17turtles Juliana Michaels

Sunny Studio Birthday Blog Hop

Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing a fun Halloween card I created as part of a blog hop to celebrate Sunny Studio Stamps first birthday! For this card, I used their new Halloween Cuties Stamps and Halloween Cuties Dies.

Die Cut Masking and Distress Ink Blending Spooky Night Scene Background by Juliana Michaels featuring Sunny Studio Halloween Cuties Stamps and Dies, Ranger Distress Ink and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

I love playing with products and making fun backgrounds for my cards. On this card, I used my Distress Inks and Die Cuts to create a bit of a spooky look - just perfect for a Halloween card.

For all the details on how I created this spooky background check out my tutorial below:

Die Cut Masking and Distress Ink Blending Spooky Night Scene Background

Die Cut Masking and Distress Ink Blending Background by Juliana Michaels featuring Sunny Studio Halloween Cuties Stamps and Dies

1. Position stamps as desired on a MISTI stamp positioner.

2. Stamp images with waterproof ink onto watercolor paper.

3. Reposition stamps on MISTI and complete stamping of images.

4. Create masks by die cutting shapes from cardstock.

5. Apply repositionable adhesive to help hold masks in place.

Tip: To make your adhesive repositionable, apply the adhesive to the die cut images and then stick them to a piece of fabric, such as your clothes, peel them off and repeat sticking them to your clothes. The adhesive will then be less sticky and less likely to tear your paper when you remove them later.

6. Apply Distress Ink with ink blending tool.

7. Apply the ink in a circular motion, starting on the edges of the paper and blend in toward the center to keep the center lighter in color.

8. Repeat the blending process with second color. Then blend again with the first color. Continue repeating colors until they are nicely blended.

9. Remove masks to reveal stamped images

10. Gather watercolor marker, water and small paintbrush.

11. Color in stamped images and blend the ink with water and a small paint brush.

12. Flick water onto the paper using a larger paint brush and remove excess water with a paper towel.

13. Pour clear embossing powder onto paper.

14. Use heat gun to melt the embossing powder.

Tip: Keep the heat gun at least 6 inches away from paper to help minimize blowing off all of the embossing powder. The powder will tend to only stick to the areas that have more ink applied.

Along with the fun background, I used the dies from the Halloween Cuties Dies to create the embellishments on my card. I simply die cut the bats from black cardstock, covered them with Glossy Accents and then sprinkled on black glitter. After everything was dry, I adhered them to the card front with Foam Squares to give them a bit more dimension.

The sentiment is heat embossed with white embossing powder. The final touch before adhering the main piece to the card base was to die cut it with a stitched rectangle die.

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I'm so thrilled to be a part of this amazing group of talented card makers and to help celebrate this wonderful milestone for Sunny Studio. I really adore the owner, Mendi Yoshikawa and she has always been a favorite designer of mine.

The hop officially starts on the Sunny Studio blog, however, here is the full hop list in case you are just joining in the fun...

Now on to the good stuff! To celebrate, Sunny Studio is giving away 16 chances for people to win a $20 gift certificate to their online store. That is one prize per each stop along the way. All you need to do is leave a comment below and at each stop along the way to increase your chance of winning! The blog hop is open until Monday, August 15, so you have plenty of time to hop along.

Sunny Studio is also offering 15% off all purchases to their online store using the code "SUNNYBIRTHDAY" through Monday, August 15th at midnight PST.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and helping Sunny Studio celebrate their first birthday!

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Are you interested in any of the products I used to create the card I shared with you today? Just click on the image below to check it out. Where available, I use affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking, this means I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!

Sunny Studio Stamps: Halloween Cuties Stamps and Halloween Cuties Dies

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Back To School Digital Cut Files

Hi everyone! Just popping on today to share a couple of back to school digital cut files for all of you with kids heading back to school soon. I don't have any children of my own, but I thought it would be fun to create some fresh and fun designs for you all to use as you capture their memories this school year. In fact, some of them could be used for more than just school related projects if you ask me!

Digital Download | School Rocks

School Rocks Free Digital Cut File by Juliana Michaels 17turtles

Digital Download | Back 2 School Borders

Back To School Borders Free Digital Cut File by Juliana Michaels 17turtles

For those of you having trouble downloading my files make sure you click the Download button at the top left hand side of the screen. The ones next to the actual files won't work unless you have a Box account, and you don't need one if you click on the one at the top! Hope this helps!

As always, these free cut files can be used with a variety of electronic digital cutting machines to create a full range of projects, including cards, home decor, scrapbook pages and more. The only limit to what you can create using this cut file is your own imagination. This digital file is available in SVG, PNG, DXF and Studio formats and you may download this digital cut file for your own personal use. If you have questions, concerns or comments about my cut files, please leave me a message in the comment section or contact me on Facebook.

If you enjoy these free digital cut files, make sure to let your friends know about them too! Enjoy and happy crafting!

I love my Silhouette Cameo! How about you?

Roller Stamped Background + CardMaker and Plus Corporation Blog Hop

Hello all and welcome! Today's post is all about how to create a roller stamped background for your cards as part of the CardMaker Magazine and Plus Corp of America Blog Hop. Make sure you check out all the blog hop details below.

Roller Stamp Background Card Set by Juliana Michaels featuring PLUS Corporation Roller Stamp and Simple Stories Carpe Diem

As part of the blog hop, I created a video to share with you about how to create a stamped background using the fabulous Decoration Roller Stamps from Plus America. These are a new-to-me product and I have to say, they were really fun to play and create with! These stamps have a self-inking cartridge which allows you to apply a pattern by simple rolling it on the paper. I used their new Numbers roller stamp to create my cards.

