Jolly Holiday

Hi  Artzy friends -

I'm winding down my holiday card making and am ready to start addressing envelopes. that's my very least favorite part about sending out holiday cards. I wish I could just keep creating with these cute images and pretty papers from Dare 2B Artzy!

My card is a Center Step Card and my images and sentiments are from the Season to be Jolly stamps and dies sets. The patterned paper is from the Home for the Holidays collection.

The Center Step dies make it easy to make a really impressive card that folds flat for the mail, and stands nicely on display.

I hope your cards are coming along, and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

Dare 2B Artzy 3D Instagram Hop

 Hi Artzy friends -

Join me and the other Dare 2B Artzy designers for an Instagram hop this weekend featuring 3D projects created with the holidays in mind!

I created 3 different gift bags and box using one die set, the Gift Bag & Box Die, and paper from the festive Home for the Holidays collection.

There are so many "extras" included in this die set that can be used on a variety of cards and projects all year long, including two sizes of tags, two different cut out shapes, a scalloped square, and more!

The little gift box would be perfect filled with chocolates or some home baked treats!

I created two different types of gift bags - one with a closed flap, and one with an open top.

I added an adhesive velcro closure on the flap of the closed bag to hold it shut. I would love to fill this with individually wrapped candies, like chocolate kisses, that can be seen through the cut out heart window I created.

The open top bag would be perfect for little hand sanitizers, lotions, etc, or of course...chocolate! I think it would make a cute teacher gift!

Be sure to hop along on Instagram Friday, December 1st - Sunday, December 3rd of a chance to win a $20 gift card to the Dare 2B Artzy store.  We will also have a giveaway in our Facebook group, Artzy Community. Please join us there! 

We are also having a sale, %15 off all orders with code XMAS23, December 1st - 9th.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Hi Artzy friends -

Thanksgiving is one week from today here in the U.S. so I thought I'd share a non Christmas card!

I created my background using one of the Dare 2B Artzy Heart Duo Stencils. It was so quick and easy to apply three colors of Distress Inks with the Picket Fence Studios Paper Pouncers. Paper Pouncers are the best tool to use with delicate stencils like these, in my opinion.

My floral image is from the Breezy Blossoms stamps and dies, and colored with the Breezy Blossom stencil.

My sentiments are from the Grateful Layered Word Dies and Grateful stamp set.

I hope you all enjoy your holiday week! I am grateful for all of you!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

Hot Foiling vs Heat Embossing

 Hi Artzy friends -

Today I am sharing two similar cards, one using hot foiling and one using heat embossing.

I created my two cards using the Dare 2B Artzy Center Step dies and patterned papers from the Home for the Holidays collection 

The tree image on the first card is created with the Joy Christmas Tree hot foil plate, and gold foil. 

I used my Spellbinders Glimmer machine and got a perfectly foiled image. The gold foiling is so shiny and pretty!

The tree image on my second card was created with the Joy Christmas Tree stamp set. I stamped the image using Versamark embossing ink and heat embossed it with fine gold embossing powder from GinaK Designs.  The images on both cards were cut with the Joy Christmas Tree die.

The heat embossed image is also pretty, although not quite as reflective as the foiled image. The gold is a warmer tone and there is some texture to the image.

I like the way this image turned out as well; heat embossing will never cease to be magical to me. And it's a great option for those who don't have a hot foil machine or the hot foil plate for an image. 

Both techniques can be done in many colors as well, with different colors of foil and different colors of embossing powder available. 

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

More Artzy Backgrounds

Hi Artzy friends -

In my last post I showed you 3 sets of backgrounds I created using the Botanical Background die as a stencil. I shared the cards that I made with the blue and the green pairs of backgrounds.

Today I am sharing the cards that I created with the pink backgrounds.

First, I made a birthday card using the Holiday Birds stamps and dies. This set has some sweet bird images, along with sentiments that can be used for the holidays and all year round.

For my second card I used the Poinsettia Basket stamps and dies to create a holiday card in non-traditional colors (although pink is a common color of poinsettias!) I mounted the poinsettia image on a die cut circle using the Double Dot Circle framelits. The green striped paper is from the Merry & Bright collection.

                                        

I love that both of these sets have dies that cut out the sentiments! 

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Two for One Backgrounds

 Hi Artzy friends -

Today I have some festive cards created with a two for one stenciled background technique, and hot foiling.

