More monochromatic cards using a coordinating set of papers - birthday and sympathy

I have been working on getting a few more of these cards made up. Check out the first set here. I cut up the first sheet of paper by cutting out all the large floral elements on the sheet.  I layered them all onto deep maroon cardstock to create my focal elements.
For the top card I used an oval focal element which was created using Nestibilities.  I added a single layer on the maroon card front and stamped a greeting. Unfortunately, it was the wrong colour and crooked so I trimmed off the bottom edge of the paper and replaced it with a piece from the original sheet and added a strip of maroon cardstock over the joint.  I added an organza ribbon with a simulate bow and then mounted my oval focal element over it using 3D foam tape.  I added a layered punchie greeting on the lower right hand corner.

For the second card I used the same background paper and added organza ribbon as well.  I punched a slot in the spine of the card so I could insert the end of my ribbon and glued the end to the inside front of my card with double sided tape.  Tied on a short piece to simulate a bow on this one as well.  Added my rectangular focal element over the ribbon using 3D foam tape and adhered the layered punchie greeting using double sided tape.
It has been a fun challenge to create cards with this set of papers. 
Therese       

Christmas cards with non traditional colours - red, black, green and gold

My first Christmas cards of the year!!  I made these for a friend of mine who had a small piece of this gorgeous green paper with gold trees on it that was wrapped around one of her Christmas gifts.  I offered to make her some Christmas cards for next year with it!!  The trees were different sizes hence the different size of ovals on these cards.  I used my oval Nestibilities to figure out which ones would be good for card avoiding any of the folded or rough spots that had been on the corners.  I traced around the die and then cut them out with scissors  giving each one enough edge so they could be glued behind the ovals.  These are a bit smaller than A2 so I had to be really diligent when cutting my pieces because they all had to be just a bit smaller.   I gold embossed my greetings (SU) on the black layer, die cut the ovals and then glued the trees to the back of the opening after lining them up.  Finally I glued these large elements to the front of cranberry cardstock cards.  They are quite striking and not typical Christmas cards.  I have yet to make any for myself but it is in the works!!  Therese

Embossed background with a cute digital image

I need a few cards so I am making up the few card kits I have sitting on my work surface from previous classes. 
This one is from this class which features four embossed rectangles adhered to a coloured card front.  These ones were all different which adds interest to the the background.  I watercoloured the laser printed digital image (Cre8tive Hands) of a cute little bunny, layered it onto dark brown and added four little pieces of ribbon/lace with flagged ends to the right hand side using double sided tape.  I adhered this focal element to the front of my card using 3D foam tape.            Therese

Cards from kits - embossed backgrounds and with laser printed greetings

Another few cards made up from kits I have sitting on my desk from previous classes.  These are from this class and feature punchies glued to white cardstock embossed using an all over embossing folder (SU Lattice)!!  I changed up the kit a bit for the hearts card by adding a strip of vellum and a punchie greeting with rhinstones.  I folded the ends of the vellum over the sides of the background and glued to back with double sided tape.  I layered a laser printed punchie greeting (SU Word Window) over a label punchie (SU Modern Label) and adhered it over the vellum using double sided tape and then added two small clear rhintestones - one on each end.  I glued this large element to the front of a red card.  For the star card I had used only one coloured star punchie and all the others were white - nice textured look.  I added a chalkboard greeting which I fussy cut and then punched the holes on each side.  I threaded my ribbon through and glued each end to the back of the layer using double sided tape.  I tied a small piece of the same ribbon to the one on the front to simulate a bow and then decided to tie on a short piece of fun fiber in coordinating colours next to it.  Nice touch of colour!!  Card kits make getting card made up quick and easy!!            Therese

Pink and green Christmas thank you card

I used the other set of strips in this colour scheme for my other card.  I glued the strips to a white piece of cardstock and trimmed them all to the edges.  I tied on a length of coordinating hand dyed seam binding gluing the ends to the back before adhering this large element to a dark pink card front.  I added the large chalkboard greeting with 3D foam tape and then tied a short piece of seam binding to the one on the front of my card using a single knot to nicely simulate a bow!!  Love this very bright and cheery green and pink colour combination!!  Therese

Silver, red and green for a very festive thank you card

I am having fun creating cards from my Christmas paper stash!!  For this one I chose three pieces of commercial handmade paper which features red dots and silver glitter!!  I adhered them on the front of a red card front spacing them evenly and then added two little strips of silver ribbon in between them.  I tied the card front using some fine silver cording which I tied off on the left and then mounted a chalkboard greeting from my stash over the strands using 3D foam tape.  Love it!!

