Thank you cards

 I made these cards for my nephew's fiancee who is having a bridal shower this weekend!!  Their colours are teal and black so I went looking for some paper that would be appropriate.  I found these - backgrounds that were already cut from some beautiful paper I bought in London in 2010!!  Perfect!!  I decided to pair them with white card fronts to keep the colour scheme simple. I created banners by punching "Thanks" into strips of white cardstock, flagging the ends with my chevron punch (SU) and backing the letters with a strip of black paper which I allowed to extend beyond the flagged edge.  I trimmed the black ends by hand and added faux stitching to the other end using a fine tip Sharpie marker.    As you can see I positioned the greetings in several different places and changed up the orientation of some of the cards as well.  Love how well these turned out!
A bride can never have too many thank you cards and these will be appropriate for any reason if they are not used for the shower or wedding.

Made a whole stack of them and they are packaged ready to go!!

Therese

Two serendipity cards

I made a couple of cards this morning for a couple of people who are hurting.
I found a couple of pieces of serendipity paper in my stash, trimmed them to fit on my kraft card fronts with a small border, added a length of ribbon and glued them in place.  I stamped my greetings in brown on two off white rectangles, stippled them in brown and added a bit of watercolour on the edges.  Once dry, I mounted them to red rectangles and adhered them to my card fronts using 3D foam tape.  I added a short length of ribbon to each by simply tying a single knot to the longer piece.  I love serendipity paper! I looks great and makes cards fast and easy!!

Therese

Copper art charms

Here are the three art charms I created for my 3 for 3 personal art charm swap!!  You can see here the pendant that I created as I was experimenting with this charm making process.  I started by using pliers and cutters to create the shapes I wanted for my charms. I wanted them to be different so it took a little doodling to come with shapes that would work.  I made sure not to make them too big - the art charms need to be about 1.5" long.  Once I had my shapes created, I took them outside, placed them on a heavy metal plate and beat them with a hammer until they were flattened enough.  To add texture I beat them strategically with a hammer with a textured head.  Love the look!!!  Because these charms needed to be completely metal I went looking into my metal stash for something that I could use to embellish them.  Luckily, I found these three little  metal word tags!!  Perfectly sized!!  I used the thread like copper wire to attach them to my charms!!  I also tied together a couple of places on two of the charms which needed to be secured.  

I am super happy with how these turned out and I am really looking forward to seeing what my partner sends back to me.  I have made a few extra which I have added to my collection.  

Therese

One Sheet Wonder - 6x6 makes 4 cards for Father's Day

I needed four Father's Day cards so I decided to create them One Sheet Wonder style!!  I found this tree decorative paper which came out of the same pad as these cards and these cards which I thought would work quite well.  I cut the sheet in half and trimmed one 6" x 6" sheet from the one half and used it to make my four cards.  I trimmed the 6" x 6" into four pieces of 2" x 4" - the cutting template is below.   In the end I decided to trim my 2" x 4" pieces in two (1' x 4") and backed

 them with tiny strips of two different greens - one on each long edge. I cut two different sheets of blue cardstock to create my four card fronts and stamped them all with a leafy background (ANM) in light green.  I downloaded four leaves from CLKER, cleaned them up in Photo Elements and printed them onto white cardstock.  After trimming them to 2" x 3.5" I watercoloured them to coordinate with my decorative paper.  I found four laser printed Father's Day greetings in my stash, punched them with out my oval punch (SU) and then layered them onto coordinating scallop oval punchies (SU). To assemble my cards I started by gluing down my layered decorative paper rectangles onto my stamped card fronts.  Because the paper is directional I had one set that went vertical instead of horizontal which changed up the sketch a bit and added variety to my cards. Next, I added my watercoloured images using 3D foam tape and then added the layered greetings using double sided tape.  Very happy with the variety of sketches I came up for the four cards I made.  After they were all assembled I thought they still needed "a bit of something" so I added a bit of stippling on the images.  That was better!!  So my cards are finished!  Some will be mailed off tomorrow and I will deliver the others in person on the weekend.

Therese

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OSW #4 - 6x6 June 2015

Supplies for making four cards
1 - 6" x 6" of decorative paper
2 - 8.5" x 11" cut in two - four card fronts
      in coordinating colours
2 - 2" x 4" scraps of coordinating cardstock
      in two different colours
4 - 2" x 3.5" images on neutral cardstock
     stamped or printed
4 - oval punched laser printed greetings
     neutral cardstock
4 - scalloped oval punchies
     coordinating cardstock
Glue
3D foam tape (optional)

Cut decorative paper according to the diagram.
Cut large sheets of cardstock in half and fold to make card four fronts.  Prepare images as you wish.  Layer greetings.  Assemble cards as described or as you wish.

