Susanbcards

These are Sizzix/Tim Holtz products from last year (2020), I just received the new Distress Mica Stain Sprays, this is Winterberry, a medium shimmery pink.  I took the Sizzix/Tim Holtz "Engraved" 3D embossing foler and rubbed the top inside with "Spun Sugar" Distress Oxide. How do you know which side is the top? In the bottom corner it says "Tim Holtz Sizzix". You rub the ink pad all over the inside of the top, put a piece of cardstock inside and run it through the Big Shot. When you take the paper out, the ink will have been pushed into the recessed areas of the paper.  Next I took a piece of Ranger/Tim Holtz Mixed Media Heavystock paper in white and cut it down to fit the Sizzix/Tim Holtz the larger die in the Stunning Snowflake set. I sprayed the paper with the Winterberry Distress Mica Stain. You can diecut first, spray second, but I think it's easier to get even coverage by just spraying the paper first. I diecut the smaller piece from white heavy

I wanted to use the new Sizzix Chapter 3 Tim Holtz 3D Oak Leaf Impresslit. The Impresslit cuts the shape and embosses the texture in one pass! I inked up some Distress Mixed Media Heavystock paper using a combination of Distress Sprays, in the new Mica Stains in Flickering Candle and Jack o Lantern and the Oxides in Mustard Seed and Carved Pumpkin. I also inked up some browns and Rusty Hinge on some other sheets for some brown leaves. Using a Distress Ink cube in Gathered Twigs, I lightly ran it over the diecut leaves to highlight the veining. I cut another piece of the Mixed Media Heavystock to 8 x 3 1/2 inches for a slimline card panel. I used yellows, oranges and a little browns- Distress inks and Distress Oxide Sprays on the panel.  (NO MICAS YET). I let this fully dry. Next, I took stamps from my stash, Tim Holtz's "Pressed Foliage" and using a stamp platform and Distress Ground Espresso ink, I stamped the leaves onto the panel. The stamps have intricate veining so I

  I love this Sizzix/Tim Holtz "Cut Out Leaves" die set. It only cuts out the leaf pattern inside the leaf, it doesn't cut the outer edge of the leaf, so just the design is cut. I had this idea to die cut just some of the leaves and emboss the dies on the rest of the card. I first diecut the 4 leaves in the center of 3 1/2" x 7 1/4" white 110 lb panel. I then placed the dies onto the panel so it would look like falling leaves. This time I put the Sizzix Silicone Rubber Pad under the cardstock but still use the regular cutting plates and the Multi Purpose Platform set for embossing. This silicone rubber pad acts as a cushion, letting the dies emboss the paper rather than cut the paper. Don't worry, the silcone pad doesn't get die cut as long as you use these Thin lit dies. You just can't use the silcone pad with BIGZ dies, which are made to cut chipboard, etc. Don't ask me how I know this, just know that this is my second silicone pad. You really

The "Gate Keeper" dies from Sizzix/Tim Holtz are Halloween dies but I think they can be used year round. So when I cut out the gates in black, my initial thought was an entrance to a garden. It reminded me of a garden in Boston or London behind wrought iron fences.  I started with a piece of Distress Mixed Media Heavy Stock paper which I cut to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. I used Distress Sprays in Faded Jeans (both regular and Oxide) and dried the paper. I then decided to add some shimmer by spraying the new Mica Stain Spray in Empty Tomb and the Distress Spray Stain in Brushed Pewter. That gave it a hazy, mystical look to the panel. I die cut the moon and after adding a bit of Gathered Twigs to the edges, I thought it needed the bat. That set the stage for me adding all the flowers and greenery. I have a box of leftover diecuts from other projects that I'm so happy to use on any new projects. Once I started adding them they looked like they were waiting at the gate, a bit spooky. The

The Sizzix/Tim Holtz "Leaf Fragments" die is the star of the show here. I took a piece of Distress Mixed Media Heavy Stock paper and Distress Paints and followed Tim Holtz's YouTube demo for his Eroded Metallic technique. I saw it 2x, I think once was for the Distress Paint demo, the other time for the Salvaged Patina color reveal. It's hard to explain, much easier to watch the demo, but here's the steps in a nutshell: cover the paper with Distress Paint shades that would mimic patina (mostly greens and blues), let it dry. Then take Antique Bronze Distress Paint and quickly cover the dried paint. Splatter water on top of the paint, some areas with no water, some with more, some with less. Using a heat tool, set the dry areas a bit. Take a paper towel and quickly press into the paper, peel off. Some of the Bronze paint will be pulled off, some with stay, looking like eroded metal. I die cut the leaf, then gold heat embossed the Choose to Shine sentiment from Tiny T

(On Instagram in April) I love this technique of embossing metallic cardstock with a 3D embossing folder, then brushing black acrylic paint over the whole thing and wiping some off to highlight the pattern. I saw this on a Tim Holtz Distress Paint demo. I had the idea to die cut the cardstock, I did it a few months ago using insect dies.  I took a piece of metallic cardstock put it into the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Foliage 3D Folder, ran it through my Big Shot. (This paper is from Michaels) I then took black acrylic paint and a foam brush and quickly covered the cardstock with a thin coat. I took a slightly damp paper towel and lightly rubbed it over the surface, it left paint in the recessed areas. Tim Holtz has a Youtube demo showing this, if I remember correctly the subject is Distress Paint. I then took the Sizzix/Tim Holtz "Leaf Fragments" dies and just randomly place them on the metallic paper and die cut them. I was able to cut 4 pieces from that embossed card stock. I had a p