Christmas card featuring a gold embossed starburst layered with gold on an aqua and gold background

I have been enjoying playing with stamps!!!!  I gold embossed this large starburst image on the aqua cardstock, trimmed it to size and then added yellow marker to colour in the center.  I layered it with gold gift wrap and mounted it to my card front which was layered with my aqua and gold gift wrap background on an ivory card.    This one was fairly quick and easy!!!

Therese

Exchange cards featuring hammered botanical paper, a die cut butterfly and ribbon and bling

I created these two cards for my Card Exchange partners for this month.  I started with half sheets of hammered botanical paper which I created a while back with my Big Shot.  It is a very cool process where you place fresh botanicals - flowers, leaves, etc - between two sheets of white cardstock and pass it through your die cut machine which acts as a press and creates these cool images.  I added blue watercolour to the edges of these prints which really changed them up for me and made them look more like art.   I chose two large envelopes and made cards for them.
For my first card I created a light green card and added a decorative butterfly die cut in purple.  I adhered it using 3D foam tape and added clear glitter on the body and a few of the pieces in the wings.  I found a piece or torn green decorative paper in my stash and it coordinated perfectly so I placed it just below my butterfly which helped ground the background paper.  I added five tiny rhinestones to one of the dips to create a focal point and added the flight trail with a coordinating pen.  I glued this large element to my card front and then added purple dots to each side which nicely repeats the dots in the flight path.  I decided it did not need a greeting so I added an insert and I was done!!!
My second card was created in a very similar process.  I created a blue card for this one and added the same blue watercolour to the edges of my hammered botanical paper.  I so love the look!!  I found a torn strip of paper in my stash that coordinated so I added to the bottom of my decorative paper.  I added the butterfly using 3D foam tape and added some details using a clear glitter gel pen.  I added the same flight path using a coordinating marker and was pretty happy with it.  But it still needed "a bit of something" so I auditioned a few things and settled on this green gros grain ribbon which coordinated very nicely.  I added it to my decorative paper adhering the ends to the back using double sided tape.  I tied the remaining short end to the front using a single knot to simulate a bow.  That was better!!!!!!!!!!!  Again, I chose not to put a greeting on this card.  It holds its own without it.  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

Birthday Card Set - a few flowers and another shimmery dragonfly

You can check out this post to find the details of why and how I have been creating this set of cards.

I started with a pink card and added the pink striped decorative paper.  I added a strip of brown across the lower portion and added a laser printed greeting which had been embellished with watercolour.  The dragonfly is left over from making these cards so I put the dragonfly back into the die and passed it through the Big Shot a couple of times to make sure it was embossed sufficiently to show all the detail.  With it still in the die I applied shinnery watercolours to the various sections to coordinate with my background.  I popped it out of the die, added a short piece of double side tape just behind its body and positioned on my card front.  That leaves the wings and tail free which helps give it some dimension.  I used a marker and created a dotted line to create its flight path and my card was finished!!

Therese

Cardmaking - May - Glossy photo paper watercolour backgrounds combined with colour inkjet printed digital images

We recently acquired an inkjet printer after being without for a number of years so I wanted to see what I could do with this new tool for this month's cardmaking class.  

I chose to make some dye ink backgrounds using glossy photo paper using this common technique - apply colour to non stick mat, spritz with water and lay the photo paper glossy side down and twist a little.  It worked very well and I ended up using old dried water based markers for the blue/green and green/purple ones.  I used empty inkjet ink cartridges for the yellow and pink ones.  You can check out a tutorial at Crafting a Green World. that explains how to use dried out markers to make watercolour ink.  The sponges in the ink cartridges worked pretty much the same way.  You can check what I did with them in this blog post.  Once all the backgrounds were dry I used my new printer to print digital stamps on them (candles and cupcake - Melonheadz). I used Corel Draw to layout three different images for each 4" x 6" background and printed the images in black onto the colourful backgrounds though I could have converted my images and printed them in colour instead.  It was easy to highlight some of the details in the images with watercolour by simply applying it with a small paint brush.  I expect I could have added any colour of watercolour that I wanted to but I applied those I had used in the backgrounds. So there remains quite a few options I would like to explore with this technique.  I cut the images apart and set out to create greeting layers.   I chose light coloured coordinating cardstock and designed a layer that was 2.75" x 4.25" and added a greeting on the right hand side the colour laser printed them.  The landscape images created landscape cards with the greeting below the image.  For portrait images, it created portrait cards with a greeting running up the side.  Next, I needed card fronts!!  I chose to use rubber stamps and ink to embellish my card fronts.  That was less successful in that I had difficulty getting non muddy prints from stamps that have been used and stained with dark colours in the past when I applied light coloured inks.  So I have a pile of discards which will have to be repurposed!!  I did finally get all the card fronts ready to go.  I will consider colour inkjet printing my card fronts next time though I will have to acquire a few more vector digital background stamps that can be changed to different colours before I can do that.  It will be a process.  The card making process was fast and easy!  Glue the image to the greeting layer and then glue this large element to the card front!!  