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Chunky book page - Purple & Grace

In the last few days I have managed to finish my 4" x 4" chunky book page with the themes of purple and grace.    I statred with an embossed white cardstock square which I overlaid with the purple gauzy fabric with swirls.  I used double sided tape on the back to keep it in place. I back this with a 4" square of purple cardstock.  I stamped a vellum overlay using two different rubber stamp alphabets.  Grace was stamped in purple and embossed with Pastel embossing powder.  It is a bit of a grungy font but the embossing powder softened its look. I used my Making Memories magnetic alphabet stamps to finish the quote and added a bit of stippling in purple ink.  I trimmed the sides of the vellum to just cover the page and the two ends so I could fold them over the top and bottom.  I added some short ribbon flags in several colours between the vellum and the page on the right hand side and then stitched them all into place using purple thread in my sewing machine.  I went very slowly as the sandwich was quite thick.  I added a little plastic butterfly charm using a large glue dot and added my credits to the back.  Love the look of grace!!
It is off to my partner in tomorrow's mail.

Therese

"V" themed postcard

On one of my groups we have been exchanging postcards to spell our name, so this month's letter is V.  I found this versal letter V in a font and enlarged it enough to fit on a 4" x 6" digital rectangle of colour.  I added the words at the bottom and then colour printed it on white cardstock.  I then watercoloured all the elements - the dots - yellow, the leaves -  green, the flowers  - red and orange and the letter V  - a light blue.  Once everything was dry I added clear dimensional paint to the V. I added a postcard backer and it is ready to go to my partner!!
I like working digitally every once in a while.  It always changes up the look of my creations!!

Therese

OSW with 4" x 4" squares - feminine cards

These are the cards that I made with the other sheet of decorative paper. Check here for the cards I made with the first sheet.
I cut the 8" x 8' sheet into 4" squares then trimmed them at 2.5" which left 1.5" pieces.  I chose a coordinating red for my card fronts and dug through my red scraps and found some coordinating 7/8" maroon strips to use as an accent.

I trimmed 1.75" white strips on both sides using decorative scissors or border punches (SU) and went looking for greetings and images.  I found two rectangular images that already had greetings (Black Berry Jelly) and two round images (CLKER - tea and TORICO - hearts) which I combined with punched greetings.  I watercoloured my images and layered them onto red.  I glued my decorative paper to the card fronts leaving a gap in between. I layered the maroon strips onto the white ones and trimmed them to fit over the gap and glued them into place.  I added dots using a marker on the large scallop border and pierced the small scallop border using a push pin.  I added my layered images using 3D foam tape and positioned the punched greetings next to the scalloped circle images.  I varied the orientation of the cards and greeting/images to make the cards different.
So those two sheets of decorative paper made eight cards!!  A few more to add to may stash!

Therese

OSW with 4" x 4" squares - masculine cards

 I received two sheets of 8" x 8" decorative paper in one of my swaps this past week and so I decided to see how many cards I could make with them.  I started with this plaid sheet.  I cut it into four 4" squares then started designing my cards.  I found these round stamped images in my stash and they colour coordinated very well so I cut red layers for them using my circle dies (Spellbinders).  The train, loon and lighthouse are from Class Act .

The coffee cup is from Sugar Loaf.   I found some kraft cardstock that worked and made four card fronts.  I distressed the edges of the images then sponged all the way around them and the squares of decorative paper with black ink.  I used my stipple stamp (SU) on the card fronts to add a bit of texture.  I colour washed the fussy cut laser printed banner greetings (CLKER) to coordinate.   I added black seam binding to each card in a different way and tied a short piece to the length on three of them. I added faux stitching to one of the cards using a fine tip Sharpie marker.  By changing the image, the greeting, the orientation and the sketch for each card I managed to make four different ones with the same supplies.  These are all somewhat masculine cards which will go into my stash.

