Father's Day front flap card featuring decorative paper, washi tape, a cute little truck and a fun greeting (digital)

I made this card for my other son in law for Father's Day!!!!! He has been working hard for his family and likes to take bike rides with his kids.  I started with a dark blue panel, added the mottled blue decorative paper (digital) which was in two pieces so I added strip of green washi tape which works to create a horizon line in my background.  I pieces a flap from two pieces of green cardstock and added washi tape to keep them together.  I scored a half in flap at the top and added it to my panel using double sided tape and glue.  The little truck is a download from Beyond the Fringe Crafts which I sized, laser printed and then fussy cut.  I then watercoloured all basic parts of the truck.  I used a clear glitter gel pen on the hubcaps, bumpers, lights, door handle and windows.  I found some die cut stars in my stash that coordinated and arranged them, glued them to each other and then added them to the back of the truck.  Thinking they still needed something I added some details to them using the clear glitter gel pen.  I mounted the truck on the green flap using 3D foam tape and then added the fun little greeting.  It is a digital greeting from Desert Diva which I laser printed, watercoloured, distressed the edges and then mounted with 3D foam tape as well. I do like this little truck and will certainly be using it again!!!          Therese

Exchange cards featuring a side flap, decorative paper and laser printed digital greetings

I have made these two cards for my Card Exchange partners for our June Swap.  I have created a flap on the left hand side instead of the top like the front flap cards have made recently.  For the first one, I choose a large envelope and created a panel card with a flap to fit inside.  I simply scored on the left hand side and folded the flap to the front.  I added a piece of light gray cardstock to the flap by butting it up and then adhering it in place using regular tape on the front.  Next, I  added a narrower strip of black cardstock which I punched with my scallop border punch (SU) before adhering it to the light gray piece.  I added two pieces of floral paper  - one to the full inside panel and the other to the front of the side flap which covers the tape I used to secure the pieces to each other.  I punched 1/16" holes in all the scallops on the edge.  I found this little greeting in my stash (Desert Diva) which is digital and I laser printed it on white cardstock after sizing it.  I added a black layer to it and then a coordinating yellow one.  I distressed the edges using my distress tool.  I used double sided tape to adhere the left hand portion of the greeting to the flap.  I added a white bond insert to the back side of the flap for the handwritten message.  

For my second card, I choose a large envelope and created a dark gray panel to fit inside.  I added a piece of floral paper which left a small margin all the way around.  I created a flap for the left hand edge using a light gray cardstock, scored the left hand edge and adhered the little flap to the back of the panel.  I added another piece of floral paper to my flap and then a strip of yellow cardstock which I punched with an eyelet border punch (SU) and then added several embossed lines with my score tool and then passed my pattern tracing wheel to add a row of pierced holes to the left hand edge.  I mounted it overlapping the edge of my light gray flap which finished it off nicely.  Next, I found this greeting in my stash which I created with a Chalk Writing font and laser printed.  I layered it with light gray and dark gray cardstock and then added to my flap using 3D foam tape.  Again, I added a small piece of white bond to the back of the flap for any handwritten message.  

It was fun to change up the flap on these cards.  I really like the look of this floral paper with the gray and yellow cardstock and monochromatic greetings.  

Front Flap Birthday card featuring decorative paper, colour printed light house and round laser printed greeting

I need cards for the special occasions in my family in the month of June and have decided to follow a sketch I found on Splitcoast Stampers for a front flap card.  It has a tutorial but I am just working it out as I go along with what I have on hand.  