These two cards were created while I was preparing kits for this class.  

For the yellow one, I ended up trimming the overall stamped background to allow an even margin and gluing the whole layer to a dark blue card front.  This worked very well too!!  

For the butterfly card, I used bleach for the background and then realized that it would not work well for the other cards being as they were too light for the bleaching to show up well.  I am very happy with the results of this experiment and I look forward to exploring the other options available to me in his process at a later date.  

Therese

A card from a kit with velllum and handmade paper

I made up this card from a card kit from my last class.  I love the handmade paper background for this card and used the colour scheme to colour the image using peach, pink, green and brown.  I coloured on the back of the vellum which mutes the colour slightly and protects it from being rubbed off.  I used an embossed label punchie as the mechanical means of attaching the vellum to the stitched handmade paper background.  I used double sided tape to attach the vellum and another piece to attach the whole thing to the background.  This whole element was adhered to the brown card front using a glue stick.
This one is off to a special person having a birthday very soon.

Therese

Tulips for a get well card

I colour printed several of these tulip tags from Graphics Fairy when I was printing images for other cards a few days ago.  They are really cute and came in a sheet with several other Easter images.  I trimmed the image to the edge of the design, ran a marker around the edge and then ran a brush full of water all the way around it and it created an automatic colour wash of the edge!! The versatility of waterbased markers!!  I found this nice polka dot paper which coordinated nicely so I trimmed out a piece and glued it to a red card front.  I inserted a piece of red organza ribbon through the hole in the tag and then glued both ends to the inside of my card snipping a slot on the spine for it using my slot punch (SU).  I adhered my tag to my card using 3D foam tape and added a laser printed layered punchie greeting (SU)  just below it to finish off my card. It is a springy card which will work nicely to cheer someone who is under the weather.

Therese

Die cut rose in turquoise and green

I received this rose die cut as a RAK in one of my exchange cards a while back!!  It was just as you see it when I received it so I am guessing it was coloured with Copic markers - beautiful!!  I found some coordinating cardstock and stamped it with a script background (SU) in turquoise ink.  I cut a rectangle of white cardstock that was just big enough for the rose, embossed it with the Swiss Dot embossing folder and layered it onto a brown cardstock rectangle.  I used a fine tip glue applicator (fabric paint bottle filled with white glue) to adhere the rose and leaf into place and then added a laser printed vellum greeting in brown.  I folded over the ends of the greeting and adhered them to the back of this element before gluing the element to my stamped card front.  Love the look of it!!

Therese

Refurbished Valentine's card reusing a fun card

This is a fun "reuse" project!!  I reused a Valentine's card that arrived a while back along with a bunch of Christmas ones which I used for doing Paper Mosaic backgrounds.  I trimmed the main card to 4"x 5.25" to fit on an A2 sized card. I used a portion of trimmings to create the greeting.  I stamped the greeting in black on vellum, embossed it with clear embossing powder, coloured it with markers, layered it onto the pink cardstock rectangle I had rescued and glued both ends to the back.  I added four little daisies in pink and adhered them with white tiny brads.  I glued this whole element to the bottom section of my card using double sided tape.  I love the fun image!!!
I hope you consider reusing some of the images that come into your life with good wishes on them and give them a new life to bless another along the way.

