy e/f so that it was about 2/3 posies and 1/3 polka dots, then lightly sanded it to get the contrasting color. I mounted it on some gorgeous sunflower-colored felt and machine stitched onto a 5.5" square card. For the floral panel, I wanted to see if I could emboss the Thank You Bouquet on a small square without using the coordinating die to cut it out and YES, I could, and I love how it turned out. I did use the folder with the die in place to make my Thank You sentiment... I LOVE that you can emboss and cut in ONE step, and noooooo it doesn't move around once you've nestled the die, added your paper and closed the folder!

More about the embossed Thank You Bouquet: I used the 6 layering stencils that come in the Bundle and my Wendy Vecchi Archival Inks. There is a die that will cut out the whole bouquet, but I wanted to see if it would look good on a white panel (YES!) and if the stencils would allow for full coverage without getting ink outside the design (also YES!). I chose a palette of soft pink, peach, yellow and green that feels like a pastel version of autumn to me.

I've got a few more projects up my sleeve that involve the loose flowers from the 3D & Cut as well as more of the eponymous Tabs (& Sentiments) from the Tabbed Classics Collection, so be sure to stay tuned. Also, you should know that Wendy has made probably a hundred amazing samples and is revealing them bit by bit; you should definitely check out her Instagram (@wendyvecchi) and bookmark the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi Facebook Group which is a constant source of inspiration!

New Wendy Vecchi? Yes, Please!

It's time for some brand new goodies from Wendy Vecchi and Spellbinders, which is definitely cause for celebration! This release is called the Tabbed Classics Collection, and I'll explain all the elements in a minute, but first here's a couple of pocket cards I made pairing the new accessories with last year's Essential Envelope Die Set that I can't wait to show off:

Ok, so the Tabbed Classics Collection consists of: the Essential Envelope Every Day Add-Ons Die Set (accessories developed to perfectly accent the Essential Envelope Die Set but honestly, all of the parts work on their own, too); the Tabbed In & Out Sentiments Stamps and Dies which give you LOTS of mix-n-match greetings perfectly sized to fit the tabs on the Add-On set; the outstanding Thank You Bouquet 3D Folder and Stencil Bundle (you can purchase just the 3D & Cut Folder on its own, but TRUST ME you definitely want the stencils!); and finally the Polka Dot & Posy Duo 3D Embossing Folder.

For this dynamic duo of mini cards, I made pockets using the score-and-cut die from the original Essential Envelope Set, then worked in basically every accessory in the Essential Envelope Add-Ons Set to decorate them with envelope fronts, banners and lots of three-layer frilly flowers.

I used the tabbed card from the Add-On set, with mix and match greetings from Tabbed In & Out Sentiments Set. You can see the second part of the sentiments when you pull out the tabbed cards.

I love the way that literally ALL of the new items work perfectly with --and add seamlessly to-- the original collection; but the new stuff also stands on its own, and can be used separately. Oof, I nearly forgot to mention that I used the the Polka Dot & Posy Duo 3D Embossing Folder on the envelope fronts, one is embossed and one is debossed. Ok, I admit it, the latter was done ACCIDENTALLY, but it genuinely looks equally nice as such, so I left it!

I've got more projects up my sleeve, which I'll be showing off in the next few days, so be sure to stay tuned for that. In the meantime, you will most definitely want to check out the gorgeous samples Wendy has made... you can find her on Instagram as @wendyvecchi and in the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi Facebook Group.