Therese

A bright Art Quiltie for June

For my June art quiltie exchange I decided I would try a quilting technique that I have heard my Mom and sisters discuss - the faux Cathedral window.  I did a bit of searching on line to see how it was done and then headed to my craft room. I found this bright and linear print in my stash of 4"x 4"squares and thought it would be very appropriate for this technique.  I chose a solid yellow for my backer and after a bit of designing in Corel Draw I established that I needed a 5.75" circle to encompass the 4" square.  I checked the plates and bowls in the kitchen until I found one that was the right size and traced around it in pencil and cut it out the circle by hand.  Next, I added a piece of batting to my square, pinned to the middle of my yellow circle and stitched all the black lines in the design using black thread for the top and yellow in the bobbin.  I like that it made the design a bit puffy!!  Next, I folded what was left of the circle on the four sides over the square and pressed them down.  I stitched all the way around the edge and then stitched the rounded pieces into place over the square.  Thinking it needed a "bit of something" I decided to doodle inside the space I had created with the stitching using a permanent fine tip Sharpie marker.  That looked better!!  Wanting to add a bit of beading to my quiltie I decided to add black seed beads to each space I had doodled. That looked better!!  The inner section needed a bit of a focal point so I added three black sequins stitched on with black thread and black seed beads.  That was much better!!  Finished!!  It will be off to my partner later this week.

Therese

Beaded copper pendant

I created this pendant in the process of playing with ideas for making metal art charms.  I am participating in a 3 for 3 personal art charm swap on one of my groups. For this group, art charms need to be created rather than simply assembled so I went on line looking for inspiration for metal art charms.  And for this swap, they also need to be all metal.  I found a couple of ideas that I thought were worth pursing then headed to the craft room.
I started with very thick copper wire and formed the heart using my pliers, etc.  I am not a jewelery maker so it took some time to get it looking acceptable.  Once I was happy with it, I took it outside, placed it on a heavy metal plate and mashed it with a hammer until it was flattened to my liking.  Next, I hit it with a hammer with a textured head which really helped make it look handcrafted.  DH did not mind my borrowing of his tools!!  It turned out exactly like I wanted it too!!  Next, I used thread like copper wire and added seed beads.  I also used the wire to cinch up the middle and to add the jump ring.  Once I was done and admiring my work - it looked pretty cool! I realized the charms were supposed to be all metal!!  In the end this one is really too big to be a charm so it has graduated to being a pendant and I have repeated the process with smaller shapes for creating the art charms for the swap which I will be posting later.
This was a totally fun process and yielded some very unique looking pieces.

Therese

May Flowers Fabric Postcard

I joined a fabric postcard One for One Swap and here is what I created for my partner!!  I have never made a fabric postcard before so after watching a few online tutorials I just got started.  I created the front of my postcard by piecing two small pieces of the dark blue fabric and trimming it to 4"' x 6". I added a substrate to the back and added several lines of decorative stitching to attach them to each  other.  I die cut a red felt flower (TH), two green heavy cotton leaves (TH) and a yellow fleece center (SX).  I arranged them on my postcard and once I was happy with the layout I started pinning and stitching - first the leaves, then the flower and finally the center.  I added yellow seed beads to the center along with french knots in several different colours of yellow embroidery floss.  I stamped "May Flowers" on fabric label tape using blue ink, then watercoloured them so they coordinated with my flower and ironed them to the front once they were dry.  I cut a 5" x 7" white cotton back, stamped it with soft yellow flowers and added a bit of blue stippling around the edges.  I added "postcard" and a line down the middle with a fine tip Sharpie marker.  I cut a piece of fusible webbing to 4" x 6", sandwiched it between the front and my backer and ironed them together.  I folded the edges over and stitched them down using red thread.  I am happy with my first fabric postcard!! I may have to re-evaluate once I receive the one my partner sends but for now mine will be heading to my partner in tomorrow's mail.

Therese

One Sheet Wonder for 12 x 12 to make 6 cards

 Needed a few cards for the next few weeks and decided to work on another One Sheet Wonder.  In this case, I have decided to work with a piece of  12" x 12" decorative paper and to make six cards with it.  I have cut my paper into six pieces that measure 4" x 5.25" which will give each card a full background.  I have cut three sheets of green coordinating cardstock in half to give me six card fronts and trimmed some purple scraps into strips  - one for each card.

 I created the greeting using a couple of fonts in two different colours in Corel Draw.  I laid them out for a half sheet (4.25" x 11"),  printed them on white cardstock and trimmed them to 1 7/8" x 2 7/8" using my cutter.  I cut six layers (2 1/8" x 3 1/8") for them from coordinating blue cardstock.
To assemble my cards I started by gluing my decorative papers to the card fronts.  I trimmed both long edges of my strips using scallop decorative scissors and then used

a pushpin to pierce each scallop.  I glued my greetings to their blue layers and then played with laying them out on my card fronts.  I was aiming at leaving as many flowers showing as possible.
As you can see there are lots of lay out possibilities.  You can use either portrait or landscape for the card fronts, the accent strips and the greetings!!!  So none of the cards are exactly alike.  I have also created one of the greetings to be a sympathy one but of course those could have also been all different and all the cards would have been unique.  Really enjoying this process and I am sure you will find this a quick way to make up six cards!!  Enjoy!!

