17turtles Juliana Michaels

Christmas Cards with Layered Plaid Thinlits | Tim Holtz Sizzix Christmas 2022

We all have those dies that we reach for over and over again. Those basic shapes that are just perfect for all the things. Well, in my book, the Layered Plaid Die is one those. While I've only had the opportunity to use it for Christmas cards, I know it will be the perfect backdrop for just about any card you can imagine and regardless of your style. I also love that even though it has 3 dies that are meant to be layered to create a multi color plaid, it works just as well when you only use one of the layers.

In this blog post, I want to share with you two Christmas cards I created using the Layered Plaid die and show you how I only used one layer of the die on each of the cards. If you are looking for more inspiration on how to use this die or any of the others from the Tim Holtz Sizzix Christmas 2022 release, make sure to check out Tim's blog post.

MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD

To create this Merry Christmas card, I used the more detailed of the layers. It adds a nice touch of interest to the background when paired with the contrasting red poinsettia but not so much that it is overpowering.

I die cut the more detailed plaid layer from a piece of gold Metallic Kraftstock and layered it onto a piece of Distress Watercolor Paper that I had sprayed with Frayed Burlap Distress Stain and spritzed with a bit of water before I dried it.

For the focal point, I used the Holiday Brushstrokes 3. I sprayed separate pieces of Distress Watercolor Paper, one for each of the following Distress Spray Stains: Aged Mahogany, Fired Brick, Forest Moss, Peeled Paint, Fossilized Amber, Walnut Stain and Bundled Sage. While I was spraying the color, I added a bit of water and dried them with my heat tool. I then die cut the various layers from the different colors and put them together to create the poinsettia and greenery. I also cut the bottom layer twice and rotated it slightly to get the shading. For the poinsettia I also inked the edges with Aged Mahogany to add more shading as well.

To finish off the card, I added some splatters of Gilded Foundry Wax and a sentiment from the Christmas Idea-ology Sticker Book. You could also use a stamp if you wanted to mass produce this design.

JOY CHRISTMAS CARD

Now onto my second card using the Layered Plaid Dies. On this one I used the other layer to create a slightly more bold design for the background. This bolder background is a nice contrast to the more detailed wreath I added as the focal point.

The plaid was die cut from a piece of Distress Watercolor Paper that I had sprayed with Walnut Stain Distress Spray Stain and then layered onto a piece of gold Metallic Kraftstock.

The wreath on this card was created using the Yuletide Thinlits. I added color in a similar manner as the poinsettia in that I die cut the various layers from pieces of Distress Watercolor paper that I had inked with the following Distress Spray Stains: Forest Moss, Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage and Shabby Shutters. These are listed in order of dark to light and bottom to top layer. The bow was cut from Aged Mahogany and Fired Brick.

For the Berries, I only used 2 layers from the dies and cut them from Aged Mahogany and Fired Brick. After adhering the berry layers, I applied Glossy Accents to give them a little shine. A touch of Rock Candy Distress Glitter would have been a nice touch as well!

The sentiment is from the Bold Text Christmas Thinlits and die cut from gold Metallic Kraftstock and white cardstock. I cut the white card 2 times and adhered the gold on top to give the letters a little more dimension before I adhered it to the wreath.

Thanks so much for the visit and I hope you enjoyed this bit of Christmas Card inspiration using the Layered Plaid Thinlits.

SUPPLIES

Below you can find the products I used to create these projects along with compensated affiliate links to Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you. When you shop through the links below, I receive a small commission from Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you and the commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, which allows me to continue to provide you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more about what an affiliate link is, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!

The Magic of the Scrapbook.com Magic Mat

I have something to admit. This card almost didn't happen. It all began when I pulled out the Christmas Stitched Border Strips Emboss and Die Set and was underwhelmed with the results. How is that possible you ask? Well let me share my story of the magic of the Scrapbook.com Magic Mat and how it saved the day.

Fa La La Christmas Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Magic Mat and Christmas Border Strips

You see, this was my first time to use one of the emboss and cut dies from Scrapbook.com. I had grabbed a few of the strips, some paper and my regular Sizzix die cutting plates and did what I normally do to cut paper. When I went to lift off the cutting plate I could hardly see the design that shows so well on the dies and I was like what the heck? I was so bummed and was about to move on and figure out something else when my crafty friend, who happened to be in town for the weekend had an idea. She suggested that maybe I needed something softer under the dies to allow for the embossed images to show up and that made me think of my Scrapbook.com Magic Mat. I pulled it out and replaced my bottom cutting plate with it, repeated my die cutting process and viola, I had perfectly cut AND embossed strips!

