Monday, June 22, 2009

My Art - June cardmaking -

Here is another quick and easy card!! The front features double sided cardstock which happens to be some I printed myself but there is a wide variety of double sided paper/cardstock in stores which can be used instead. The image is stamped in a coordinating colour, the edges are ripped and it is mounted with 3D foam tape to add dimension. The corner is folded over to reveal the other side of the cardstock and held in place with spiral clip! I bought these at a garage sale but have bought them at Staples in the past for other projects. I used double sided tape to keep the clip in place because most of it is on the front. There is room for a small greeting in the lower right hand side to quickly customize this card for a special occasion!!

Therese

My Art - June cardmaking - gel card

I must have been in a turquoise mode! I see that I have three cards that feature teal colours!!
I made the background paper for these cards! Total blast! I combined glitter glue (old and not very runny), fabric paints and inks!! Just plastered on the colours and glitter in washes until I was happy with they way they looked!! Once dry I cut down the letter sized sheets into quarter sheets and ran them through my Cuttlbebug with the D'vine Swirl embossing folder to give the look of water and ocean. I colour printed the fishes from some clipart from a word processing program. Created a window using two punched out holes and mounted my gel filled ziploc baggies (4 small drops per bag) behind them. Added the fish last so I could position it just the way I wanted it to show through. Found the "best fishes" greeting a several cards on the internet so colour printed that as well and added it below the layer.
A really fun card for the summer!! Best to mail these off with a little protection and not when there is a chance of them freezing!

Therese

My Art - June Cardmaking - altered book page

I applied walnut ink to book pages to make the altered paper for this card. Some of the girls did not want to put the words upside down so just put the altered paper on the other side instead. Works perfectly!! We used staples to attach the short ribbon pieces to the blue layer.
Thrifty tip: attach short pieces of ribbon with staples!!
There were a good variety of images and colours for this card set that all coordinated with the brown layer - pink, blue, purple and green!! Once the ribbon was stapled the layer is glued to the brown and then to the card front.
Nice to have a few quick and easy sketches for cards!!

Therese

My Art - June cardmaking - baby wipe card

This card is the result of a challenge I set myself at my All Occasions card class. Several of the girls were using baby wipes to keep their fingers from getting too sticky while they were creating. At the end of the class the pile of used baby wipes was headed to the garbage and I decided instead I would see if I could create something art worthy with them. I brought them home and rinsed them out to get any leftover solution out of them and then applied inks to them while they were still damp. The inks ran very nicely and as I stacked them one on top of each other they ran into each other as well. Made some very interesting background material. They are very light and airy and I decided to use an iron to hurry them along - NOT a good idea!! They are very sensitive to heat and melt quickly. So I thought that using the heat gun would be a better option. Only a very slight bit better. The heat did melt the babywipes but I did find that it took a little longer and it was more controllable so you would get some neat effects by melting in some areas and not in others. Not what I needed for this project so in the end, they were left to air dry!!
On this card the top part is a piece of cardstock that has been embossed with a Fiskars texture plate using a silicone mat and my Cuttlebug in the right sandwich. Happy with the way it turned out. Somewhat more subtle than using the embossing folders just because of the nature of the tool. The bottom part is altered baby wipes. I just ripped the top edge and then glued it to the card front and then trimmed it to the card edge. I added a silver embossed image on pearly cardstock which I coloured in with watercolours. Some of the girls used chalks and that worked very well too. I expect markers might be Ok as well. Added the pearly flower which is table confetti sold at Michaels in the wedding section. They are sold in a little bucket in a variety of colours. I thought the white was most versatile because they can be coloured with markers, inks, etc to suit what you need for your project!! Used my distressing tool (SU) on the edges of the layers for the image.
If you use baby wipes for cleaning your stamps yours are already altered by the time you are finished using them. Consider using them in your art!! I expect these would be very nice included in fabric art as well because the material has a nice texture and I expect it would sew up nicely.
Challenge yourself to use or repurpose some items that you use regularly in your home into your art!! Maybe cardboard packaging from a tissue box for ATCs, clear plastic packaging for making clear accents on your cards, etc. Use your imagination!!

Therese

Sunday, June 21, 2009

My Art - Christmas Cards - Swirls

This paper is gift wrap I bought last year!! It is so cool - red background, orange and white swirls with white snowflakes!! It is not traditional colours but I thought it worked wonderfully!! Ripped the red layer to reveal the stamped greeting and then the paper to reveal some of the red layer and then glued them to the white card front. The embellishement is a 1 3/8" orange punchie, a 1.25" red punchie and a white snowflake attached with a silver brad. It is attached to the card front with 3D foam tape to give it some dimension! Really love the way this one worked out! It was one of the favorites at class.