Therese

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OSW 12x12 June 2015

Supplies for making six cards:
1 - 12" x 12" Decorative paper
3 - 8.5" x 11" coordinating cardstock (cards)
1 - 8.5" x 5.5" coordinating cardstock
                        (2 1/8" x 3 1/8" layers)
1 - 8.5"x 5.5"  coordinating cardstock (.75 strips)
6 - 1 7/8" x 2 7/8" greetings on neutral cardstock

-Follow this cutting diagram to cut your decorative paper into six.
- Cut large cardstock in half to make six cards.
- Greetings can be stamped or printed.
- Cut one smaller cardstock into 6 pieces of (2 1/8" x 3 1/8" to create the layers.
- Cut other smaller cardstock (or scraps)  into .75 strips.

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One Sheet Wonder #2 for a 6x6 to make 4 cards

My second set of cards using my OSW template for using a 6" x 6"piece of decorative paper to make four cards.  I used a piece of birdie decorative paper from the same collection as my last set so the colours were very similar.
Here is my first set.

I used digital images and greetings which I colour printed onto white cardstock and then trimmed to 2"x 3".  The tree is from an unknown source, the little birdie parade is from Torico, the cupcake is from WhenTheScrapHitsTheFun and the flowers with BEST WISHES is from BlackBerry Jelly.   I really enjoyed challenging myself to use the same template, cut the pieces differently and combine them with images instead.  Really different looking cards but the same supplies used.  It was also interesting this time to use paper that was directional - all the birds needed to be standing up.  I started by cutting my 1.75" x 2.75" layers of coordinating cardstock in half diagonally and layering them -  two pieces each -  behind my watercoloured images.

#1   I cut the my 4.5"x 1.5" piece of decorative paper in half  and used some of my .75 inch strips to layer the two pieces on two sides.  I just butted the strips where they met and trimmed them off. Make sure to do opposite corners if you have directional paper.  I stipple stamped (SU) my blue card front and mounted each of my decorative pieces to opposite corners.  I mounted my image overlapping both of them using 3D foam tape.
#2   I cut my 3" x 4.5" piece in two lengthwise and layered a .75 strip of coordinating cardstock between them, offset them and taped them to each other using regular tape.  I cut two little squares from the decorative paper and mounted them to two opposite corners behind the decorative paper and then glued this element to my blue stippled card front.  I mounted my image overlapping both of them using 3D foam tape.
#3  I cut my 1.5" x 4.5" piece of decorative paper in half diagonally.  I cut a strip of .75 coordinating cardstock strip to 4.25" and cut it diagonally.  I mounted the cardstock triangles to the back of the decorative paper triangles leaving a margin on the corners.  I glued these to opposite corners of my yellow stippled card front.  I mounted my image overlapping both of them using 3D foam tape.
#4  I border punched (could have used decorative scissors instead) a strip of my coordinating cardstock with an eyelet punch (MS) and adhered it to the left hand edge of my yellow stippled card front.  I glued my 6" x 1.5" piece of decorative paper next to in and trimmed off the excess.  I mounted my image overlapping both its right hand edge using 3D foam tape.

I specifically chose to make different occasion cards this time to highlight the flexibility of the OSW design process.  Again, this process is perfect for making four cards quickly with minimal supplies and makes a perfect set of cards for gift giving.

Therese

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OSW#2 6x6 May 2015

Supplies for making 4 cards:
6" x 6" decorative paper
2 - 8.5" x 11" coordinating cardstock
1 - 8.5" x 5.5" different coordinating cardstock
4 - 2" x 3" images on neutral cardstock
Glue
3D foam tape (optional)

- Follow this cutting diagram to get your decorative pieces ready.
- Cut both large cardstock in two to make 4 cards
- Images/greetings can be stamped or colour printed
- Cut smaller cardstock into four 1.75" x 2.75" pieces for layering and the rest will be trimmed into .75 strips for accents.

One Sheet Wonder - 6" x 6" template makes four cards

My sister was visiting last week and she has been working on One Sheet Wonder cards. She is working on ones for a 6" x 6" piece of decorative paper.  She has developed one or two which create 3 cards and was currently working on one that creates four cards. I decide to challenge myself and see what I could design.