For this card I chose a large envelope from my stash and cut a blue panel card to fit inside.  I found a piece of blue foil decorative paper in my blue paper stash envelope that coordinated so I trimmed it to size and glued it on the front.  Next, I found the lighthouse image in my stash of coloured images. It is a photo of a lighthouse I took when we visited in PEI a while back.  I printed several sheets of images for a class and there are still a few around.  I layered the light house with brown cardstock and then distressed its edges.  I found a coordinating piece of blue cardstock in my stash to create my flap.  I scored the top edge at a half inch and folded the flap to the back.  I hooked the flap to the panel card and trimmed the bottom edge.  I found a piece of decorative paper that coordinated, embossed it with a leafy embossing folder and then adhered it to my flap.  I added two small pieces of double sided tape to my flap, added glue in between and adhered it to the back of my panel.  I found the round greeting in my stash and gave it a very light blue colourwash and then used a brown colour pencil to colour in the knotted wreath before layering it onto a dark teal circle.  I positioned my light house and greeting on my flap before adhering them in place.  The greeting overlaps the flap by half  and I positioned the light house just to the left.  I double wrapped and tied a length of kraft brown fiber to the top portion of the flap which adds more texture and interest to this card.  I cut a piece of white bond paper just smaller than my flap and adhered it to the panel card to provide a writing area for my message.  It is a versatile sketch so I think I will make a few more while I am at it and get the cards I need ready to go!!         Therese

CAS Get well card featuring a digital greeting and decorative paper

Still finding scraps to make cards from in my green paper scraps stash!!  These scraps had to be trimmed to create this background on the blue card I created to fit in one of my smaller envelopes.  I found the greeting (Desert Diva) in my stash and it perfectly filled the middle section on this card.  I distressed the edges and then sponged on some blue ink.  I ran the pattern tracing wheel all the way around and the added a bit of green sponged ink in the center section.  I adhered it to my card using 3D foam tape.  Again, this is a card layout I have used in the past but not recently.   Therese

CAS Birthday card featuring decorative paper, digital greeting and tracing wheel texture

I kept digging into my green paper scraps and found these three that worked together.  These had to be trimmed to size.  I was happy to find a layout that worked well with this colour printed font greeting which I found in my stash.  The scroll frame is from CLKER.  I added the colour and greeting digitally and then laser printed it.  It had a white border which was quite distracting so I fussy cut it off and used my distress tool on the edges.  I masked the scrolled ends and added a bit of green sponged ink to help highlight them.  I added texture to my card base using my pattern tracing wheel before I adhered all of my elements to it.  I made this red card to fit in a small envelope.  

Therese

All occasion card featuring a beautiful butterfly, an embossed background and an embellished border

For this card I started with the butterfly image which I downloaded from Pixabay.  Once trimmed from the letter sized sheet of white cardstock I distressed its edges and then added a line of paper piercing using my pattern tracing wheel.  To highlight the yellow in the wings I layered it onto a light yellow piece of cardstock leaving a bit extra on the bottom for embellishing.  I punched it with the scallop border punch (SU), punched 1/16" holes in each one and then added two lines of embossing using my scoring tool  I really like all the texture on this piece.  I embossed a weathered brown cardstock with a swirly background, added a small strip of aqua over it and mounted this large element to an aqua card.  I mounted the large butterfly element over the strip using 3D foam tape to finish off my card.  Love the colours of this one!!  Appropriate for sympathy, get well, thinking of you or just as a note card to a friend!             Therese

Birthday card featuring a puffin, an hand embossed layer and a tiny greeting

For this card I started with this puffin image from CLKER which I laser printed onto white cardstock and trimmed to size.  I watercoloured it, mounted it to a hand embossed orange layer inserting a tiny laser printed font greeting in between before pressing everything down.  I left some an extra border of orange on the right hand side and the bottom which nicely highlights the puffin's beak and feet!!  I adhered this large layered element to a black card front and thinking it still needed something I added dots and dashes around the edges of the image.  That was much better!!

