January Cardmaking - Decorative paper frame

It has been a wonderful holiday season!!  I am happy to be back to a routine because that means more time for cardmaking.  This is our first cardmaking session for this year and my first card frames my focal image with strips of decorative paper.  It took a bit to figure out the math of what size the strips had to be for an A2 sized card.  The short strips are 3/4" x 3 1/8" and the longer ones are 3/4" x 4 3/8" which leaves 1/8" gaps between them, the edge and the focal image.  You can cut the strips you need out of a 1.5" x 7.5" piece of decorative paper though I cut mine mostly of scraps.  I did cut a few 3/4" x 3/4" pieces from the small leftovers to add to my stash of paper pieces for paper mosaics like these ones.   I glued the strips to mym yellow card front in the pattern you see on my image.  You can put the short one completely to the right as well which works out as well.  I water coloured my daisy (Beccy's Place) which was laser printed from a digital image after adding a font greeting.  I added a bit of stippling as well.  I trimmed the bottom with scallop decorative scissors and pierce each scallop with a push pin.  I glued my focal element in the center of my card front.  It is nicely framed by the strips!!  I cut and embossed a short piece of coordinating cardstock, trimmed the ends, tied on a bit of coordinating cording and adhered it to my card front just below the greeting.  This is another versatile sketch!!  I could have incorporated landscape designs into my focal elements but I did not even think about it!!  Another time!!  I made my second card at class.  I used embossed foil that has been coloured with alcohol ink for the frame which makes a real statement!!  The heart (Digital Graphic Cafe) was laser printed and watercoloured and given the same treatment as my previous one.  

Therese