In this image the strip on the top was the first one I cut and embossed with my regular die cutting plates. The bottom strip is the one that was cut and embossed using the Scrapbook.com Magic mat. You can really see the difference...or should I say the magic that the Magic Mat added for the embossing.

Here are the same strips from the back side. You can see in even more detail just how well the paper was embossed when I used the Magic Mat.

Once I had discovered the magic of the Magic Mat, I went to town cutting and embossing using a mix of colored papers from the Slimline Peppermint Paper Pad. I inked the edges of each strip with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, but you can definitely skip this part. Next, I cut a piece of white cardstock to 4 x 5.25 inches and began adhering the strips at a diagonal onto the paper. I used scissors to trim off the overhanging strips and with that my background was finished. I then adhered this to a standard A2 Card base.

For the embellishment, I die cut two circles from vellum using the Scrapbook.com Nested Circles Dies. I added some machine stitching to the larger circle. I then applied some stars from the Peppermint Holiday Rub Ons to smaller circle. These rub ons go on like butter by the way! I then layered on a snowflake cut from Vellum using the Scrapbook.com Snowflakes Dies. To adhere the vellum layers together and to attach it to the card I used Scrapbook.com Refillable Permanent Tape Roller and was really impressed that you couldn't see it through the vellum.

To create the sentiment, I die cut a piece of glitter cardstock using the Scrapbook.com Fa La La Die. I then cut it twice from white cardstock and glued the layers together to give the die cut a little dimension before adhering it to the card front. I finished off the card by adding some Pinkfresh Glacier Jewels.

Now that you know about the magic of the Scrapbook.com Magic Mat, will you be cutting and embossing all the things?! Thanks for your visit and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

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Christmas Tags and Cards with Nested Dies

I love dies. I love all dies. I also love nested dies. What are nested dies you ask? Well, let me tell you! They are a set of dies that are all the same shape and come in graduated sizes. You can use them to create layers, mat photos, cut out a frame or even create a mosaic. Scrapbook.com has a great assortment of basic shapes that are available as nested dies and today I want to share some Christmas tags and cards I created using their Nested Circles and Squares dies.

NESTED CIRCLES CHRISTMAS TAGS

First up are these Christmas tags I made using the Nested Circles Dies. This set contains 6 dies that range in size from 4 inches to 1.5 inches. To create these tas I used the 3 and 3.5 inch circle dies and layered them together. By adding some stamping, festive greenery and a bow you are ready to deck out your holiday gifts in style!

MODIFIED KISSING TECHNIQUE

You may be wondering how I achieved the plaid number. Well let me share the details with you. It's a modified kissing technique using a stamping platform. I began with a piece of Neenah Solar White Cardstock which I placed into my stamping platform. I then placed the 25 from the Large Bold Numbers Stamp Set in my stamping platform and inked it up with Lumberjack Plaid Distress Oxide Ink and stamped it onto the paper. I then cleaned off the stamp, but left it in position on the stamping platform. I also made sure not to move the paper in the stamping platform. I then took the plaid stamp from the Plaid and Nordic Stamp Set placed it onto a large stamping block, inked it up with Black Soot Distress Ink and stamped it onto the number stamps in my stamping platform and then stamped them over the previously stamped image. And viola you get a red and black plaid stamped image!

If you don't have a stamping platform you could do the traditional kissing technique in which you ink up your plaid stamp and leave it ink up on your crafting surface. Next, you place the number onto a stamping block, ink it, stamp it onto the inked plaid stamp and then stamp it onto your paper. I personally am not that great of a stamper when it comes to working with stamping blocks. I never get a good crisp image. When I got a stamping platform it really changed my stamping game and so that is why I chose to use this modified technique here.

Once I had the stamping completed, I then took the 3 inch circle die, lined it up over the stamped image, used some Mint Tape to hold the die in place and ran it through my die cutting machine. I then layered it onto a piece of Black Woodgrain paper die cut using the 3.5 inch circle.

The holly piece is die cut from a piece of Distress Watercolor cardstock that I had inked with Rustic Wilderness Spray Stain. To add a little sparkle, I applied Glossy Accents to the leaves and sprinkled them with some Distress Rock Candy Glitter, tapped off the excess and allowed it to dry. I then added the sentiment which is from the Wordfetti December Stamp Set. The bow is a piece of seam binding which I dyed using Rustic Wilderness Spray Stain.

For this second tag, I used the same process just reversed the colors.

