Sunshine and Flutterbys

Is this a gorgeous card or what!?!  I am quite pleased with how this card turned out and couldn't wait to share it with you.  It's got ink blending, in-laid die cut, a shaker and lots of texture.  I challenged myself with this one as yellow is not a color I use, but I love the bright and sunny look of these colors together.  If you saw my last post, I used the butterfly negatives from this piece in that card.  It's such a cool thing when you can get two or three cards from one die! Lets get started on making this baby.

Supplies:
Neenah 110 lb Solar While cardstock
DCWV Foiled Gold cardstock
Doodlebug Daydream Sugarcoated White cardstock

Simon Says Stamp Butterfly Drift die
Simon Says Stamp smile die
WeRMemoryKeepers Next Gen 3D Embossing Folder "Gemstone"
Distress Inks in Squeezed Lemonade, Cracked Pistachio, and Lucky Clover
Delicata Golden Glitz Ink
WRMK Fuse Tool
Avery Elle Stamp Pockets
Design Creative Bling Sequin Mix in Jewel Box
3M Foam tape
Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue
Stick It adhesive sheets

Step 1.  Starting with a 4.25 by 5.5 piece of Neenah cardstock, I start with Squeezed Lemonade and blend the ink across the top third, followed by Cracked Pistachio over the middle third and ending with Lucky Clover on the bottom third.  I like to overlap my colors a bit where they meet; this smooths out the transition between the colors and creates a new shade.  Distress Inks are designed to stay wet a bit longer so that they are easy to blend.  It may take a few minutes for it to dry, but set it aside to air dry.  I don't heat dry it because it can warp, and that can lead to problems with the die cuts later on.  While that's drying, we can do our other die cutting. 

Step 2.  Using the butterfly die, run it through your die cutting machine with the gold foil cardstock and separate the outline.  Set aside the other peices to use for other projects.  Also run the smile die with the gold cardstock through and separate it out. 

Step 3.  Add a 3x4.5 inch strip of Stick-It adhesive to the back of the inked panel where you are going to die cut the butterflies and trim off any excess.  Place the inked panel in the embossing folder and run it through the machine.  Blend a bit of gold ink over the texture we added with the embossing folder.  You want to rub lightly so that you're only hitting the high points.  This will bring out the texture and add gorgeous shine.  Place the butterfly die towards the left edge, leaving enough of an edge to attach the shaker pouch, at least 1/2 inch.  Run it through and set aside the pieces for other projects.

Step 4.  Plug in your Fuse tool so that it has time to heat up.  That will take about 15 minutes.  Using the back side of the inked panel, lay the shaker pouch over it to measure how wide and long it needs to be.  Be sure to leave enough excess to add adhesive to so you can attach the pouch.  I made one long, narrow pouch.  Fit the gold butterfly outline into the inked panel and turn it over so that the white side is up.  When adding shaker bits to the pouch, be careful of adding too much.  You want to leave enough room for the bits to move around and catch the light.  Adding too much prevents them from moving as well as can make the finished card too thick.  Add a bit of the sequin mix to the pouch and put in place over the panel.  Add a seam along the top edge of the largest middle butterfly.  I ran my tool right along the line of the wings, tracing them.  When you're looking at the correct side of the finished card, the gold cardstock will hide the seam.  Adding the extra seam prevents all the shaker bits from sinking to the bottom, leaving the top of the shaker pouch empty.  Add a bit more of the sequin mix to the top pouch and seal the top edge.  When you're ready to attach the shaker pouch, remove the backing paper from the panel.  I leave at least 1/4 inch overhang along the seams of my pouch to add adhesive to.  Add Scor-tape along the edges and adhere to the panel.  Add liquid glue to the gold butterfly outline and fit into the panel, just like a puzzle.  I lay something heavy over the top for 5 to 10 minutes to give the flue time to dry.

Step 5.  Add foam tape to the edges of the panel and in the middle of the panel so that it's fairly level when complete.  For my card base, I use a 8.5 by 5.5 inch piece of Neenah, scored and folded at 4.25 inches so that I have a side folding card base.  I attach a 4.25 by 5.5 inch piece of Doodlebug white to the front of my card base to serve as a background for the shaker pouch.  I remove the foam backing paper on one corner and line it up to attach it to the card base.  Once that it stuck down, I remove the rest.  Attach smile die cut with liquid glue and the card is complete.

Once you get the hang of the fuse tool, shakers are really easy and so much fun.  You can literally make any shape or size you want.  So much fun!

Thanks for stopping by and hanging out with me today!  I'm happy to answer any questions and I'd love to know what you think.

Much love,
Jasmine