I hope you have been inspired to start on your Christmas cards!! Some have bought the kits and will be making them up over the summer at the cottage or by the pool!! It is great to have one step up towards preparations for Christmas!!

Have a great summer! I will be taking a break from Cardmaking classes over the summer and will be back on September 16th with some new cards!!

I will publish the yearly schedule later on this week!!

Therese

My Art - Christmas cards - O holy night

More of this night sky cardstock!! I had some black and some navy so each person received some of each colour!! I silver embossed the star and tree on the card front. Stamped the tree trunk and O holy night in colour on a quarter sheet of white. We just ripped the white into snowbanks and layered them on the bottom of the card and trimmed them to the card edge. I ripped the greeting snow bank first and then the one with the stem. The leftover was ripped twice more to make two more snowbanks!! I love the texture of the ripped snowbanks!! Click on the image to get a closer look!!

Therese

My Art - Christmas - Silver tree

I used a gray with red for this card for a softer look!! Really like the way it turned out. I distressed the edges of the tree layer (silver embossed) and added the ribbon on the bottom with double sided tape to the back. I tied the ribbon with a silver string and then added the brad over it. Some of the girls added the image to the red layer and then added the ribbon and that worked well too.
A quick and easy card!!

Therese

My Art - Christmas cards - Vintage Santa

Love the vintage images! Have been wanting to incorporate some of these into my Christmas cards for quite a while.
I laser printed several images and chose layers and papers to coordinate with them so there was a variety of cards for each person. I tied a square knot in the ribbon and then cut it so that the knot would be where I wanted it on the card. This process saves ribbon!! Once I had layered the image I glued it in place and added the snowflake with a silver brad. The background is navy with white specks that really looks like a night sky! I added some swirls stamped in white.

There are many places on the internet that have images you can download. These images come from a CD.

Therese

Saturday, June 20, 2009

My Art - Christmas cards - snowflakes

For those who took the Christmas Card class today they've started on their preparations for Christmas and it isn't even July!!! Yeah!!
The center panel of this card is paper napkin that was laminated with Modge Podge because the layers would not separate nicely!! It gave the paper a nice textural quality - a bonus!! We ripped both edges and glued the middle portion to the trimmed embossed background (CB Snowflakes) layer and then glued the edges to the back of it. This whole layer was then glued to the card front. Tied on the fiber and finished it with a double knot. The snowflake was one that I bought last year at a dollar store. Just nipped off the circle for hanging and it is now a 3D embellishment for this card!! Glued it on with a glue dot. Glue dots are great for adding any sort of 3D or heavy embellishment to your cards.
Always keep an eye out for interesting papers and supplies for your cardmaking!! I am always on the look out!!
There are quite a few who are making their Christmas cards monthly - what a great idea!! I will have to consider that for the fall!!

Therese

Monday, June 15, 2009

My Art - Dad cards


Dad Day cards!! It is coming up so quickly!! I made these up and will have them off in the mail this afternoon in hopes they will reach their destinations by Friday!!


I used printed newspaper (foam stamps and black acrylic paint) as backgrounds on these cards. I had created them for another project and it did not turn out but worked wonderfully on these ones. The little metal letter discs I found at a dollar store which I don't often frequent often so I bought a few packages!! It was fun to go digging through my images for ones that would be appropriate for these cards for some special guys!!
I hope you will celebrate with all of the guys who have or do play a special role in your life.
We are blessed by the men who so willingly participate in our lives and do their best to give us what we wish for and want!!
I am prepping for my Christmas Card class on Saturday!! It is a head start on Christmas which will all make us feel good this year because we will be ahead of the curve in preparation for Christmas!!
Summer is on its way here in south western Ontario!!
Therese

Thursday, June 04, 2009

My Art - All Occasions class - border punchie

One of the girls who comes to Card Club brought this idea several months back. It uses the SU scallop border punch to create an embellishment for cardmaking. I expect you could use any border punch!! I cut a 2.75" square of cardstock and centered and punched each side to create a decorative slot!! Each was decorated differently - I stamped a coffee cup with bleach on the brown one, embossed flowers in silver on the pink one, silver embossed candles on the blue one and added layered punchies with a bard to the yellow one. It creates a frame that can be filled with just about anything.
I added a rectangle of embossed cardstock into the slots and a rectangle of scrapbook paper to the front of the card before all the other elements were added. Again, a greeting can be added on the lower right when the time comes to send out the card.
I always enjoy finding news ways of using the tools I already have!! Not sure where the technique originated but thanks to all those who create and share which inspires the rest of us to get at making art!!!