I created my backgrounds by die cutting  white cardstock with the Botanical Background die. I then used the die cut as a stencil by ink blending over another piece of white cardstock with 3 shades of Distress inks, creating an ombre look. This resulted in the die cut (or "stencil") being ink blended, as well as the solid white cardstock panel.  I did this 3 times, in shades of blue, green, and pink.

Picket Fence Paper Pouncers are perfect for this technique, as it's very easy to bend or tear the die cut if you aren't very gentle while inking over it. 

For today's cards I decided to used the green and blue backgrounds. (I used the pink backgrounds for two other cards which I will share soon.)

The other star of these cards is the Dare 2B Artzy Joy Christmas Tree Hot Foil Plate. I hot foiled several of the trees using my Spellbinders Glimmer Machine and different colors of hot foils (Here I used gold, silver, and rainbow foils). I also used the Dare 2B Artzy Solid Hot Foil Plate  to use the negative foil pieces to get a more solid look for the silver and gold trees. I cut my trees out using the die from the Joy Christmas Tree die set. This die set also cuts out the stamps in the Joy Christmas Tree stamp set. 

The cards were then simple to assemble. I adhered my die cut backgrounds to my white card bases. I cut green and blue mats for my stenciled panels to set them off from my card bases. 

These were fun and fairly easy to create! They pack a lot of shine, (so much shine that they're difficult to photograph!) and the sentiment is already included in the image! 

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

D2BA STAMPtember Collaboration

Hi Artzy friends -

Today I am excited to share Dare 2B Artzy's first ever STAMPtember collaboration! This exclusive set, called Slice of Cake, is only available at Simon Says Stamp, and only while supplies last! It is available with or without dies.

Simon Says Stamp released lots of fun new birthday themed products this year and this set coordinates perfectly with them! I love all of the fun sentiments included in this set!

I hope you'll check it out, as well as all of the other Dare 2B Artzy products available at Simon Says Stamp!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

Fall Gift Box

 Hi Artzy friends -

Have you seen the Dare 2B Artzy Gift Bag & Box dies? This die set is going to get a lot of use around here through the fall and winter, and all year long!

I made this little fall themed gift box using papers from the Everything is Blooming collection.

Even the tag and the "for you" is included in the Gift Bag & Box die set, and there are several styles of bags and boxes you can make, along with lots of different options for embellishments! All of the assembly instructions are on the package and you can find videos of easy to follow directions as well.

I added the floral image from the Breezy Blossoms stamps and dies. This whimsical blossom was colored with the coordinating stencil. 

I plan to fill this little box with fun treats for an upcoming birthday for someone special!

 

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

Cozy Christmas

 Hi Artzy friends -

Have you started on your holiday cards yet? It's still early, and I plan to get back to making some fall cards, but I couldn't resist using some of the new holiday Dare 2B Artzy products to make a fun Christmas scene card.

The Santa and the tree are from the Season to be Jolly stamps and dies, and the fireplace and decor are from the Cozy Fireplace stamps and dies. The background paper is from the Merry and Bright collection, as is the sentiment strip along the bottom of my card. 

There are so many mix and match possibilities using Dare 2B Artzy's newest holiday products, as well as products from previous years!

Thanks for visiting, and have a great day!

Avra

Classic Christmas

 Hi Artzy friends -

Today I have a Christmas card to share using some new Dare 2B Artzy products. And I have some tips on how stamp and die cut intricate sentiments perfectly. 

My card is fairly simple but packs a punch with a background die cut out of gold foil cardstock, a pretty basket of poinsettias, and a gold heat embossed sentiment.

I just love the new Botanical Background die, especially cut out of shiny mirror cardstock! I also love that it can be cut out of any color cardstock for a less formal look and can be used any time of year!

I stamped and colored the basket of poinsettias with the Poinsettia Basket stamp set, and cut it out using a circle die from the Double Dot Circle Framelits set. 

My sentiment is also from the Poinsettia Basket set, and there is even a coordinating die in the die set!

Lining up an intricate sentiment stamp with its coordinating die can be tricky but is easy to do with a Misti (or other stamp positioning tool.) I created several stamped and heat embossed versions of this sentiment to have ready to place on my holiday cards this year. 

To create my die cut sentiments I first used the die to create a template out of white cardstock. 

I placed the template in my Misti, lined the sentiment stamp up in the negative space, and picked the stamp up with the door of my Misti. Keeping the template tucked in the corner I then replaced the blank die cut back in the negative space and stamped my sentiment. 

For this card I used a gold heat embossed sentiment and I stacked it with 2 additional die cuts to add dimension before adhering it to my card. 

