Birthday card featuring stars, ribbon and a laser printed chalk greeting

I made this  card for my son's birthday!!  I started with a large envelope and made a white card to fit inside.  I found this blue colour printed background paper in my stash and thought it would work well.  I cut it to size, added a black ribbon and adhered it to the front of my card.  I added a wide variety of stars from tiny ones to a large gray multi die cut one!!!  I mounted the large one with 3D foam tape after gluing all the stars together on the back with tape.  I mounted the others with white glue using a fine tip applicator.  After they were dry I added the greeting which is a digital image which I laser printed and trimmed to size before tucking it under the edge of the star and adhered it in place using double sided tape.  I finished off my card by adding glitter and shimmer!!  I added pearly shimmer paint to the medium stars, clear glitter with a gel pen to the second smallest die cut in the large star and a silver foil confetti to the star on the right.  Perfect!!  A blue sky full of stars will be perfect for him!!        Therese

Confirmation card featuring a beautiful cross, dove confetti and an embossed background

I created this card for a friend who has someone special being confirmed this weekend.  I laser printed this beautiful crosss onto white cardstock and trimmed it to size.  I watercoloured it and then added the tiny dove confetti!!  Perfect!!  I added a length of green ribbon to a yellow embossed layer  and adhered the ends to the back.  I mounted this layer to the front of a red card.  I mounted my large image to my card over the ribbon using 3D foam tape.  Very happy with how it worked out!!!!

Therese

November Cardmaking - embossed swirl frame, a decorative paper oval die cut and a die cut ornament hanging from a sprig of green

For this card, the embossed quarter sheets of coloured cardstock were embossed with the swirl frame embossing folder and then trimmed to include the whole embossed design.  These were coordinated with the decorative colour printed ovals which were die cut for a previous Christmas card class.  The ovals were glued inside the embossed design.  The little ornaments were cut from coordinating cardstock using a Nestibilities set and embossed using the center element from a Christmas tree embossing folder.  The ornament was adhered onto the oval using 3D foam tape.  After positioning the little branch punchie (MS) I drew a line from the ornament up a bit so they intersected with each other using a fine tip black marker.  Next, I glued the branch to the back of a small silver snowflake confetti and then added a small piece of 3D foam tape and adhered it on the edge of the oval in a way that it also intersected with the line I drew above the ornament.  In some cases, I also attached the snowflake with a silver brad which replaced the piece of 3D foam tape.  I adhered this large element to a white card front.  These were made up in a few colour combinations which coordinated with the decorative paper ovals.          Therese

March Cardmaking - little flower embellishments with a bit of bling

 For my second card I created some flower embellishments by adding rhinestones to aqua diecut embossed cardstock confetti!!  I chose the background paper to work well with the embellishments I had created and added a  large double punched border strip over the decorative paper.  I did add a ribbon between the embellishments and the layer which is harder to see on the bottom card.  I used the SU eyelet punch on the top white one and the eyelet punch from MS on the bottom one.  The girls had a good time with their cards!  Some decided not to use all of the embellishments on their cards so others decided to use their extras in an all over pattern.

 I love teaching for that exact reason - others provided with the very same supplies will always come up with creative ways of using them differently!!
I provided a variety of greetings and layers for adding to the cards.

Therese

Star birthday card

My youngest grandson is having a birthday at the end of the month and I made him this card.  The background is junk mail that arrived a while back and the look and feel of the paper was so much like leather I set it aside hoping to be able to use it on a card.  I decided to layer these two off cuts on either side of it and I like how the holes provide a linear feel to the card.  The stitching was part of the background so I decided to repeat it by stitching the greeting in place. If I had drawn a pencil line for the stitching it would have been better  - I will know better for next time.  I added an embossed star sequin with a gold brad on the right hand side of the greeting and several small confetti stars to the background.  I added a coordinating ribbon and glued the end to the back of the paper and then glued this large element to the front of a green card. I added a gold foil die cut star (SX) which I cut from a piece of packaging I saved a while back.  I applied the star to the card front using 3D foam tape.   A fun card for a little guy who has so much fun playing with his trains.

Therese

Ornament perfect for mailing

I made a few of these ornaments for including to friends and family in my Christmas cards!!  It is perfect for sending along as a "little gift".
I used a large white cardstock scallop circle to which I glued a 3" circle of decorative paper capturing a loop of white crochet thread between which serves as a hanger.  I added a white cardstock die cut of a tree which I embellished with a silver confetti star.  I signed the back and have sent them on their way.

My Christmas cards are ready to go!!  A little later than I thought I would have them ready but I am glad to send them on their way to friends and family.