NESTED SQUARES CHRISTMAS CARD

To make this Christmas card I used the Nested Squares dies. These range in size from 4x4 to 1.5x1.5 inches. I began by die cutting a piece of white cardstock using the 4x4 and the 3x3 square dies. I added machine stitching around the outside edge for a little texture.

I then took two different patterns from the Peppermint 6x8 Paper Pad and die cut them using the 3.5x3.5 and 2.5x2.5 square dies. I also added machine stitching to them.

Christmas Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Nested Squares Dies

For the stamping, I used the Joyful Ride Stamp Set. I stamped the images onto Distress Watercolor Paper using Versamark Embossing Ink, sprinkled them with Black Embossing Powder and heat embossed them using a heat gun. Before I stamped the image, I wiped an anti-static pouch/brush over the paper to help lessen the static on my paper and to have less embossing powder where I don't want it. I find the anti-static pouch to work better than the brush, but with the brush you don't get the powder on your hands. The powder from the pouch can get a little messy, but I store mine in an old Altoid Tin to prevent the mess.

Once the embossing was completed, I watercolored the image using Distress Watercolor Pencils and a waterbrush. I used the waterbrush to pull the pigment from the pencils and apply it to the paper. The colors I used were Rustic Wilderness, Candied Apple, and Tumbled Glass (for the windows). I then fussy cut the images using a pair of precision tip scissors. I tied a piece of jute twin around the tree and then adhered them to the card using double sided foam squares. To finish off the card, I added a sentiment from the Wordfetti Fa La La Stamp Set.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and checking out my Christmas Tags and Cards created with Scrapbook.com Nested Dies.

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New Tim Holtz Distress Color | Lumberjack Plaid

Hello friends! I'm super excited to be sharing some inspiration and techniques using the new Tim Holtz Distress color Lumberjack Plaid. Before I get started, I want to thank Scrapbook.com for their generosity in sending this new color to me to create with. In this blog post, I'm going to share some different swatch ideas, some color combinations and then take you step by step through how I created this Christmas card using Lumberjack Plaid Distress Embossing Glaze!

Merry Christmas Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Tim Holtz Distress Color Lumberjack Plaid

DISTRESS INK SWATCHES

The first thing I had to do when I got Lumberjack Plaid was swatch it! I've found that creating a swatch tends to help me get into the groove with a new color and how it fits in with the other colors in the Distress pallette.

One way I like to create and store my swatches is in this 6x8 album from Scrapbook.com and their 2x2 square pockets page protectors are the perfect size for swatches. I simply swatch the ink onto a piece of Distress Watercolor paper and trim it down to fit on a square of white printer paper with the ink color printed on it.

Here you can see how Lumberjack Plaid fits in with the other reds in the palette. I've swatched both the Distress Ink and Distress Oxides as the inks are slightly different in color due to the nature of their properties. Since Distress Ink is more transparent and the Oxides are more opaque and they are both swatched onto white paper, I spritzed the Oxides with water and dabbed them dry to lift off some of the ink.

6x8 Album with Distress Oxide Ink Swatches by Juliana Michaels

If you want to take your swatch game to the next level, you can create what I like to refer to as "pretty swatches" that show both the color AND are pretty to look at!

Pretty Tag Distress Ink Swatches by Juliana Michaels

When creating these types of swatches I recommend using the products in ways that you typically use that product and on paper that you would use for that technique.

One of my favorite techniques is ink smooshing, so I used watercolor paper to die cut the tag because I know it can hold up to the ink and water used with this technique. I used the Distress Ink on the tag with the ink smooshing technique. For the butterfly, I die cut a piece of Distress White Heavystock and ink blended it with the Oxide Ink, because that is a common way I tend to use the Oxide Inks. I then added some stamping and a label with the new color. Here you can see how it looks when compared to the other reds in the palette. You could also create something similar using the spray inks!

For more swatches you can check out the ones I made for the pinks when Saltwater Taffy was released and for the blues when Uncharted Mariner was released.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD | LUMBERJACK PLAID DISTRESS EMBOSSING GLAZE

Now that we've seen the swatches, let's get to the card I created using the Lumberjack Plaid Embossing Glaze! And if reading isn't your thing, I also have a video I created that you can check out below or HERE.

To get started, I cut a piece of Distress Watercolor Paper to 4 x 5.25 inches and stamped the poinsettia image from the Tim Holtz Festive Collage stamp set, but feel free to use any stamp you like, using Archival Ink in Vintage Photo. I'm using this ink because it's a permanent waterproof ink that won't bleed, which is important for the techniques I'm going to be using as I create this card.