Therese

Tea themed photo birthday card

A card created using a photo from a tea related 4" x 6" photo calendar created by my sister, Sylvia.  This was from last year's calendar which I got for Christmas in 2016!!  Love this photo of a beautiful green heart shaped tea cup with a small pink peony on the saucer over a battenburg lace doily.  This is my favorite colour combo - pink and green!! 
I trimmed the photo to 3.75" x 3.75" and mounted it onto a green layer which I had stamped at the bottom with light green ink using a textured background and a leaf (SU).  I mounted this large element to the front of a dark pink card and added a laser printed birthday greeting (Birds Cards) punchie (SU) which I sponged with green ink all the way around and a bit of pink in the center using 3D foam tape.  Love how it turned out and relatively quick to put together!
If you are photographer/scrapbooker consider taking some photos that would work in your cardmaking and getting creative with them!!

Therese

Brown, orange and green with gold lettering for this card

I found these small pieces of decorative paper in my Christmas stash and thought I would use them for a thank you card.  I glued the strips to a rust coloured card front and added some metallic gold die cut letters - one per strip - to spell thanks.  I love the texture on these letters and the button too!!  I combined a green crochet thread with a length of thin brown wool and tied them to the top portion of my card above the letters using a couple of knots.  I added a gold metallic button to which I had tied a length of fiber which I dyed with a marker using two knots and adhered it to my card front over the knots I made in the threads using 3D foam tape.  Having some fun in my craft room!!

Therese

A fun thank you card in non traditional Christmas colours

Found another set of decorative papers in my Christmas paper stash that I used for this fun card!!  I glued the strips to a white piece of cardstock and trimmed them to the edge.  I die cut a scallop circle from the left hand side of this background, added a length of hand dyed seam binding between the opening and the side gluing the ends to the back before adhering this large element to a dark pink card front.  I watercoloured the circle punchie greeting and adhered it in the opening.   To finish off my card, I tied a short piece of seam binding to the one on the front using a single knot to simulate a bow.  A really fun and very festive card with green and pinks - my favorite colour combination!!           Therese

Green and red decorative paper with a fun angle

Another Thank you card for this Christmas season!!  I glued three dark green strips of  coordinating decorative paper onto the corner of a white piece of cardstock and trimmed them to the edges.  I embossed the balance of this layer using the Decorative Dots embossing folder (SU) and a hammer as I could not get the sandwich to fit in my Big Shot.  I like using the hammer because it allows a more random embossing of the texture.  I found the chalk board greeting in my little stash bucket, adhered it with double sided tape and then added a red metallic button die cut to which I had already tied some white fiber using two knots!!  A bit of a cooler palette for this card - I have been carrying around this paper for years and it is nice to finally find a great way to use it!! 

Therese

Thank you card with Christmas paper

Another thank you card for the Christmas season.  Once in my little stash of Christmas paper I found a few more scraps that worked.  I chose three script and two small green strips for this card.  I glued them to a white piece of cardstock and added a length of shimmery green fiber.  I watercoloured the round greeting punchie and mounted it over the fiber using 3D foam tape.  I tied a bow using a length of the same fiber over the greeting to finish off my card.  It is nice to have a few extra greetings around to make quick work of these cards. 

Therese

Cards made with coordinating same colour family decorative paper

I have several sets of these coordinating same colour family sets of decorative papers and have been wanting to use them for a while.  I have decided to give it a go and see what I can produce with them this year.  There are 10 sheets in this set - mostly florals but a couple with plaid and more soft designs.  I took a sheet that had several floral motifs and cut them from the background to use as the focal elements for this set of cards.  I made these two for my January card exchange and the others will show up over time.  They make very monochromatic cards and therefore have a certain appeal because of that.  After cutting out all the motifs I layered them onto coordinating cardstock.  For the left hand card I used one of the smaller ones. I used one of the other all over floral sheets for the background over a coordinating card front and added a rose organza ribbon on the right hand side.  I mounted the focal element at the top over the ribbon using 3D foam tape.  Next, I created my greeting using an eyelet frame die cut (SX) over a laser printed greeting (Bird's cards) punched with a large oval punch (SU).  There is very little overlap so I used regular tape to bind the two.  I used double sided tape on the top where it overlaps the focal element and 3D foam tape on the bottom where it overlaps the ribbon.  To finish off my card I tied a short piece of ribbon to the bit of ribbon you could see at the bottom of the card to simulate a bow.  