Therese

Christmas cards from foil gift wrap from the season

 A few more cards from the gift wrap I collected at the Community Christmas dinner!!  Thanks to my neighbour who very carefully unwrapping her gift so I could have the paper!!  For these two cards I glued the gift wrap to scrap paper and then embossed them with two different snowflake embossing folders before trimming them to fit on my red cards!!
For the first one, I coloured the JOY in light blue shimmery watercolour, distressed the edge and adhered it to the front of the card using 3D foam tape.  I die cut two leafy branches (TH- SX) from silver foil cardstock and mounted one above and the other below which very nicely yielded a wreath shape.  Love the way the paper looks embossed and the little branches looking like a wreath!!
For the second card, I coloured the JOY using a pink/red shimmery watercolour, ran the pattern tracing wheel around the edges and mounted it to my card front using 3D foam tape.  I added a little silver foil star punchie using 3D foam tape as well.  Really happy with these two!  Therese

Christmas cards featuring little penguins skipping with a light string, some ribbon and fiber

I had hoped to make this sketch one of the cards for my card class last week but unfortunately I had a very difficult time getting them to stamp cleanly and emboss them effectively.  These are the ones I salvaged from the discard pile.
I started by stamping and embossing with black embossing powder the little penguins and then stamped the greeting below and did the same.  I watercoloured the image and then distressed the edges before adding a length of ribbon/seam binding between the image and the greeting.  I tied fiber to two of them and a length of the same ribbon on the other one before mounting it to a coordinating layer of cardstock.  I mounted a piece of decorative paper to a coordinating card and then mounted my large focal element with 3D foam tape.  I am really happy with this sketch so I will consider stamping in permanent ink when I revisit it. 

Therese

Birthday card featuring a cute little bird, a digital greeting and some decorative paper

Making cards for family birthdays!!  I started with a large envelope and made a black card to fit inside.  I printed the coloured cute bird digital (Melonheadz) on white cardstock and trimmed it.  to the image I added two lines using gel pens - peacock and royal blue then a row of black dots using a fine Sharpie marker.  I used watercolour to fill in the "BIRTHDAY" in the digital greeting (Desert Diva) I added before I printed it.   To finish it off and add a bit more texture I used my distress tool on the edges.  I added a piece of coordinating colour printed decorative paper to my black card and then added a strip to which I had added five pewter eyelets on the right hand side.  To finish off my card, I added my large image using 3D foam tape.  Happy with the way it turned out!!         Therese

Birthday card featuring a dimensional sticker, ribbon and decorative paper

Our god daughter's birthday is coming up soon and I made this card for her!!  I started with a large envelope and made a soft peach card to fit inside.  I added two strips of white embossed cardstock on the top and bottom.  For the middle section I trimmed a piece of laser printed decorative paper into three.  I added two strips of aqua to my card front and then glued the three pieces of decorative paper into place overlapping the aqua strips.  For my focal element I started with a small dimensional sticker.  I added layers - peach, embossed aqua - peach and then onto a larger brown rectangle gluing them together as I went. I used my distress tool on the edges of  the brown one and then added flagged ribbons to the backside of it on the top right and lower left.  As I was considering where to place my focal element I decided I needed a bit more texture so I ran my tracing wheel over the two aqua strips on my card and used a brown gel pen to add a line to my two white embossed strips.  That was better!!  I used 3D foam tape to add my focal element to my card.  Pretty happy with how it turned out!!          Therese

A birthday card for my Mom (85) featuring a blue tag, an embossed collage background and a beautiful silk flower

My Mom will be 85 at the end of the month and we will be celebrating with her!!!!!  Blue is her favorite colour so I always like to include it when I am making a card for her.  I started with a large blue envelope and made a blue card to fit.  Next, I worked on a blue and white collage background. I dug through my scrap paper bucket and found a variety of white and blue pieces - a bit of watercolour trimmed from a decorative paper piece, some glittery gift wrap, tissue paper, etc.  I dug out a piece of scrap paper and glued on my white and blue scraps which included a few pieces of sheet music.  Once it was dry I embossed it with a large embossing folder which I had to do in three different runs to get it all done.  I stitched on two lengths of while lace and then adhered a length of white seam binding over the stitching tucking the ends to the back and adhering them with double sided tape.  I found this tag in my stash which coordinated so I added a small ribbon at the top and adhered it over my lace.  I found the greeting in my stash, trimmed it to size, distressed its edges and glued it to my tag.  A trip to my silk flower stash yielded these blue and white silk flowers which I layered and secured with a white button brad.  I added it to my collage background before adhering this large element to my blue card front.  I am very happy with how it turned out!!  My Mom is an amazing woman who has lived her life within certain confines but did it with grace.  This is a perfect card for her!!  She has been a seamstress and quilter most of her life hence the stitching and button brad!!             Therese