After stamping the image, I inked the edges using a foam blending tool and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I then use a heat tool to dry the ink and paper. I need it to be completely dry before the next step. You can also allow it to air dry if you aren't in a hurry.

Once the ink is dry I apply Distress Translucent Crackle Paste through the stencil using a palette knife. This paste will create a beautiful crackle effect as it dries and because it's translucent you can see through it! To get the crackle effect though, you must allow the paste to air dry. If you try to speed it up with a heat gun, it just doesn't seem to crackle at all. Also as you apply the paste, the thicker it is the larger the cracks and the thinner the smaller. However, the thicker application will also take longer to dry, so keep that in mind as well. The drying time will also vary depending on the temperature and humidity of where you live. Once you are finished applying the paste, wipe off any that is hanging over the edge and then make sure to wash your stencil immediately so the paste doesn't dry on the stencil.

Next, I add the Lumberjack Plaid Embossing Glaze. If you aren't familiar with Embossing Glaze it's similar to embossing powder, however it's biggest difference is that it's translucent, so you can see through it to whatever is underneath it. As for the similarities, it's also a powder that needs something to stick to and you must heat it with an embossing gun to melt the powder. That's why you want the ink to be dry before going onto this step. The powder can stick to any ink or even water and we just want it where we apply the paste.

On this card, I'm using the Crackle Paste for it to stick to, so I pour the glaze over the paste and then tap off the excess. I then set this to the side and allow the paste to air dry.

Once the paste is dry, I hold the paper with a pair of tweezers to protect my fingers and use a preheated embossing tool to melt the powder.

While you're melting the powder, make sure to keep the heat gun moving so you don't overheat the powder and once you see it turn shiny move on to the next section. If you overheat the powder, you run the risk of melting it so much that you can't see the crackle texture anymore.

To bring out the crackle effect, I added some color to the background using an ink smooshing technique. You can use Distress Spray Stain or Distress Ink. I used an ink pad and smooshed the pad onto my craft mat and spritzed it with some water. I then used my finger to mix it together and kind of smooth out the straight edges from the ink pad and then smooshed my paper into the ink. I then used my heat tool to dry the ink. You can repeat this process as desired. You can also spritz the paper with water to help the ink move around more and to add to the distressed look.

With the background completed, I added a snowflake cut from gold metallic paper using the Scrapbook.com Snowflakes Decorative Die Set. I added a sentiment from the Celebrate Expressions Stamp set from Scrapbook.com, which I stamped using the Lumberjack Plaid Distress Oxide ink and popped it up using double sided foam adhesive strips. The final touch was to add a bit of machine stitching before layering the background onto a piece of gold metallic cardstock.

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LUMBERJACK PLAID DISTRESS COLOR COMBOS

One last thing I wanted to share with you are some color combinations using Lumberjack Plaid. I used these combos to create a set of Christmas tags and I love how they show how Lumberjack Plaid can go from a traditional to a modern color scheme depending on which colors you mix with it.

Tim Holtz Lumberjack Plaid Distress Color Combinations by Juliana Michaels

I began by using a tag die to cut a piece of Distress White Heavystock Paper. I then placed the Scrapbook.com Candy Stripe Stencil over the tag and applied Lumberjack Plaid Distress Oxide using a blending brush. I then used the holly image from the Festive Collage Stamp Set and stamped it in Oxide Ink. The bow is made using seam binding that I inked with Lumberjack Plaid Distress Spray Stain. To finish off each tag, I inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and added a Tim Holtz Idea-ology Christmas Tiny Bells.

Here are the color combinations I came up with:

Lumberjack Plaid + Uncharted Mariner

Lumberjack Plaid + Rustic Wilderness

Lumberjack Plaid + Saltwater Taffy

Lumberjack Plaid + Twisted Citron

Lumberjack Plaid + Salvaged Patina

I also think it would pair great with any of the pinks (Picked Raspberry and Kitsch Flamingo would be fun), blues (Faded Jeans would be gorgeous), greens (Peeled Paint one of my all time favorite greens) any of the browns and of course Black Soot if you want to go straight up Lumberjack Plaid!

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Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed seeing the new Tim Holtz Distress Color Lumberjack Plaid in action with the and how to work with Distress Embossing Glaze.

SUPPLIES

Below you can find the products I used to create this project along with compensated affiliate links to Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you. When you shop through the links below, I receive a small commission from Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you and the commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, which allows me to continue to provide you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more about what an affiliate link is, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!