For the right hand card, I used the same floral paper for the background over a coordinating card and added the same pink organza ribbon gluing the ends to the back of the decorative paper.  Next, I adhered my layered floral element using 3D foam tape over the ribbon. I stamped the little birthday greeting onto the background paper and embossed it with clear embossing powder. 

Both of these cards needed a bit of something so I added clear glitter (Sakura Stardust) using a gel pen to the center of the flowers and little dots all the way around on the focal elements.  I added just a bit on the oval greeting as well.  That was better!!  They are off to my exchange partners in today's mail.  Therese 

Green and red decorative paper with fiber and a die cut button

For this card I glued four strips of green decorative paper to a white layer of cardstock.  I die cut a red metallic button and tied it onto this layer using some fine white fiber finished it off would a double knot to keep everything in place.  I glued this large layer to the front of a red card and stamped and clear embossed my Thanks greeting on the lower right hand side. 

Therese

Thank you card for Christmas - strips and metallic buttons

Have finally found a bit of time for cardmaking in my craft room!!  Christmas was good - quiet in a few spots, family time too and great food all the way around!! 
I have started on my thank you cards for those wonderful blessing which showed up over the Christmas season!! 
I usually use gift wrap from my gifts but no gift wrap as the gifts showed up in bags and boxes which will be reused!!  So I decided to use up some of my scraps and cut some strips in green and red for this card.  I flagged the ends of the strips and glued them to a layer of white cardstock and trimmed them even with the left hand side.  I die cut some buttons from gold paper that housed some of the small ornaments we used for our Grinch Trees Fundraiser before Christmas.  It was great because the very well used foam and cutting plates added some fun texture to the very shiny gold paper.  I added white fiber to them and tied it off with a double knot before gluing them to the left hand side of the strips.  I stamped the greeting on the red vellum strip and embossed it with gold embossing powder.  Finally I glued this large element to the front of a red card!!
It is great to be back in my craft room and I am looking forward to a few more cards!!

Therese

First birthday card of the year!!

It has been weeks since I was in my craft room being crafty!!  I hope you all had a good Christmas season and are considering your creative goals for the season!! 
I am committed to making Christmas cards year round so will be working with my sister, Sylvia's challenge when I can.  You can check out her Christmas Card Challenge here on her blog. 
I will also be working on home projects this year as I have been putting them off for 3-4 years and they need doing.
I am continuing my special occassion cards for family and friends and my bimonthly cardmaking classes as well. 
On that note, here it the card I made today for my brother who has an early January birthday!!!  I used one of my serendipity backgrounds which was embossed with the Lattice Embossing folder (SU).  I stacked a gold layer with it and then die cut the HAPPY (SX) word from both of them.  I backed the holes with packing tape and inserted the gold letters and made sure to add back in the openings from the serendipity in the a and the p s.  I used my homemade stamping jig to get my "birthday" stamped exactly where I wanted it and then embossed with gold embossing powder.  I like the distressed look of it!!  I layered on a gauzy fiber below it and added a gold round paper clip to which I had tied some raffia using a single stitch of crochet thread.  I backed this layer with green cardstock strips and then distressed them before gluing this large element to a tan card front!! 
I have the gold layer with the serendipity letters still sitting on my desk and they will likely be my next card of the year!!
I hope you will find a way to be creative this coming year and will take the time to share it with those around you!  At every moment we have the opportunity to make a different choice and today is as good a time as any!! 