Therese

Fabric Journal - part two

 

Here are the back and front of the finished fabric journal. I love the amount of texture it has and how colourful it is!!

I added a long quiltie to which I had sewed an elastic band as part of my closure.  I found a large white button in my collection and decided it would be just what I needed to finish off the closure on this journal.


Here are some close ups of my embellishments - charms and beads!!

 

Here are photos of the inside and back covers!!

The fabric cover holds a composition book which can be replaced once it is full.   The flaps provide a place to store notes or even a writing implement depending on what the journal is being used for.

I am happy with how it worked out.  I have enough little quilts made to make another one.  I did find someone on line that had made cuffs from some of hers so I may give that a try.  There are certainly lots of people making bags from them as well so I will consider that some time in the future!!

I have really enjoyed making the little quilts.  I have been stitching them in the car on our road trips.  I just prep a few pieces (two pieces of fabric pinned together with batting in between) before the trip and bring along a needle, some thread, a small set of scissors and some pins in a bag and I am ready to go.  It passes the time and miles very pleasantly!!
Without even trying hard I have collected a bit of a fabric stash - just little pieces that are left over from sewing projects, scraps from other quilters in the family and a few quilt scrap bags from thrift/fabric stores.
I am certainly enjoying the creative possibilities of these little hand stitched quilts and look forward to doing even more creative projects with them.

Therese

Anniversary cards

Have a couple of anniversaries this month besides my Mom and Dad's 60th so I made up these cards.  I colour printed the digital background I created for these wedding cards on quarter sheets in two different colours.
I layered them onto coloured cardstock, added a length of coordinating vintage seam binding and then glued them to card fronts.  I added colour printed greetings which had been punched out (SU) and sponged.  On the beige one I added an oval of darker cardstock behind the greeting and attached it over the seam binding using 3D foam tape.  To finish it off, I tied a short piece of seam binding to the first length using a single knot which nicely simulates the look of a bow.  On the blue one, I added the greeting using 3D foam tape over the seam binding, added some dots using a clear glitter gel pen (Stardust) and two little heart confetti.

Therese

More handmade paper!

Made handmade paper with another group of young people yesterday!  They were really keen and loved the whole process!!  We made some pink ones - plain and with flower petals, some blue ones - plain and with paper confetti and finally mixed the two batches and made some purple ones.
I started with white scraps from my cardmaking and crafting and created white pulp by shredding, soaking and then blending the paper.  I used paper napkins for colour.  They don't need to be soaked because they absorb water instantly.  I thoroughly blended navy blue and burgundy paper napkins and added that to the two different batches.  I added hand cut paper snippets to the blue batch - pink, purple, several different blues and some silver.  I added flower petals, grass and herbal tea to the pink batch.  Above you can see the sheets I made up when I got home with the remaining pulp. I will be teaching this same group a techniques class next week.  Looking forward to making different pulps for that class.
If you are a paper crafter I would highly recommend learning to make paper.  You will be able to use all your scraps to make paper you can use in your crafting!!  It is fun and environmentally friendly!!  If you have any questions about the process just ask!!

Therese

Handmade paper

Made some paper yesterday!!  I had a class with some young people in the afternoon and made up the rest of the pulp when I got  home.  I started them off with white pulp - we made some white sheets and embossed a few.  Then I added green (blended paper napkins) to one vat so they could make some green sheets.  I added some green, red and gold confetti (snippets of paper, tissue, ribbon, etc) to another vat and added similar confetti to the green vat as well.  As you can see in the photo there are some pink bits in the green.  This is a result of some of the red bits letting colour and becoming pink in the process. It is a different look than I was expecting but that is the way it is with papermaking - you just never know exactly how all the additions will affect the overall sheets.  A fun process!!
Might be making Christmas cards with these sheets.  If you are wanting to challenge yourself to making Christmas cards over the year and would like a little inspiration I would like to recommend the Christmas Card Challenge  that my sister is hosting.  Here is the quick link to this year's challenges.  Here and here and here are the quick links to past challenges.

Therese

Christmas cards - white on white

I love the elegance of white on white embossed cards!!!  For this card I embossed a swirly oval embossing folder onto shimmer paper and added a soft blue oval using a stencil, blue dye ink pad and a sponge.  Love the way it worked out!!  Added a length of white seam binding, a blue confetti snowflake with a white mini brad, an embossed little tree die cut (SX - movers and shapers) and a colour printed punchie greeting (punch - SU)!!
I hand cut the stencil I used here but have subsequently discovered that the largest oval Nestibilties die is the same size and does the work in no time!!  It is fun creating your own stencils for using with your stamps and embossing folders!!
Want some white on white inspiration??  Check out Sue's Nelson's gallery Heart Prints or search Splitcoast Stampers for white Christmas cards.

