VIDEO: Nesting Ombre Heat Embossing with Jenny Colacicco

Happy New Year! I know we are thirteen days into the new decade but as it's my first time on the blog this year I wanted to make sure I checked in!

Today I am focusing on a technique using nesting dies. I'm using hearts and pink as Valentine's is coming up, but you could just as easily use the 'ingredients' of this card for any type of card. You're only limited by the nesting dies in your stash.

I also have a video show you how I created this card, over on the WOW! Channel. You can check it out here:

To create my card, I first took a panel of Distress Watercolor cardstock, "scribbled" on some clear water with a waterbrush, and then loosely painted on some pinks and dark pinks with my Daniel Smith. I let the paint and water do its thing for a minute or so (and added some splatters), then used my WOW! heat tool on setting 1 to dry the panel. I repeated the exercise and then die cut it with a deckle edge frame from Honeybee Stamps. I attached it to a 110lb white card base with foam tape.

Now comes the fun part! Choose some of the nesting dies from your stash - you're going to be creating two frames, and then a centre (if your nesting dies don't go this small, you can choose any small die you might have). I am using Hearts dies by Erin Lee Creative that create little frames (and I have not snipped them apart) - you can get the same look by nesting two different sizes of frame together, adhering them with washi, before running through your machine. You can increase the thickness of your frame by choosing dies that are further apart in comparable size.

I die cut my heart frames five times each, plus a heart center, from white cardstock, then adhered four of the layers together with liquid glue.

I used a variety of pink embossing powders and glitters on the remaining shapes. I wanted to create an ombre pink look so I went from light to dark using Opaque Pastel Pink, Pink Sherbert and Pink Fizz on the smallest heart. I then adhered them to their respective white layers.

I placed them directly onto the centre of my watercolored piece using liquid adhesive, one inside the other. For the central heart, I popped it up another notch using foam squares.

My sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp Beautiful As You set stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink and popped up on foam tape. As a finishing touch I scattered some Inspiration Point sequins by Catherine Pooler which co-ordinate perfectly with the pink embossing powders.

You could maybe use this technique for a male birthday card with your square nesting dies and blues and greens. Or star dies with silver for an anniversary or christening! What can you come up with?

Jenny