Therese

House fabric postcard

I participate in the Birthday Swap on my fabric postcard group and I created this one for my next swap partner.
I have had this house concept in my head for a while now and the paper piecing I did for my last swap encouraged me to give it a try and see how well it would work.
I started with the house rectangle and then found a triangle which would work for the roof.  Next I found some blue pieces that I could use for the sky and the floral greenery fabric for the background landscape around the house.  I found a pieced length of browns for the foreground.  It was a bit short so I added another length of brown brick looking fabric.  I started by stitching the sides (greenery to blue sky) to each other and then I stitched them to the house.  I positioned the roof over the large sky rectangle and stitch it to the house with the sides.  Next, I stitched the brown piece to the pieced one and then stitched this large piece to the bottom of the house rectangle I had just created.  I ironed all my seams and then trimmed the whole thing to 6" x 4".  I added iron fusible webbing to the back of the roof and ironed it into place added hand stitching to it afterwards.  I found a small dark red scrap to use as my front door, added fusible webbing to the back and ironed it into place.  I stitched all the way around using black floss, added a yellow half moon window and hand stitch around it with yellow floss.  I added a small gold sequin with a large french knot to create the doorknob.  I added some hand stitched flowers on either side of the house as well.  I stitched batting to my white backer, layered on my front and then stitched all the way around to attached all the layers to each other.  I created a chain of single crochet stitches using textured dark green yarn and stitched to the each of my postcard using dark green floss in an over hand stitch.   To finish off my postcard I used a small piece of fusible fabric, added my handwritten message using a permanent marker and ironed it into place above the door.  Pretty happy with  how this one worked out!!  Looking forward to trying this design out again with different colours.              Therese

Dove ornament for Christmas!!

I created this red dove ornament for a special person and like it so much I will be making more to include in my Christmas cards to my friends this year!!
I cut two doves (SB) and glued them back to back and added a gold embroidery thread hanger.  Added the year on the back using a black marker.  They would certainly be great in any wonderful paper - glitter, metallic, shimmery, etc so I will have to scour my stash to see what I can find to make them special for each person on my list!!

Therese

Dragonfly with alcohol inks on a collage background

I needed a special card this week and so went looking in my stash of collage backgrounds to see if anything would be suitable.  I chose this serendipity background which has been embossed with the Lattice embossing folder.  I die cut the dragonfly from it and wanted to fill the space with a striking dragonfly die cut.  This is my fourth attempt and I am very happy with it!!  I die cut the dragonfly (Spell binders) from silver foiled cardstock and coloured it with alcohol inks.  I punched 1/16 inch holes to create a flight path for the dragonfly and then backed my serendipity background with some turquoise metallic paper which shows through the flight path and the die cut dragonfly hole.  I glued this large element to a kraft card front.  I applied glue dots to the back of the body my dragonfly die cut once it was dry and glued it into the hole.  I lifted the ends of the wings a bit to give the dragonfly some dimension.  Love the way it turned out!!              Therese

I have been sewing mobius infinity scarves!!

 My sister was wearing an infinity scarf she had sewn up a few weeks ago at my Dad's birthday and so we visually dissected it to see what might be necessary to make one.  We decided that 60" x 18" of fabric would do and it just needed to drape nicely to create the cowl effect that makes this accessory work so well.  I did some internet research and found a few tutorials.  I made mobius infinity scarves - they have a twist in them that makes them sit more nicely around your neck.  I dug some fancy fabric from my stash and made up a few!!!  They are quick and easy and can be made of very thin fabric or heavier as long as it drapes nicely.  I have a few last minute Christmas gifts!!!           Therese

Die cut red dove Christmas ornaments

A few weeks ago I found this little pile of special red duplex paper in my stash.  I bought it years ago from a store that indicated that this paper was used by their Chinese community for Chinese New Year celebrations.  It symbolizes good fortune and joy!! Having recently become more aware of the Chinese New Year I did a google search and found that it is a country wide festival/celebration where people make every effort to go home and bring in the new year with their extended families.  They let go of the old year and welcome the new year wishing everyone good fortune and joy with little gifts in red envelopes.
So I have decided to wish my friends and special others good fortune and joy with little red dove die cut (Spellbinders) ornaments made out of this special paper. I added a simple gold thread hanger which made these very quick and easy!!  The paper is scented which just adds a little something to these ornaments.
They would look great on the Christmas tree but are beautiful enough to hang anywhere year around as a reminder to keep an eye out for the good fortune and joy that is coming their way.