Therese

My Art - All Occasions class - Be happy

These are quick and easy "Be Happy" cards!! Cut the cardstock to 4.25" x 11" to make it easier to emboss it with the Swiss Dot embossing folder in my Cuttlebug. The "Be Happy" is stamped and then punched with a 1" punch, layered onto a 1.25" punchie, onto a 1 3/8" punchie onto a scallop punchie!! I applied double sided tape to the inside front of the card to hold the ribbon in place which is just below the embossed design on the card front. A greeting could easily be added to the lower right hand of the card.

Very versatile design!! The embellishment could be situated anywhere on the ribbon - I happen to like the left hand side.

Therese

My Art - All Occasions class - Glitter paper

These were such fun to create!! I had wanted to use my glitter glues but when I dug them out they had dried somewhat and were quite thick and would not squeeze out nicely. I decided that I would make my own glitter paper with them so I dug out some fabric paint, acrylic paint and inks and got about making my own decorative paper. I used a foam tray as a palette and loaded on a variety of mediums as well as a blob of glitter to use on each sheet. I started with white cardstock and used a wet brush to help loosen my paints and make them more transparent. I just started painting on colour using the most vibrant first and toning down with the lighter colours. Along the way I added the glitter glue which also benefited from the extra water to help them spread nicely. Made several sheets of each colour. It can be a bit messy so it worth making a few extra sheets while you have all the tools and paints out. It is hard to see in the scans - these are shiny and glittery!!
Once they were dry I cut the 8.5"x11" sheets into quarters and embossed them with different embossing folders using my Cuttlebug. The embellishments are all different - round sequins on a string on the blue one, punched daisies with a brad on the turquoise one, punchies and a brad on the black one and punchies and a large sequin star with a brad on the red one!! Greetings can easily be layered onto these cards for any occasion. I thought that the black one would be good for a teenager who likes music!! The sequins on the blue one reminds me of jewelry or patio lights!!
I did forget to scan these before I used them as I have in the past to create my own digital art resources! Always good to have your own graphics to use when creating digitally!!
I hope these will provide you with inspiration to create your own decorative paper!!

Therese

My Art - All Occasions class - Manhattan flower

Using my newly acquired Manhattan Flower (SU)embossing folder I created some embossed cardstock. Trimmed them to the edge of the rose pattern then trimmed them to fit evenly on the card front. I used silver foil on the black one. The foil is an acquired craft material - the result of a chocolate treat!! I just glued the foil to cardstock, cut to quarter sheet size and embossed it!! The greetings are colour printed to coordinate with the card. I tied a short piece of ribbon into the knot of the longer piece which creates the same effect as a double knot.

THRIFTY TIP: To use up short pieces of ribbon just add them in the knot of another piece to create tails. They do not have to be the same ribbon or the same colour. I save my small pieces in ziplocs and look there first when I am looking for ribbon. You can use a piece as short as 2.5 inches!!

Therese

My Art - All Occasions class - alcohol inks

My Cards, Cards, Cards - All Occasions class was this past weekend! It was a great morning with some very creative and interested participants! It was so fun to prepare the kits for this class. We made twenty cards and all are different because that is really what works best for those who are participating!!
I created the alcohol ink backgrounds using glossy white cardstock, alcohol and reinkers. Mostly they were SU classic pad reinkers! I love this technique!! Always get such vibrant and interesting results. I did quarter sheets (4.25"x5.5") then stamped them with the flourish stamp in black Staz ON. The stamp is from a SeeD set called Bella Flora. I trimmed them to evenly fit on the card front and added a ribbon at the top that is tied in a square knot. You can just stamp on a greeting that suits the occasion when you are ready to use them.

Therese

My Art - graduation card

It is the time of year for graduations!! I made this card for my nephew who is graduating from high school. It is simple and elegant. I used textured cardstock, silver foil cardstock, a decorative brad and a handmade silver tassle. The greeting is embossed with silver embossing powder!!

Graduation is a turning point in life and a time to realize the dreams for your own life. May we all, no matter what we are graduating from, be willing to use the power of our thoughts, words and actions to create what we want in our life.

Therese