Therese

Butterfly Wishes fabric postcard

Another birthday postcard for my birthday swap on one of my groups.  I had three little squares of pieced green fabric which coordinated with the butterfly really well so I went looking to find another piece that worked with both of them and found this beautiful scrap of red!! Perfect!!  I sewed the three little green squares to each other to create a strip, sewed on the scrap of red and trimmed out a 4" x 6" piece for the front of my postcard.  Next, I searched for a piece that coordinated for the back which was big enough to come to the front as a binding.  I cut this backer from a larger piece of fabric but I love the way it coordinates with all the pieces I had already chosen.  I added fusible web to the edges of my backer and trimmed it to be wavy.  I cut and laid down a piece of batting and positioned my front over it and pinned them all together.  I put red thread on the top and yellow in my bobbin and stitched an all over wavy design to connect all the pieces and provide some stability for the postcard.  I trimmed the corners out, folded the sides to the front and ironed them into place.  I couched some deep yellow yarn with a zig zag stitch over the wavy edge of the binding using the same red and yellow thread.  Like how that worked out!  I positioned my butterfly - a self adhesive fabric embellishment - on the front, drew a flight line which I embroidered with gold thread before adhering the butterfly in place.  I used a marker to add "Buttefly Wishes" in red.  It will be winging its way to my partner this week!!

Therese

Several cards using faux linen backgrounds

 Needed to add a few sympathy cards to my stash so went looking for a technique to use for my background.  I always find inspiration on Splitcoast Stampers  so I went looking and found someone who had created a card using the Faux Linen technique.  Had not created some of those for quite a while so I decided to give it a go!  I used quarter sheets of glossy white cardstock, sanded them vertically a.d horizontally and then sponged on some colour using four different dye ink pads.

For my first card I stamped a fern leaf (Salt Spring Island Stamps) using a light wheat colour highlighted with dark brown before stamping.  I added a length of mesh (gold embossed window screen) along with three lengths of twine which I tied on the left with a short piece.  I stamped my greeting on ivory in dark brown, sponged on some colour and added stippling.  Layered it onto dark brown, distressed the edges and mounted it over the mesh/twine using 3D foam tape,  I added a coordinating paper butterfly to which I tied some twine to create a body and antenna.
For my second card I stamped a flower image in black after stamping it in gray which did not show up well enough.  I offset the black one a bit which is another technique I found on Splitcoast when I was cruising the other day.  I coloured the image with markers, stippled the back ground a bit, added three eyelets (coloured with Sharpie to coordinate) and added a layered vellum greeting.  I layered a flagged piece of parchment just below the greeting on my vellum to help it stand out, adhered it to the background with glue then folded the ends to the back and secured them with double sided tape.  I glued this whole element to a red card front.
For my third card I stamped a leaf stamp (SU) all over my background in two different brown inks.  I layered my watercoloured image onto a dark brown circle and watercoloured my greeting (CLKER) as well.  I added a length of blue vintage seam binding adhering the ends to the back of my background, added my image and greeting with 3D foam tape and then tied on another short piece of seam binding to simulate a bow.  I glued this whole element to a dark brown card front.
For my fourth card I stamped a large solid flower (SU) using coordinating ink onto my background six times without reinking which gave a perfectly dimensional look to my design.  I used the small three flower stamp (SU) to add flowers in between my large ones in coordinating ink.  Added a bit of stippling in the same colour.  Love they way it turned out!!  I added a vellum greeting adhering the ends to the back.  I found this little butterfly in my stash so I added tied on some white fiber to create a body and antenna and glued it right near the greeting.
It was fun to revisit this technique and use some of my stamps again!!!

Therese

A birthday card for DH!