Therese

Christmas cards with embossing and colour

 I needed a few more Christmas cards for this year so I made the last of the card kits I had on hand from this set of cards from my November class.  I love these images!!  I gold embossed the star in gold and the candle in silver, added a coordinating layer beneath - silver for the candles and red for the star.  These elements were then layered onto a card front which was layered with decorative paper using 3D foam tape.  These are quick and easy once you have your embossing done.  I coloured the star's center with a bit of yellow watercolour as well as the flame on the candles.  I did the body of the candle using chalk which gives them a nice soft look. 
Will prep these today and I will be finished my Christmas cards for this year.  I have only a few kits left from this class which I will make up and start by Christmas card stash for next year!!

Therese

Affirmation cards about the power of your thoughts, words and actions

I made up these affirmation cards for a group that I hosted last week.  I laser printed the words onto white cardstock and then randomly applied watercolour until I was happy with how they looked.  Once they were dry, I cut them apart and pressed them under weight to help them lay flat.  They would make great book marks or can be tucked on a shelf or near the bathroom mirror as a daily reminder to choose wisely. 
It behooves us to remember that we have creative power and that what we think, say and do affects our experiences and the process of our lives.  Fear creates a much different life than does love.  We get to choose!!

Therese

Wonky tree and snowman on kids Christmas cards

I was making up a few Christmas for my grand children and in the final few I decided to combine the wonky tree and the snowman I had used on previous versions of this card. 
I used blue decorative paper for the background and ripped a strip off the bottom which formed a snowbank.  I added texture to the two navy strips on each one and mounted them on the left and right hand side.  For three of them I tucked the trees under the strip and later realized that I could just have placed the tree on the card and then mounted the navy strip which would have been easier!!  You can check my tutorial for the snowman here.   I added the snowmen to the cards using 3D foam tape and then added iridescent glitter glue to the trees and navy strips to add a bit of texture and glitter!!  I am sure the kids will enjoy them!!

Therese

Card kits - a few paper strips, some embossing and a punchie embellishment

Another few cards from kits that I prepared to add to my gift for the exchange.  These are from this class in April.  I changed them up a bit because I had a bit of time and the inclination.  I embossed the white space near the greeting, I layered the greeting and I added a brad to the flower embellishment.  I like that the extras help to highlight the greeting a little more than the previous ones.  Just goes to show that there are always a lot of options!!  

Therese

Birthday card for a retired carpenter

My Dad will soon be celebrating this 88th birthday and because he is a retired carpenter I like to include some wood on his card.  I am fortunate to have a woodworker in the house so little pieces of wood appear regularly with "Can you use this?"  Case in point, that is what happened this afternoon, as our son is here working on his walnut railing and a little scrap showed up!!  It was very thin so I backed it with packing tape before die cutting it with the Sizzix "Happy" die.  It worked perfectly!!  After working out just where I needed to stamp the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" (SU) I used my LEGO stamping jig to get it exactly in the right place.  I stamped it over several times to get the depth of colour I was looking for - very easy to do with the stamp jig.  I inked the inside of my wood grain embossing folder and used it to "stamp" the background onto my cardstock.  The dye ink cleaned up very well from the inside of the folder.  I added a bit of black watercolour to the right hand sides of my wood word to just give it a bit of depth before using double sided tape to adhere it to my stamped background.  I added a little comma and an exclamation mark using a brown marker.  Next, I used my chevron punch (SU) to punch out a few chevrons below the greeting and one above.  I chose a dark maroon card which nicely highlighted the chevrons.  I used my tracing wheel to add some lines of texture to the outside edges of my background then glued it to the front of my card.  I watercoloured this laser printed tools image from Beccy's Place - http://beccysplace.blogspot.ca/ - then distressed the edges.  I added a bit of brown fiber to the back before adhering this focal element to the front of my card using 3D foam tape.  Pretty happy with how this card worked out!!  Fortunately, I will be able to hand it to my Dad personally as we will be celebrating as a family up home.                Therese

Card kit - Lighthouse with a wavy border

On the weekend I needed a little gift for a gift exchange so I put together a few cards from my stash and added a few that I made up from kits that are sitting on my desk from previous classes. 
This one is from this class and very similar to one that I made that day.  The light house is a digital image from ClipartPal.  I laser printed several on a sheet, trimmed them out and then die cut the tops using a Sizzix tag die.  I watercoloured the image and added a laser printed greeting which was distressed on the edge and a short piece of navy seam binding in the hole.  I layered two pieces of decorative paper to my blue card front and then layered on a navy strip which I had cut with wavy decorative scissors, pierced and that added a few lines with my tracing wheel. 
Glad to have a few card kits on hand because it makes getting cards ready quick and easy!!