Thank you card featuring an emboss background and frame and a colour printed digital greeting

Appreciation for the people and events of our lives is a large part of a good life.

A thank you card for someone special who has blessed us with so much!!

I started with a large envelope and created a white card to fit inside.  I cut two pieces of navy cardstock and embossed them before gluing them on the front of my card.  I added a little strip of pink to echo some of the colour in the focal image.  The image is one I downloaded from KissPng, colour printed on white and trimmed to size.  I distressed the edges as well.  I die cut a square wavy frame  (SX) from silver cardstock and embossed it with the Swiss Dot embossing folder (CB) before adhering it to my card front.  I mounted my image over the opening using 3D foam tape.   Perfect!!!!!!!

Therese

Graduation card that features gros grain ribbon, colour printed background and some bling

It will soon be that season of transition where people move on from being students to the next step in their lives and so I made this card.  I will probably need a few more but it is a start. 
I started with a colour printed background from Altered Bits and mounted it to a green card front.  I found this greeting in one of my past files and it does not have any credits so I am not sure where it came from but I really like the message!!  I laser printed it onto white cardstock, trimmed it to size, watercoloured the cap and sponged its edges a bit before mounting it to a brown cardstock layer with a distressed edge.  I added a piece of green gros grain ribbon with flagged ends to my card then mounted my greeting over it using 3D foam tape.  Just a little bit of bling finished it off nicely!!           Therese

Card set - ribbon, vellum and oval greetings

Two more cards towards my set of cards!!  Both of these cards started with green card fronts but really went off in their own directions after that!!

For the first I trimmed a beautiful piece of decorative paper and mounted it to a navy blue rectangle of cardstock which I then adhered to my green card front.  I found this stamped greeting in my stash, die cut it into an oval and then distressed its edges.  I used the coordinating layer label to die cut a navy layer which I embossed with polka dots before I mounted the greeting.  I added a length of gold ribbon to the center of my card and mounted the layered greeting over it!!!  

For the next card, I punched the greeting from one I found in my stash, added a blue oval punchie (SU) and then cut a large oval from some textured vellum to add to the back.  I adhered them all together with double sided tape.  I found coordinating colour printed cardstock from which I cut four rectangles.  I corner punched two corners on each of them and then mounted them to my green card front.  I like the look of this combination of rectangles.  I mounted my greeting to the center over the area where the rectangles meet.  

Therese

Card set - printed greeting, decorative paper and texture

 I started on a set of cards for a friend as she has donated some small envelopes to my cardmaking stash. I made a few cards for her last year.  You can check them out here, here, and here. She generally needs thank you cards and this year I thought I would allow myself a bit more freedom and we shall see what I end up creating.

I have mined my stash for supplies to use and found a box of paper which I had almost forgotten about.  It has a wide variety of single pieces of beautiful paper which I received in a swap a while back.  The paper I used on these two cards is one of those pieces!! 

For the card on the left I started with a dark pink card and added a piece of paper which covered the front leaving a small border all the way around.  In my greetings stash I found several of these laser printed font greetings which I had printed a while back for my Christmas thank you cards.  They coordinated very nicely so I used my pattern tracing wheel and added a line of piercing on the top and bottom edges.  Next, I flagged both ends and mounted the greeting to the front using 3D foam tape.  