Here is what I came up with.  I am happy with the results of this effort.  Below is the template I used to cut my decorative paper, the supply list for four cards and the instructions on cutting the rest of the supplies for creating the cards.
Wanting to add a bit of interest to my card fronts I stamped them with a background stamp (SU -Worn) in coordinating ink before I started assembling my cards.  I colour printed my greetings (SU) on white cardstock,  cut them apart to be 2" x 3" and layered them to their layers.  Each card gets one half inch strip of accent cardstock.  The layouts are quite easy and can be modified as you wish.

#1 - glued the three 1.5" decorative pieces across the bottom of my stamped green card front, added two short pieces of .5" red accent strips just above them and used 3D foam tape to adhere my greeting over them.
#2 - Glued my two pieces of decorative paper (3" x 1.5") to diagonally opposite corners of my brown stamped card front, added two short strips of .5 red accent cardstock across the middle and added my layered greeting over them using 3D foam tape.
#3 - Glued my 3" x 4.5 inch piece of decorative paper to my stamped green card front, added two short pieces of .5 red accent cardstock to the top and bottom and adhered my layered greeting overlapping it using 3D foam tape.
#4 - Glued a long strip of .5" red accent cardstock to the left hand side of my stamped brown card front, glued my 1.5" x 4.5" piece of decorative paper next to it and adhered my layered greeting over it using 3D foam tape.

All of my greetings were HAPPY BIRTHDAY but of course you could print or stamp whatever greetings suit you when you are preparing your cards.  Consider as well that all of the pieces do not need to be cut up.  You could leave the long side whole and just trim off the half inch instead of cutting it in half like I did.  The same with the last 1.5" x 4.5" piece - you could use it whole or cut it differently which can also be said for any of the other pieces.  I think I will play with the pieces the next time I work with this template and see what I can come up with.  You can also consider adding images instead of large greetings to change up the look.

One Sheet Wonders are great for getting cards made fast!!  They are also wonderful for making cards for gifts because the four cards coordinate and look pretty as a set.  So for both reasons it is worth considering using a One Sheet Wonder template for your next cardmaking session.   Have fun!!

Therese
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OSW 6x6 May 2015

Supplies for making 4 cards:
6" x 6" decorative paper
2 - 8.5" x 11" coordinating cardstock
1 - 8.5" x 5.5" different coordinating cardstock
4 - 2" x 3" greetings on neutral cardstock
Glue
3Dfoam tape (optional)

- Follow this cutting diagram to get your decorative pieces ready.
- Cut both large cardstock in two to make 4 cards
- Greetings can be stamped or colour printed
- Cut smaller cardstock into four 2.25" x 3.25" pieces for layering and the rest will be trimmed into .5 strips.


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Art Quiltie - felt flowers and a little butterfly charm

Another month and therefore another Art Quiltie exchange!!  I am loving making these and have been getting back some really great quilties!!
I started with some floral fabric paper I made a while back.  I die cut two leaves (TH) from green cotton fabric, a flower (TH) from red felt and a center (SX) from yellow felt.  I watercoloured the leaves so they would coordinate more closely with my paper, dried them and then stitched them to my 4"  x 4" piece of fabric paper using green thread in my sewing machine.  I positioned my red flower over the leaves and stitched it into place using red thread.  I added the yellow center, stitched it into place with yellow and added some french knots by hand using yellow embroidery thread.  I cut a piece of yellow fabric for the back and stitched it to my batting using straight lines in a plaid design and then stitched the front and back together using a wide zig zag stitch using yellow thread.  It was my first time trying this on art quilties and I expect I could have had my stitches just a bit tighter but I am happy with how it looks.  On final examination I thought it needed a bit of a 3D embellishment so I stitched on a small butterfly charm!!