Therese

Two kids birthday cards with a small note card

The striped background paper on the first card and the dark blue background on the second card were a complete notecard in their previous life!!  I used the striped piece as a background for my large Happy die cut (SX).  I added "birthday" using a laser printed transparency which I trimmed added just below my die cut gluing the ends to the back of the layer.  I embossed a small rectangle with the D'vine swirl embossing folder and added a length of green mesh which I tied with silver embroidery thread which transformed it into a gift.  I used 3D foam tape to adhere it to my card front just below the greeting.  Really happy with how well this card came together.  Wanting to not waste the "hole" from the die cut,  I backed it with piece of embossed yellow cardstock and was sure to glue the "holes" which fell out of the "A" and the two "P"s  in their proper place by using my sample die cut which I store in the sleeve of the die.  I border punched the bottom edge with a scallop border punch (SU) and then punched tiny holes in each scallop. I cut the right hand side with a slot border punch and inserted a red gros grain ribbon leaving a portion hanging below the edge which I flagged.  The other end went over the top and was glued to the back.  I added a layer of green dotted scrapbook paper which I had ripped on the bottom to the front of a blue card and mounted my large focal element to the top portion of my card.  I added a little laser printed greeting below the die cut to complete my greeting and a little yellow star to finish off my card.    A very effective reuse of a card which transformed it into two new ones!!              Therese

Three new "praying for you" cards with reused card fronts

In the process of making a few more cards for my stash I am reusing card fronts that have been donated to me for my cardmaking!!!  For the one on the left I included the framed lighthouse image to which I had added a small vellum greeting which was stamped and gold embossed.  Next I added a gold layer and mounted this large element to a maroon card front.  For the middle card, I trimmed the floral image from the card front and then ran my tracing wheel around the edges to add texture and then added a gold embossed vellum greeting gluing both ends to the back.  I mounted this image to a green cardstock layer which I had border punched on the right hand side with an eyelet punch (SU).  Thinking I needed something to echo the gold on the greeting I added gold paper circle punchies to the back of the green layer behind the eyelet bumps covering three holes at a time.  I layered this large element to the front of a pink card.  For the right hand card I trimmed the image, added a length of purple seam binding gluing both ends to the back and then loosely tied a shorter piece to it which allowed the tails to lay nicely on the initial length.  A bit of a different look than I usually get  - I like it!!  I added a flagged stamped greeting to the upper right hand corner - the only place it really worked!!!  So a few more for my stash!!                 Therese

November Card Class - the star of wonder and season of hope candle

I love this design and have used several times over the years!!!  I created the little town of Bethlehem graphic many years ago when I first created cards with this stamp using kraft paper which bleaches to yellow.  This time I laser printed the town onto ivory paper and watercoloured the star's center after embossing it in gold.  Still works beautifully!!  I layered this focal element onto a green layer and used 3D foam tape to adhere it to my red card front to which I had already glued a beautiful gold/red decorative paper.  The most time consuming part of this card is embossing the stamped image with gold embossing powder!!  Still a pretty quick card to make up!!!
For my second card, I used a green card and glued on some metallic holly decorative paper leaving a small border all the way around.  The image - Season of Hope candle was stamped and embossed with silver embossing powder.  This is one of my favorite Christmas card images!!  I watercoloured the spaces in the image using green, yellow and orange.  Once it was dry, I mounted it to a red rectangle of cardstoc and adhered it over the decorative paper using 3D foam tape.  One of the girls used chalks on her image tonight and it turned out beautiful and much easier to do that using watercolour with a very similar effect. I will have to try that next time. 
Therese

November Card Class - Die cut tree

I created a few cards with this sketch as my exchange cards for this month and decided to use this design to make a set of  kits for this class.  I used several different dies to cut the opening and a variety of greetings as well so all the cards will be a little different.
I used the same cardstock for the card front and the large topmost layer of this card which has been stamped with a greeting and die cut with a tree.  I added a coordinating decorative paper in between which provides the contrast that creates the focal element.  I added a little star punchie to the tree.  I hand embossed this front layer to avoid having the greeting be lost in the embossing.