Therese

Card of Appreciation

I created this card for DH.  One of his choir members is moving on and he wanted a nice card to give her.  I went for subtly beautiful with lots of texture and muted colour.  I love the way it turned out!  I used a large pearly white envelope and created a white card that fit inside.  I layered on a piece of shimmer paper which I embossed at the top and bottom.  In between I scored a couple of lines right next to both embossed edges with my score tool and added a piece of white lace in between then sponged the edges just a bit before I glued it to the card front.  I laser printed this blossom image I downloaded from  Beccy's blog, watercoloured it, layered it onto a border punched layer, added some half pearls and attached it to the card front using 3D foam tape.  As a final touch I watercoloured a flower confetti, added a white brad in the center and glued it to the corner of the top layer.
She has been an invaluable part of the choir and will be missed!  We wish her well in her new pursuits!!

Therese

Casablanca Arch swap

On AFTCM,  I joined an arch swap with the theme of Casablanca.  I did some internet research and found a poet  - Abhallah Zrika - from Casablanca who has been jailed for his prose poetry and a quote where he expresses his wonder at the power of words.  In the process, I found out a lot about the region and their culture.  Beautiful architecture and tiled buildings!  I found a blog that talked about mosaics and how to create some simple patterns so I decided to create a tiled wall for my arch using one of his simple shapes.  I added an inner arch where I

added some arabic words and a hamsa  - a protection symbol that is used to attract the magic of life and repel evil - it is a lovely hand with a heart!!  I added a cage to protect the words and symbolize this poet's struggle with freedom and two white doves to symbolize peace and the pureness of following one's bliss.  I watercoloured all the squares blue - used extensively in their buildings - and added clear dimensional paint to make them look like tiles.  Once they were dry I added a clear sealer to the rest of the wall to make it look tiled.  As a final touch I added a short piece of white seam binding tied to the cage with a single knot and some blue half pearls to the bottom edge to add a bit of texture.
On the back I used the same hamsa symbol and this quote - " Words are a precious thing; everything can live in them." by Abdallah.   I used my "new to me" score tool (Thanks, Carol) to create a cross hatch pattern inside the inner arch and added my own quote in handwriting!!
A totally fun project which I am really happy with!!  It is off to my partner in today's mail.  


Therese

Embossed metal art

Here is the first piece of art I designed for the calendar I am creating with my class of young adults.  I provided them with several foil shapes and they embossed them with their own designs.  For this page they embossed a design around a teal paper confetti flower.  Embossing foil is easy.  Simply place it upside down on a piece of folded newspaper to provide a bit of cushion and draw your design using a pencil.  In this case, we confined our designs to the inside of a frame which I had already embossed with an embossing folder.  We glued a small sheet of pink paper to a quarter sheet of teal paper and added our embossed metal art to the pink using 3D foam tape.  We then added a rhinestone brad to the flower by piercing through all the layers.  This will help to provide integrity to the whole piece when we add it to the calendar page.

Therese

Christmas cards - confetti tree

This was a fun card!! I have had these little confetti trees for a really long time so I decided to see if I could come up with a design that would highlight them adequately - they are so shiny and bright!! (Not evident on the scan) Very happy with this design!!

I added shimmer to white cardstock using gold interference Pearl Ex and alcohol in a spray bottle. A beautiful subtle shimmer - just what I was looking for!! Once dry, I embossed quarter sheets using this star embossing folder which is available at Ecstasy Crafts!! It nicely echoes the stars on the tree and creates the perfect little embossed space for showing off this shiny little accent! I adhered it in place using tiny pieces of double sided tape but several girls at class this morning just used glue stick. I added ribbon diagonally to the corners and used double sided tape on the back to hold the ends in place, then glued the whole embossed layer to the green card front. The lower right hand ribbon has a second piece of ribbon tied to it using a single knot which also encompasses several strands of gold embroidery thread. This treatment gives you the look of a bow without the bulk which is often a concern when mailing handmade cards during the holiday season!!

Therese

Christmas cards from my stash!

One of the benefits of playing in your craft room is finding "stuff" that you didn't really remember you had!! Case in point - I found this ribbon in my ribbon drawer and thought it was the perfect colours for making a few Christmas cards!! I was expecting - quick and easy - a few cards in less than a hour!! The process took much longer than I thought it would but this design finally emerged and it is a quick and easy card!!