Therese

Chunky book page - copper wire owl

Joined a chunky book page swap with the theme of Copper and Wisdom.  I recently finished this owl card and thought that owl fit the theme and went looking on line for copper owls!  Wow!  There were a lot of fantastic copper owl designs so I made a few sketches and headed to my craft room!
I decided to use some heavy copper wire for the structure and lighter weight copper wire to tie the pieces together which is how some of the ones I found had been constructed.  I chose some black buttons for the eyes and started forming the structure for the owl's head.  I folded my wire hard to create the beak and then created a circle on each side to accommodate my buttons and finished off with the ends creating the pointy ears that most of them have.  That looked pretty good and the buttons fit inside them nicely.
One of the sketches I had made had a heart shaped body.  Being a bit partial to hearts I decided that mine would have a heart body too.  I made a hard corner in my wire and then curved the two ends into a heart shape and added a swirl on each end.  That would give me a good place to tie him together.  Some of the ones I had seen on line had large beads in their bodies but I decided on another heart for the middle of mine.  I created the heart the same way I had created the body - just made it a bit smaller and made sure it would fit inside the other one.
Using the light weight wire I started by securing the top of the head on one side, wired in the button for the eye and then wired the bottom of that space so the button would be in the right place.  Next, I wired the head piece to the body making sure that my beak was directly over the bottom of the large heart.  Wired the beak in place and then moved on to the other side of the body and wired the head to the body on that side.  I had to play with it a bit to get the second button to be in the right place in the loop but just a couple more loops was good enough.  I then wired the top of the head on that side.  Next, I wired the bottom of the body, added the little heart and wired it into the same section.  Moved on to the top side of the little heart where they met the body.  Looking good!!
After a bit of checking it out, I decided it needed piece that went from ear to ear and completed the top of his head so I wired that piece in.  That was much better!!
I added teal sequins in the eye sockets using glue dots and then added smaller copper ones over them. That finished off the eyes nicely.  I did have a 4x4 on my work surface as I worked to make sure that I did not create him too large for my page.  Once my owl was finished I used a hammer and flattened him out by tapping all the intersections of wire to ensure that my connections were tight and that the wire structures where laying next to each other.  I found this watercolour background paper in my stash, trimmed it and stitched it to my 4" x 4" of blue cardstock.  I decided to expand on the wisdom theme by stamping "be kind" on the lower left hand side. My handmade stamp positioner ensured that my words were exactly where I wanted them to be.    I attached my owl to my page by using large glue dots behind the eyes and ran wire around the middle of the little heart connection through the page several times.
I am super happy with how he worked out!!!  He will be off to my partner in tomorrow's mail.

Therese

Side spring fold card with a wise old owl

I needed to create a spring fold card for one of my swaps so I went looking for some instructions or tutorials.  I have made the usual diamond shape before and wondered it there was any other way of making one.  I found this tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers for a spring fold on the side of a card so I thought I would give it a go!!  I fussy cut this owl which I found in my stash and watercoloured it to coordinate with the decorative paper I had chosen for this card.  The scoring is easy but the folding required that I do it as I watched the video so I could get the diamond to stand on end.  Once it was folded correctly I burnished all the folds and then opened it up and embossed the front using a diamond patterned embossing folder. Next, I added my decorative paper to the square and another piece with some coordinating cardstock on the inside of the card. I added a short length of coordinating ribbon and then added my owl using 3D foam tape.  This card used an 8.5" x 5.5" piece of black cardstock and would fit in a regular envelope.  This was a fun twist to the spring fold card!!

Therese

Fabric paper tulip postcard

A postcard for one of my monthly group exchanges.  The theme was "T" and we were encouraged to be creative!!
I chose a piece of fabric paper I created a while back and trimmed off a 4" x 6" piece.  I gold embossed a tulip image on white cardstock and watercoloured it. Stamped "ulips" below the image using my Making Memories magnetic stamp set and red ink.   Added some ribbon flags on the right hand side and then stitched it to the fabric paper.  I added a piece of red rick rack on the left hand side gluing the ends to the back of the fabric paper and then gluing the whole thing to a postcard backer and stitching it all the way around using the same red thread I used for the tulips.  To embellish my chipboard T I embossed all the edges with gold embossing powder and then stamped it in red ink with my stipple stamp (SU). I mounted it to the front of my postcard using 3D foam tape.  It still needed a bit of something so I added the little green flower which I watercoloured so it would coordinate with my postcard, added a red center, a gold brad and used glue dots to hold it in place over the rick rack.
Love this fun and spring looking layout.  It is has been warm here and I am looking forward to getting into my garden this week.

Therese

Mother's Day cards for my daughters

Both of my daughters are great Mom's!!  This year I made their cards using similar materials.  I started with the coral ribbon which is beautifully soft and went looking for coordinating decorative paper.  I chose these two!!  They are very different but still contain the coral colour of the ribbon.  I decided to make one portrait and the other landscape to change things up a bit so they would not look too much the same.   For the top one, I adhered a strip of ribbon across my layer of decorative cardstock and glued that to my coral card front.  I watercoloured my flower image (Cruzines) to coordinate, layered it onto green and adhered it to my card front using 3D foam tape.  I stamped my greeting in red on the lower right hand side and added a short length of ribbon tied to the one on the front of my card.  Perfect of my oldest daughter!!