I hope you'll check out all of the newest holiday products available from Dare 2B Artzy!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

Hide n Seek Birthday

 Hi Artzy friends -

Today I have a birthday card created with some fun Dare 2B Artzy dies - the Hide n Seek Card die and the Candle Pocket die, along with the Happy Birthday Layered die with Balloon.

The front of my card looks like an ordinary A2 sized card. The patterned paper background is called Scoops of Thanks.

When the card is opened, up pops the greeting from behind the center panel! The Time to Celebrate stamp is from the Well Wishes stamp set, and the daisy paper is from the Home Grown collection.

I added some chunky glitter to the candle flames to really make them sparkle!

There are so many options when using these two specialty dies - I hope you'll check them out!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

New Christmas Goodies on the Way!

 Hi Artzy friends -

Do you start creating your holiday cards in July? Create them all year round? Or like me, get serious about them when Thanksgiving rolls around, and panic because you're running out of time?!

Dare 2B Artzy is introducing their new holiday collection on Instagram this weekend - come hop along with us a chance to win a D2BA gift certificate. We're also having a sale - 15% off all orders this weekend with the code XMASJULY15.

I created three cards using the new Baking Sweet Memories stamp set. The smaller images in this set make some fun backgrounds, and I created backgrounds stamped in black, and heat embossed in silver for my cards.

All shaped dies and background papers are also from Dare 2B Artzy.

I hope you'll come over to the Instagram hop to see all the latest inspiration from Dare 2B Artzy!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

Step Panel Card

 Hi Artzy friends -

A step panel card is a 3D fun fold that is simple to create but it packs a big punch when created with beautiful patterned papers. The other cool thing about it is that it folds flat to fit in an A2 envelope (You could make it in other sizes as well.) and stands up nicely on display. 

Here are the dimensions I used for this card:

1 - Start with card base cut to 11" x 4 1/4" and score at 1/2, 2" 4", and 5 1/2"

2 - Cut 2nd panel to  3" x 5 1/2" and score at 1/2" and 2"

3 - Adhere patterned paper to each section as desired.

4 - Assemble panels and embellish.

I decorated my card with papers from the Everything is Blooming collection.

My large floral image is from the Breezy Blossoms stamp and die sets, and is colored in using the coordinating Breezy Blossoms stencil. The sunflower image is from the the Potted Posies stamp and dies sets; and the sentiment is from the Love Grows stamp set. I stamped the sentiment on a banner from the Slim Mini Wavy Layers dies, and I added little heart embellishment from the Groovy Party Enamel Stickers.

Thank you for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Avra

Ocean Floor

 Hi Artzy friends -

July is here, and so is vacation and beach season! I won't be anywhere near the ocean this year but I can create an ocean scene and pretend!

I love creating cards primarily with dies occasionally, to get a little break from coloring. The Ocean Floor Die creates the basis for this card. I cut it out of white cardstock and used these Paper Pouncers and other inking tools to color it in beautiful tropical colors. 

I added a few colored and die cut images from the Jellyfish stamp and die sets and the Sea Horses stamp and die sets.

The Make Waves sentiment is from the Mermazing stamp set. I embossed it in blue on vellum to keep the soft watery feeling.

I hope you get to enjoy some time this summer in the relaxing environment of your choice!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Avra

It's Ice Cream Time!

Hi Artzy friends -

Summer time is ice cream time! (OK - any time is ice cream time for me but I try to resist at other times of the year!)

I created this fun fold card inspired by a card Cindy, (owner of Dare 2B Artzy,) shared in a recent online card making event. I have learned several fun fold designs from Cindy both on virtual events she has participated in and on her live facebook videos she does every Monday night on her  Dare 2B Artzy Facebook page. I love learning new fun folds and being reminded of ones I have done in the past. 

The only frustrating thing about them is that there really is no consistency on naming them. So I'm going to call this one a Bridge Flap card, since it seems to me to be a combination of a center flap card and a bridge card! 

Here are the dimensions I used for this card:

1 - Start with a standard A2 card base, 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4" 

2 - Cut two slits up to the fold line at 1 1/4" and 4 1/4" (1 1/4" in from each side)

3 - Cut a strip of cardstock 5 1/2" x 1 1/4" and adhere to each side piece, NOT the center flap.

The images and sentiment I used on this card are from the Turtley Awesome stamps and dies sets. The papers are from the Feelin' Groovy collection. 

What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? This time of year I'm loving the fresh peach ice creams that are in season! Think I'll go have a bowl now!

Thanks for visiting, and have a great day!

Avra