I embossed the cardinal (SX) onto white cardstock and mounted it onto the right hand side of my card which was designed to fit in some envelopes that were given to me a few years ago. I cut the ribbon to fit, added it to the left hand side with double sided tape and added three confetti stars using gold brads!! Voila - a Christmas card!! I did embellish the stamped image with my StarDust gel pen which provided just enough bling!! The ribbon is flocked and came prebound in the red, green and red format!! It provides texture and richness in this card.

I am always on the look out for interesting supplies to include in my creations and this ribbon was the perfect accent for this card!!

Therese

Inchies!!

Inchies for a swap on AFTCM!! These were fun to make though I discovered that finding items small enough to be included on these little canvases needed some creative thinking. I found confetti worked really well - check out the coffee cup, cat, angel, doves and the sun. Punchies, rhinestones and snippets from other projects worked well too. It is a perfect place to use scraps of beautiful paper and words from a really small dictionary!!

I started with leftover supplies from my June cardmaking session where I created these quick and easy cards - they were the perfect little canvases!! A trip to my collage bucket gave me everything else I needed. The canvases were created using a 1" cardstock square and a 3/4" piece of decorative paper. They were embellished with small decorative elements - confetti, punchies, snippets, ribbon, dictionary words and rhinestones. Finally, embellished using my Stardust clear or metallic gel pens!!

The Stardust gel pen by Sakura is great!! It puts on only glitter - no colour! A very rich glitter!! Every papercrafter should have one of these pens though I have not found them anywhere locally. My sister brought me one two years ago when she came on vacation. I love it!!

Crafting with my sister this week and getting caught up on my Christmas cards using her challenges!!

Therese

More handmade paper!!

More handmade paper!! It has been hot so it has been good for drying it!! I made these sheets with Christmas cards in mind! The first photo is a close up of the surface of the paper along with a sample of the kind of gift wrap I used to get the sparkles in my paper! On a whim, last year, I cut up and blended some of this glittery prisamatic paper in hopes of getting some silvery accents in my paper and to my surprise I got a clear glitter instead!! The paper looks like glistening snow!!

You can see in this photo that I made four colours of this snow paper - lilac, aqua, pink and blue!! If you take a closer look (click on the photo) you will also see that I have added white paper confetti to these papers to really make them look like there is snow falling!!

So I will be creating a Christmas card for one of my stack classes this fall using this paper!! I am loving the look!!!

So I will be saving any of this paper that shows up on presents at Christmas this year!! If you are a papermaker consider giving this a try - I know you will love the results. The base pulp for these handmade paper sheets is cardstock and white bond which gave me some nice pastel colours. Check my previous post or click here to see what the colours look like full strength.

Therese

Cardmaking - December - glittery!!

Glittery cards!! This sketch features textured paper, a corner rounded embossed rectangle, three flower confetti with glittered centers, some fiber and a decorative strip that was created using blue pigment ink and Star Dust embossing powder!! I created the decorative paper to help the turquoise paper to coordinate with the sparkly fiber, and then, the flowers were screaming for some glitter of their own!! In the end, it all came together but it was a bit of a process to get it there.

The confetti was selling at the craft store last fall as part of a Paula Dean table ensemble. The little bags have a lot in them!! I used only half the bag on this set of cards - I have another bag!! So come spring there will be more cards created with these little turquoise flower confetti!! I added blue glitter glue to the centers. The fiber I added as the last element by centering the glittery accent in the middle of the strip and wrapping the two ends around the brads trimming off any excess afterwards.

Cards with glitz are just fun!! Some of the girls brought their own shimmer spray to class so theirs got an extra layer of shine as well.

Therese

Christmas card challenges

Christmas card challenges for July!! I combined Sylvia's angel challenge with Karen's purple challenge to create these Christmas cards. They also qualify for the "Anything goes" theme over at Year round Christmas cards. I stamped and embossed the angel on glossy cardstock then applied alcohol inks starting with yellows in the halo and wing areas followed by three different purples over the rest of the surface trying to concentrate the eggplant in the dress part. I love the way they turned out. I layered the angel onto white cardstock with a scalloped edge. I had difficulty getting my MS doily border punch to punch my six layers so I substituted my SU eyelet border punch for the last two. I expect it may have been the high humidity that caused problems with the very intricate design of the MS punch. I layered a white cardstock strip accented with purple fiber below the image and added a silver confetti star with 3D foam tape. A simple greeting of "Rejoice" is silver embossed at the bottom of the card.

I am really enjoying these challenges!! I have a few to catch up on which I should be able to do this month. So I add these six to my stash. I have counted my Christmas cards and I have 48!!! It is great that I have this many made already and we are only in July!! Join us!!

I used envelopes from my stash which dictated the different format for these cards.

Therese