For my next card, I added a length of the coral ribbon to my background and adhered the ends to the back using double sided tape.  Next, I layered my decorative cardstock over a layer of bright green tissue paper which really helped that colour pop from the background then I glued this element to a pale blue card front.  I watercoloured my image to coordinate with my background, layered it onto coral cardstock and then adhered it to my card front using 3D foam tape overlapping the ribbon.  I tied gold cording to the ribbon to create a bit of a ruffle and then added a small colour printed tag greeting which I tied to the gold cording using white crochet thread.
We love our girls! Besides being very special people they have blessed our lives with grand children for which we are very grateful!!
Be sure to celebrate Mother's Day with the women who are close to you!!

Therese

Mother's Day card for my Mom

My Mom's favorite colour is blue so I try to use it when I am creating her Mother's Day card.  I started with these strips of rice paper napkin which my daughter gave me a long while ago.  I love the colour and design with the little bit of gold in it and the lovely scalloped edge.  I glued two strips to the pale blue card front using glue stick.  I created the central element using a strip of white cardstock which I punched on both long edges using a doily border punch (MS) and next I embossed the center portion using a border embossing folder (SU) which coordinated reasonably well.  I glued this element to my card front and trimmed all the papers to the edge of the card.  I added a length of narrow navy blue ribbon over the embossing and glued the ends to the inside of the card using double sided tape.  I cut a 5/8" strip of white cardstock and embossed the greeting (SU) in gold embossing powder.  I used a label framelit (SX) to trim the ends one at a time because I needed the greeting to be longer than the size of the framelit.  I like having the flexibility of using my tools more creatively!!  I sponged the edges just a bit with blue ink and mounted it over the ribbon using 3D foam tape.
I am grateful for everything that my Mom taught me as I was growing up and how she continues to share as we grow older together.

Therese

Anniversary cards using heart frame die cuts

I had a few spare heart frame die cuts (SX) sitting on my desk from creating these wedding cards so I played around with them to create these anniversary cards.  I used a teal and white decorative paper on the top one and dark blue embossed cardstock for the bottom one.  I stamped the greetings on vellum and embossed them - silver embossing on the top one and white with clear embossing on the bottom one.  I used the frame to make a line on the vellum and then cut out the vellum to just fit behind the frame.  I attached it to the die cut using small pieces of double sided tape.

I added pink cardstock behind the hearts on the top one and used markers to colour the vellum from the back on the bottom one.  I tied on a short length of pink seam binding to the frame on the top card and used a silver organza ribbon on the bottom card.  I added the backgrounds to my card fronts and then added my focal elements using 3D foam tape.

Therese

Fabric paper Thank you card

Needed a quick card for a friend who has been babysitting my tomato plants for the last week or so.  I used a piece of fabric paper which I used  to make this chunky book page and made a while back.  I simply cut a piece 4" x 5.25" and stitched it to a yellow card front and added a layered punchie greeting.
I love the texture of fabric paper and am thinking it is time to make more!!  I only have a small piece left from this last sheet!!  I have been collecting tissue paper and paper napkins which will provide some interesting images to incorporate!!

Therese

Graduation card with musical background paper

I created this card for my niece who is graduating from high school this year.  She will be going on to study music in the fall so I chose to create a musical background.
I started with a page from a damaged songbook.  It had an unfortunate encounter with flooding and had become unusable.  It was donated to me to use for my cardmaking - got to love free supplies!!
I added several watercolour washes to the page in warm colours but mostly greens and browns.  Next, I stamped it with stars in dark green distress ink and then stippled (SU) it with brown ink. I cut this label (TH) out of green cardstock and gold embossed my greeting onto it.  I used my homemade stamping jig, which I have been using quite a lot lately, to get it properly centered.  I added dots around the edges using a gold gel pen.  The ribbon was incorporated into my card when I stitched the decorative paper to the card front.  I trimmed the ends diagonally and mounted my greeting over it using mini gold brads.   Was fun to create this background paper!
Therese

An Art canvas with a life quote

I created this art canvas for a young woman who is graduating from high school in June and attending university away from home.
I gave the deep 8" x 10" canvas a teal acrylic paint colour wash on the front and sides then added a few blue spatters before leaving it to dry.  I cut the letters from black art paper using a set of Cookie Cutter alphabet dies and used a piece of low tack masking tape as a line to set them all in place and adhered them with white glue applied using a fine tip bottle.  After drying it overnight, I stamped flourishes around the front edge using black Memories ink and a small flower/flourish clear stamp.  I had to apply a little support from underneath in a few places to get a full impression.  I used my stipple stamp (SU) and the black ink to add a bit of texture within the flourishes and the lettering.  I used a black permanent marker to colour the back portion of the sides and used masking tape to ensure a nice straight line.