Merry Christmas Wreath Card | Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Christmas 2022

Hello crafty friends! Even though I'm in a state of seasonal confusion as a maker and have been bouncing back and forth between Halloween and Christmas for months now, I'm super excited about the amazing Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Christmas 2022 LIVE launch! You can watch the replay and see all of the incredible makes and inspiration over on Tim's Blog.

I was immediately drawn to the Department Store and Festive Collage Stamp Sets and couldn't wait to combine them somehow! After playing around for a bit, I ended up with this Merry Christmas Card and Tim shared it during his Live Launch. Now I want to share some of the details on how I created it with you. As for my other Christmas projects, I'll begin sharing them starting in November so that I can enjoy the Halloween making season!

Merry Christmas Wreath Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Department Store and Festive Collage Stamp Sets

To get started, I took a piece of Distress Watercolor Paper and trimmed it to 4 x 5.25 inches. I then stamped images from the Festive Collage Stamp Set around the outer edge using Iced Spruce Distress Oxide. I played around with their placement and angle to avoid having too much overlap of the images as I wanted you to be able to see the gorgeous designs.

Next, I took the Tiny Poinsettia Layering Stencil and very lightly applied Barn Door Distress Oxide through it. I made sure to keep most of the design toward the upper left and lower right corners just to leave a little breathing room.

I then cleaned and dried the stencil and placed it back onto the card, making sure to line it up with the inked design. Using a palette knife, I applied the new Distress Snowfall Grit Paste through the stencil. This paste, which is part of Tim's Seasonal Ranger Release, adds a beautiful touch of texture and hint of shimmer. If you'd like to see more, you can check out Tim's fantastic demo of these products over on his blog. I tried my best to show the Snowfall Grit Paste in a photo, but it just doesn't do it justice. In real life, is the only way you can truly appreciate what it adds to your design!

Once the paste was dry, I applied Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the outer edge using a blending tool.

While the paste was drying, I stamped the gorgeous wreath image from the Department Store Stamp Set with Vintage Photo Archival Ink onto Distress Watercolor Paper. I then stamped just the bow area so that I could use it to add a little more dimension.

Using Distress Watercolor Pencils in Barn Door, Rustic Wilderness, Iced Spruce, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain I colored in the wreath. I used a waterbrush to pull the pigment from the pencil and color in the image. You could also color directly onto the paper with the pencil, but I find the way I did it allows me to have more control of where the color goes when I'm creating the shadows and highlights. The main thing you want to do is to make sure to have more pigment on your brush than water and apply it to the shaded (darker) areas of the stamped design. Then you can use a bit of water to blend the color out into the lighter areas.

I repeated the coloring on the extra bow image. Once the coloring was completed and the paper was dry, I used a pair of scissors to fussy cut the wreath and the extra bow. To get inside the center of the wreath, I used a craft knife to cut an opening and then cut the rest of it with my scissors. If you are really good with a craft knife, then you might be able to do it all that way. I'm just not one of those people!

Before I adhered the wreath to my background, I used double sided foam adhesive squares to adhere the bow. I also adhered the wreath with foam adhesive as well. I love adding dimension, but if that's not your thing, you can use your favorite adhesive to adhere them.

I adhered the sentiment using foam adhesive as well. The sentiment is from the Holiday Sketchbook Stamp Set and I stamped it in Vintage Photo Archival Ink, trimmed it down and inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

One final touch, which doesn't show up too well in the photos, is that I applied Glossy Accents to the berries. While this was still wet, I sprinkled some Rock Candy Glitter over them and tapped off the excess. In person, I really love the touch of shimmer this creates and how it adds to the vintage feel of the card design.

To finish off the card, I layered the background onto a piece of Distress Christmas Light Grey Woodgrain Cardstock trimmed to 4.25 x 5.5 inches.

Thanks so much for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions.

Christmas Cards with Layered Plaid Thinlits | Tim Holtz Sizzix Christmas 2022

MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD

JOY CHRISTMAS CARD

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The Magic of the Scrapbook.com Magic Mat

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Christmas Tags and Cards with Nested Dies

NESTED CIRCLES CHRISTMAS TAGS

MODIFIED KISSING TECHNIQUE

NESTED SQUARES CHRISTMAS CARD

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New Tim Holtz Distress Color | Lumberjack Plaid

DISTRESS INK SWATCHES

MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD | LUMBERJACK PLAID DISTRESS EMBOSSING GLAZE

LUMBERJACK PLAID DISTRESS COLOR COMBOS

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Merry Christmas Wreath Card | Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Christmas 2022

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JULIANA MICHAELS

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