Hero Arts Butterfly Card with Microbead Nestabilities Frame

I absolutely love butterflies – both in real life and in stamped images.  The Hero Arts butterfly set I used, called Antique Engravings is probably my favorite butterfly stamp set ever.  It has such a wonderful selection of butterfly images and they look so real!

Today’s card is a 5 1/4″ x 5 1/4″ card which I created using a bunch of different products (which I have listed below) and some fun techniques. The frame was created using my Nestabilities dies and the new Grand Calibur machine (loving this machine!), and then decorated with microbeads.  In order to give it rigidity to hold the weight of the microbeads, I first cut the frame out of a lightweight chipboard and then layered on top a frame I die cut out of Basic Gray designer paper.   The butterflies were colored using Distress Inks and my ink applicator tool.

I’ve filmed videos on the Grand Calibur and how to use it, how to create the frame, working with microbeads and how to color the butterfly – which we’ll be uploading to the Paper Crafter’s Library this week. 

Stamps: CL383 Antique Engravings, CL511 Sweet Threads Thank You (Hero Arts)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn (Tsukineko); Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Lemonade Adirondack Dye ink (Ranger); Basic Black Craft (Stampin’ Up!);
Paper: Dusty Durango CS, Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS (Stampin’ Up!); Red Rock (Bazzill Basics Paper); 6″ x 6″ Marrakesh Paper Pad (Basic Gray); Lightweight Chipboard (other)
Accessories: transluscent orange microbeads (other); Stampin’ Dimensionals, embossing buddy (Stampin’ Up!); Heat-it tool, Matte Accents, Claudine Hellmuth Multi-Medium Matte (Ranger); orange rhinestones (dollar store);