I always try to make DH cards special!! He loves music and coffee so I try to incorporate those two themes into them if I can. This year, I started with a sheet of music from a choral book which was water damaged.  It was already crinkly so I ripped the page into strips and wove them back together to create my background.  I stamped the weaving with a mosaic background stamp which I created using rubber cut offs (when I mounted stamps).  I stamped in two different brown colours and then washed over them with water to spread the colour a bit.  Very happy with how that worked out.
Next, I decided to use a feather sticker from the above sheet which I bought at DollarTree.  The beautifully detailed stickers are made of some sort of soft foamy material and take colour very well.  I used markers to colour my feather and added a bit of orange using a Sharpie marker!!  I adhered the sticker to a piece of acetate which was printed with "Happy Birthday" and then trimmed around it.  The printing was a bit too prominent so I just scraped through the ones that were visible which sort of distressed them and that was much better.  Next I stitched the feather element to a coffee themed tissue paper leaving "cafe" showing in several places.  I used white thread but once I was finished I thought it would have been better to use darker thread so I just ran a marker over it and that was enough to dye the thread.  I simply wiped the spare ink from acetate with a cloth!!  I ripped off the extra tissue paper to finish off this element.  Once I laid the feather element over the background I realized that I would have to create an over sized card to get all my elements on the card.  I created a dark brown card, stamped the outside front edges using cream craft ink and the same handmade mosaic stamp I used on the back ground and then rubbed in a bit of gold mica powder to create an interesting border for my card.  I glued my background to my card front.  I used a flag ended laser printed greeting over my acetate adhering it with double sided tape.  I layered a burnt orange strip which was also flag ended below the feather element and adhered it to the back using double sided tape below the greeting so it would not show.  I trimmed all the ends and then adhered this whole element over the woven background using double sided tape behind the feather and the orange strip.  I added a brown brad through all the layers to the right of the greeting.  Very happy with how this card worked out.  Just need to add a gift card and it will be ready to go!!

Therese

Bright birthday card!!

Here is the card I made for my sister, Sylvia, for her birthday!!  It is vibrant with colour and that is how she likes them!!
I started with a bright piece of decorative paper which I made last fall.  I was playing with water based markers and coffee filters in an effort to find a fun craft to make with my grandchildren. I had scribbled the markers all over the coffee filter and spritzed it with water to see how much the colours would bleed into each other.  It worked nicely but the coffee filter was soaked so I used several sheets of glossy photo paper to remove the excess and this is what they looked like once they were dry!!  LOVED THEM!!
I cut the decorative paper to size, combined two framelits (one label - one oval) with painters tape and cut the aperture in the top of the decorative paper.  I used a letter punch set to punch "birthday" at the bottom of it and added "happy" over it by hand using a black fine tip sharpie.  I added a wide teal ribbon between the two and I tied a shorter piece to it to simulate a bow.  I glued the whole element to a bright green card front.  For my other element I added a large white silk flower and small turquoise one to the center of the oval and attached them with a small black brad.  I coloured the small one, which was originally white, with ink from a teal stamp pad.  The colour matches perfectly. I glued it, nicely centered, into the opening.  It still needed a bit of something so I added dots on the inside of the frame and the letter openings with a black sharpie.  That was better!!
Unfortunately, I will not be able to be with her on her birthday this year so we will be making plans to get together later.
Therese

Coffee themed card

Morning coffee - nothing better!! For a swap I am participating in I needed to create a coffee or tea themed card that featured a cup!  I acquired this coffee cup stamp (Stamp Barn) years ago and it is still an image I love to use!!  I stamped it on coffee themed vellum, gold embossed it and cut it out using an oval framelit (SX) which I recently acquired while on vacation.  I added colour on the back using water based markers to give it subtle colour.  Using the largest label framelit from the same set of dies, I cut the brown layer from a paper bag which I painted with coffee (instant and a bit of water), stamped some coffee beans (Pink Cat) on the bottom edge and embossed it using a swirl embossing folder (TH).  I layered the two die cuts, inserted a distressed laser printed greeting and sewed on a chipboard button using gold embroidery thread. I layered this element to an embossed maroon layer and used tiny gold staples to adhere all the layers together.  I flattened the tines of the staples using my hammer and glued this piece to my dark brown card front.  
On the scan the cup seems a bit askew which is not as obvious in real life but may be just a tiny bit.  I am happy with the look of my card and really like all the layers.
Just a note, Frogs Whiskers from Campbellford, ON have acquired Stamp Barn and feature all of the stamps on their website.
My card is on its way to my swap partner tomorrow!!

Therese