Ever wanted to play with your embossing stuff but just didn't have the right stamp?  Here's an embossing technique to add a little love to your cards or layouts, without a stamp!  All you need is some chapstick and your kisser!

SWAK KISSING


What you need is some regular cardstock, your embossing tools and supplies and some chapstick.  I tried a couple of different kinds and the cheaper the chapstick, the better!  You want to be able to load it up on your lips and really get good coverage.

STEP ONE:  Juice up your lips with chapstick, pucker up and kiss your paper.  You might want to do a few for practice first to get the right pressure.  You don't want to press too hard -- a firm but gentle kiss works best!

STEP TWO:  Sprinkle embossing powder over top of your kiss.  Use a craft tray to catch the extra and pour it back into your container.



STEP THREE:  Heat!  Use tweezers to hold your paper so you don't burn your fingers.



STEP FOUR:  Make something with your SWAK!  (Stay tuned right here -- I'll be making something for a blog challenge later this week and I'll be using my SWAK!)


What happens if you only have clear embossing powder?  No problem.  Make your SWAK pop with some ink and a sponge.  Simply sponge some ink on and around your clear embossed SWAK.  Polish the embossed area with a kleenex and voila!  A reverse SWAK!


Have fun playing with different embossing powder, ink and paper colours!  These would make great Valentine's Day cards, or just as a seal on an envelope!

Last week on my Facebook page, I set forth this colour challenge:  Creme Brulee, Chocolate and Smoothie.  Don't they sound delicious together?

And here is the card I made:


I used some Creme Brulee B&T from the (now retired) Clementine pack, plus some Smoothie and Chocolate accents.  I thought about colouring this amazing hot air balloon image from Hero Arts, but I thought it was more impactful to keep it uncoloured, and just accent it with some Bronze Glitter Gel.  Add in some Artisan Studs and this card is DONE!


This will be the last CTMH Colour Combo Challenge that I'm doing on my own.  I am very honoured to have been chosen for the Design Team for the "Color My Heart Colour Dare" challenge blog.  My official debut is on August 9, but starting this Friday, I will be posting and playing along with their colour choices, featuring amazing CTMH colours.  Hope you will play along!

Sheri

Let's face facts. Eight short years ago, when I started papercrafting, I thought a cricket was a bug, not a tool.  But now, I no longer know how to scrapbook, make cards or do much of anything else without my Cricut.  I love it.  LOVE LOVE LOVE!

But like many others, I sometimes get stumped on how to use it with my favourite papers and materials.

Here's a tip for cutting thicker papers, like CTMH's amazing Glitter Paper and my favourite Chalkboard paper. 

USE THE MULTICUT FUNCTION ON YOUR CRICUT EXPRESSION

The Multicut function does exactly what it says -- it cuts the same shape in the same place, multiple times.  You can set it to cut 2, 3 or 4 times.  And it helps you to cut those shapes out of that thicker-than-regular-cardstock paper.

How do you do it?  Simply press the MULTICUT button on your Cricut Expression.


Then press the SETTINGS button (right below Multicut).  Press "OK" until you get to the Multicut screen and then choose how many times you wish the shape to be cut.  For chalkboard paper, 2 times is enough.  For Glitter paper, I usually set it at 3 times.

It helps if you have a slightly stickier cutting mat, so you make sure the paper stays put while it's cutting the shape.

 

I was looking to play around with some of my new CTMH papers, as well as get in some colouring time, which I haven't done in quite a while.  (Definitely on my resolution list for the coming months -- colour more!!)  The Twine Time challenge over at Art Impressions was a great opportunity to do both.  Below are two entries for this challenge.

I really love this first card, using an AI owl stamp, bird cage paper from CTMH's Dream Pop kit and new Laughing Lola papers.


I coloured the adorable owl using Copic markers, and I love the happy accident that my stroke marks left behind -- it makes him look more dimensional and "soft".  I used liquid glass to give his eyes some shine and sparkle, though it might be hard to see online.

The twine, from Ribbon Carousel, is a nice accent that draws your attention in.  And the pennants and heart shapes are from CTMH's NEW ARTBOOKING Cricut cartridge -- these pieces were left over from Convention and my very own Artbooking cartridge should be arriving any day!


My second card, "Bingo", was lots of fun.  I used the spunky AI Bingo stamp, plus CTMH Whisper and Gypsy cardstock and some more Laughing Lola too.


This stamp is so super cute!  I coloured her with Copics, and had fun creating a graduated shading for the letters.  And I added accents with more stamping, using CTMH's new Geometric Backgrounds stamps, both on the card base and the arrow diecut (also from Artbooking).  The twine ties it all together (pun intended! wink, wink) and I thought it was fun putting it on an angle.

Thanks, Art Impressions, for letting me play along.  It was good to get creative again.

Welcome to our July Blog Hop featuring retiring items that you will want to have too. They are only available while supplies last, so get them while you can!