For the one on the right, I used the scrap that I trimmed off and ripped it in two and mounted the pieces top and bottom on a medium pink card front.  I added wavy lines of piercings with my tracing wheel and then used my distress tool on both top and bottom edges.  I added two square gold brads which coordinate with the gold in the paper - one on each side and mounted this greeting to the front of my card between the pieces of decorative paper using double sided tape.  Love how they turned out!!!  

I will be dipping into my stash of beautiful papers for these cards!!  Beautiful papers make beautiful cards!!        Therese

Birthday card featuring a old plane digital, a distressed background and a label greeting punchie

This stash card started with the airplane image which is a digital from Arthur's Clipart which I colour printed onto white cardstock and trimmed to size.  I distressed its edges and sponged them with brown.  For some texture I used a grid (plastic canvas) and did some paper piercing in the corners.  I embossed a brown rectangle of cardstock with a distressed embossing folder passing it through twice to get the whole width and adhered it to a black card.  Seeing as the plane has red and blue markings I created a flagged element from two strips of coordinating cardstock  and adhered it to my card front.  I used 3D foam tape to adhere the plane image over the flagged element.  I dug this little punchie greeting (Modern Label - SU) from my stash and used a blue marker to colour the oval and watercoloured the textured portion in brown.  I mounted it below the image on the right hand side with 3D foam tape.    Therese

Subtle neutral background embellished with gold embossed mesh and a twine nest

 Have been working with a few others on a project for a while and we are now almost finished.  I have made this card for one of the people who have donated time and materials to help us get this project off the ground. 
I started with a large envelope and cut an ivory card to fit inside.  I mounted two scraps of this beautiful gray and pale yellow decorative paper (SU) on the front.  I trimmed a scrap of brown cardstock to size, distressed the top and bottom and then added a piece of gold embossed mesh to it using four square brads in gold.  I mounted this element over where the two pieces joined on the front.  The laser printed greeting punchie (Bird's Cards) I found in my stash and sponged the edge with a bit of brown ink and then mounted it to a kraft scalloped circle punchie (Nestibilities).  I added double sided tape to the back and then wound some kraft cording and gold embroidery thread all around it anchoring them when I could to the back of the greeting.  I added two strips of 3D foam tape to the back and mounted it over the accent strip leaving the "nest" of fiber to find its best place.  Feeling that the edges needed a bit more definition I used a gold gel pen and added faux stitching all around the edges.  That was better!!!   Nothing can really replace a handmade card when you are expressing your appreciation for what others have done for you!!!!!   Therese

Christmas card class - Colour printed digital greetings, scrapbook paper and an embossed flag ended strip

For this card we started with a 4" square of scrapbook paper which we tore in two and then adhered to a coordinating card front.  The colour printed digital greeting was embellished with a pattern tracing wheel to give it a bit of texture and it was then mounted to a coordinating square of cardstock.  We had the option of using the distressing tool on any of our edges which is featured on the blue card.  Each kit had an embossed strip of coordinating cardstock which could be modified on the ends and was adhered over the gap in the decorative paper.  The greeting/focal element was then mounted over the strip using 3D foam tape to give this card a bit of dimension. The digital image has been digitally manipulated to vary the colours which allowed it to coordinate with a wide variety of papers.  As you can see this kit could be made up in the portrait or landscape format.  A very flexible sketch which can be made up in a wide variety of papers and colours.           Therese

November cardmaking - torn paper, an embossed strip and a colour printed gift focal element

For these cards, we started with 4" square of decorative paper.  The left hand card features scrapbook paper and the one on the right is colour printed digital paper (SU).  Each one has been torn and adhered to a coordinating card front.  The gift image has been digitally manipulated to produce a variety of colours which coordinate with a wide variety of papers.  The gift images were trimmed to 2.75", textured with a tracing wheel and/or a distressing tool and then mounted to a square of coordinating cardstock.  Each kit had a strip of embossed cardstock which was trimmed and mounted over the gap in the decorative paper and then the gift image element was mounted over the strip using 3D foam tape.  Each kit included a single sheet panel insert which featured a Christmas greeting.  A few more examples below. 

Therese