To seal my canvas I applied a coat of matte Modge Podge to the sides and the front. Once that was dry, I added a length of black cotton lace to the front portion of the sides using a thin piece of double sided tape on the back of the lace to keep it in place and stapling the two ends at top center.  This beautiful fabric flower covers the staples.  It is held in place with a glue dot and a couple staples in the outer layers to ensure it is secure.  I used a black sharpie to colour the staples so they don't show.  I added a hanger on the back and signed it. It is ready to go!!    Really enjoyed making this canvas!!
Therese

Another birthday card with the Grimms Fairy Tale art

My youngest grand daughter is having a birthday this week!!  I chose some of the same art that I used on her cousin's birthday card - the watercoloured Grimm's Fairy Tales!!  This piece was round so I layered it onto white and then onto dark blue (Nestibilities).  I stamped the greeting on a yellow layer using dark blue ink, punched the bottom edge with a scallop border punch (SU) and then embossed it using the Swiss Dots embossing folder (CB) avoiding the greeting.  I used a hammer to selectively emboss the area around the greeting.  I added iridescent glitter glue to the scallops on the yellow layer as well as those on the scallop circle and let them dry.  Once dry, I added a length of dark blue vintage seam binding on the right hand side of the yellow layer using double sided tape to secure both ends to the back of the layer. I tied a short piece to the front and trimmed both ends diagonally.  The look of a bow without the bulk!! I glued the yellow layer to my dark blue card front and then added my layered focal element above the greeting and over the seam binding.  Really turned out well!!

Therese

Fun themed "D" postcard

I created this fun postcard for a "D" themed postcard for a swap on one of my groups.  We were encouraged to be creative so I played around with a few ideas before I decided to create this card with lots of D words. I have provided a list of the ones I thought of as I went along in an envelope on the back so that the recipient can take up the challenge of guessing them before they dig it out.  I used a book page as my base and added a bit of paint and ink.  A bit of stamping and drawing, fabric and punchies and finally my nicely decorated letter D.
Had a great time making this postcard and I hope my partner will enjoy the D word challenge!!

Therese

Sympathy card

Created this card for a family member who has experienced a loss.  I will add making a few more to my To Do list because I prefer to have a few on hand.
I started with this wonderful botanical paper I created a while back.  I layered it onto a soft white layer which I had embossed with little flowers and added a white ribbon between the two.  I glued the ends to the back of the layer and added stitching to the decorative paper.  I added a piece of green grosgrain ribbon over the white and layered on my stamped greeting which I also stitched into place.  The bottom needed a bit of something so I punched the bottom edge with a decorative border punch (SU).  I glued the entire element to a purple card front.

Therese

Yellow chunky book page

I created this cute little 4" x 4" chunky book page for a swap on one of my groups!!  I found this fabric paper in my stash and I thought this large flower was perfect for the yellow and bright theme.  I added the butterfly quote which was stamped on transparency and the little butterfly punchies which were given to me by a friend.  They were punched from some very bright and shiny paper!!  I added an embossed cardstock backer in green and sandwiched several coordinating ribbons in between before I stitched all the pieces together using yellow thread in my sewing machine.
I love making fabric paper and this one worked out so well for this project!!

Therese

A little sewing project!

I have been practicing my sewing skills!!  I used to do much more sewing when my children were home.  I made this little zippered pack for my grand daughter for her birthday.  It was fun to add some decorative stitching and work out a way to add a lining.  The belt is way too long but I thought more was better in case she decides to wear it over her shoulder instead of around her waist.

Therese

Fairy tale art for this birthday card

My oldest granddaughter has a birthday coming up!!  My sister gave me a set of postcards a while back and I thought I would see if I could incorporate them into my cardmaking.  The art is wonderful - Grimms Fairy Tales - in soft watercolour so I decided not to cover them up too much.  I added a gros grain ribbon at the very bottom attaching the ends behind the postcard using double sided tape. Next, I layered the postcard onto a variegated yellow orange tissue paper and then onto a large green card front which I had stippled around the edges using my stipple stamp (SU) with green ink. I sponged the edges of an oval greeting punchie and added it over the ribbon using 3D foam tape.
I am really liking the look of the tissue paper layers I have been using on my cards lately!!
My granddaughter is an budding artist so I am sure she will appreciate the artistic and the fairytale aspects of this card!

Therese