Here is the template I created and mention in the video. I used this template to help line up the roller stamp and create nice straight stamped lines. Feel free to download it for your own personal use.

FREE DOWNLOAD | ROLLER STAMP BACKGROUND TEMPLATE

Once I got down the process on how to create the background, I decided to go ahead and create a set of cards. One can never have too many cards right?

I used Simple Stories Carpe Diem 3x4 Journaling Card Elements and 6x6 Paper Pad to create the cards. I matted the 3x4 card on a piece of black cardstock before mounting it on the roller stamped background.

I created the simple sentiments using a Dymo Label Maker. I then finished them off with some self adhesive sequins from Jillibean Soup, because you know every card deserves a little bling!

BLOG HOP DETAILS & GIVEAWAY

The next stop on the hop is the talented Catherine Scanlon, but in case you are just joining the party, I've included the entire hop list below:

Plus Corp is hosting a giveaway on their Facebook page, so make sure you head on over there for details on how to enter for a chance to win. This awesome prize package includes some of their Decoration Roller Stamps, along with some of their other great products. Here's a peek at what you can win!

Are you interested in any of the products I used for the card set I shared with you today? Just click on the image below to check it out. Where available, I use affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking, this means I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!

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My Creative Space and Craft Supply Storage

Hello friends! Today I'm sharing my full creative space over on the CardMaker Magazine Blog, and I thought it would be fun to share here on my blog about specific storage ideas for craft supplies. This includes embellishments, stamps, dies, ink pads, twine, spray ink, paint and more. I love to organize things and I especially enjoy keeping my craft supplies neat and orderly. Over the years, I've developed a few tricks that help me stay on top of my stash of scrapbooking and card making supplies.

Purge and purge often. Seriously. I purge at least every 6 months. I go through my products and pull out things that I haven't used. They get put into a giveaway pile and I donate them to the local thrift stores and schools. I also give stuff away to friends and family who enjoy this hobby.
Clean up after each project. I tend to work best when I don't have a lot of clutter around. This is also why I tend to purge so often. That's not to say that I can't make a mess, because I certainly can. However, I always put things back in their place when I'm finished. My space is then ready to go the next time I sit down to create.
Use open storage or clear containers/drawers. I have found that if I can see it, I am 10 times more likely to use it. If it's hidden away, I forget about it and then guess what happens in 6 months? It ends up in the giveaway pile!

Scrapbook and card making storage ideas - Juliana Michaels of 17turtles shares her creative space and craft supply storage

Here are some of my favorite storage containers. First up are these fabulous wood boxes that look like drawers. I picked these up several years ago from Hobby Lobby and I seriously love them. They are perfect for holding embellishments, stamps, dies, embossing folders, 6x6 paper pads and more. Unfortunately, they aren't available anymore, but I think it could be fun to make your own using old dresser drawers, paint and fun knobs to match your decor! There are lots of great options out there. Just keep your eyes open for fun containers that are at least 6 inches wide and then most of your products will fit inside.

Many people use the clear refrigerator storage bins, and of course those work great and are probably a little less expensive, however I think these are so much prettier to look at. Don't you agree?!

For my stamps and dies, I love the Clear Pocket Storage by MFT Stamps. I used to keep my stamps and dies in their original packaging, however since I've started doing more card making I was starting to tear the packages. I knew I needed a better solution and so far this is working really well for me.

Another type of storage that I like to use are Sterilite Modular drawers and small Sterilite storage baskets. The drawers hold 2 of these baskets. I love that it lets me keep like things together and I can easily take the basket out of the drawer and over to my craft table to create. Currently, I have my ink pads in these drawers, but I'm quickly starting to realize I'm going to need a new system as my card making supplies continue to grow! I'm not sure what I'll do, but once I switch over, I'll have to share with you and if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

This same basket and drawer system also works well for my twine and ribbon.

Recently I came across this Darice Bead Container (on the left) that works great for my sequins. It has 24 little canisters that allow me to keep all of my colors separated and I can just flip open the top to easily shake out the sequins I want to use for my project. On the right are Artbin Twisterz. They work great for secure storage and they even stack. However, because they are round, they take up a lot of space in my baskets.

This Akro-Mils Plastic Storage Case has separate compartments that are great for small embellishments such as wood veneer, flair, buttons, brads and more. I have several of them and I use each one to store a different type of embellishment. The lid snaps closed securely and I love that I can remove the dividers to make the compartments larger if needed.

Last, but not least, I use a cupcake stand to store my spray ink and paint. I love the rainbow of color it adds to my creative space!

I hoped you learned some fun new storage ideas today. If you're interested in seeing a full view of my creative space and more craft room ideas, I invite you to head over to the CardMaker Magazine Blog. Each day this week they'll be sharing the creative spaces of each of the new design team members, so I'm sure you'll find loads of great ideas with each visit!

Are you interested in any of the storage ideas I shared with you today? Just click on the image below to check it out. Where available, I use affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking, this means I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!

Sterilite 23608006 Medium Modular Drawer, White Frame with Clear Drawers, 6-Pack	Sterilite 16058024 Small Handy Basket	Artbin Twisterz Small/Short Container	Darice 6-1/4-Inch by 4-1/4-Inch Bead Container with 24 Flip Top Canisters
Akro-Mils 5705 Plastic Parts Storage Case for Hardware and Craft, Small, Clear Size: Small Model: 57