For this card I used the medium sized poinsettia die from the Spellbinders set.  I die cut the flower on the top portion and gold embossed a greeting on the bottom section.  The center was created using 3 gold sequins which were held to each other and the card front using mini glue dots.  Again, the top layer is held above the decorative paper which is glued to the card front using 3D foam tape.  I like the contrast and dimension that is created.  I chose to not emboss this one because it seemed more complete and less in need of any more texture possibly because of the larger greeting. 
These kits were pretty fast to assemble as most of the work was already done!!

Therese

November Card Class - wonky tree

I have used this design in one of my previous classes and with a few leftover "trees" I decided to incorporate it into this class.  I love how unique the trees are because of the randomness of the little triangles which allows everyone to put their own spin on their cards.  The background (light blue floral paper with snowflakes stamped on it) is torn across the bottom creating a snowbank by revealing the white of the card front.  I glued it even with the top of the card.  The torn edged dark blue rectangles were glued in place after that.  To build the tree, I glued the brown trunk onto the snow bank and then glued triangles in place over the trunk until it was tall enough.  I added a yellow punchie star at the top using 3D foam tape.  I layered the laser printed font greeting punchie (SU Word Window) over a red label punchie (SU Decorative Label) and mounted it to my card front using 3D foam tape.

This card uses a different background - a hand decorated piece of paper with light blue/aqua paint on it.  I used a single layer for the greeting and chose to glue my layer just a little off of the top of the card.

A fun card for this Christmas season.  I counted my cards today and I will be short around twenty so I will see about getting some of these cards kits made up after my second class on Monday.

Therese

All occasion cards without greetings

For these two cards I was reusing a portion of a used card that had this bright pink border with some orange ribbon and a zigzag edge. 
For the left hand card I embossed the top portion of a white card with the Swiss Dot embossing folder in my Big Kick and then glued my wide decorative border to the bottom.  I punched two butterflies (MS) which I layered onto two handmade paper butterfly punchies to which I added silver cording to simulate antenna.  I drew in a flight path with a gel pen before gluing the butterflies in place.  For the right hand card, I die cut flowers (SU) from the same fun pink floral paper and three different coordinating pink cardstocks.  I layered the flowers and bound them with a brad which I coloured with a Sharpie marker.  I embossed the front of a white card with the leaves embossing folder before adding my wide border to the bottom edge.  I cut stems and leaves from green cardstock and glued them in place tucking their ends behind the top of the border.  I used glue dots to adhere my flower to my card front.  Love this floral paper!!               Therese

Reusing cards to create fun new ones!

These cards were created using parts of used cards which were donated to me for my cardmaking efforts.  The one on the left is a a friendship card and was cut from the front of a large card.  I added a green border on the right hand side which I punched with a scallop border punch and then added some iridescent glitter glue to coordinate with the glitter on the rest of this cute ladybug card.  I ran my pattern tracing wheel a few times in between the glitter dots and the card front I had glued my border to.  This focal element was glued to a coordinating card front and I was done!!  The card on the left has a front trimmed from a large card leaving the central oval image of a cute kite flying mouse intact.  I wrapped some green crochet thread around this layer and added a layered punchie greeting over it.  I adhered this large focal element to the front of a coordinating card.  Two more for my stash!!               Therese

Ready made card fronts and a friendship card

A friend of mine donated these cards to be used in my cardmaking efforts.  They are A2 sized so presented a bit of a challenge when trying to refurbish them into the same size. 
I found place for a greeting on the first one.  I stamped the greeting on vellum, embossed it in gold and then punched it out with a circle punch.  I added a gold flower sequin with a small gold brad.  Afterwards, I decided to add some coral crochet thread which I wrapped around the layer slipping it under the greeting and tying it off to the left.  I glued this large focal element to the front of a brown card.  I was not able to find a way to embellish the other card front so I simply trimmed it smaller and also glued it to a brown card front.  The message is uplifting and positive!!!    Therese

Fabric postcard that features prairie points, sequins and hand stitching

I created this fabric postcard for the birthday swap on my Trading Fabric Postcards group.  I started by creating the prairie points and worked up my design from there.  I stitched them to the edge of an orange strip, pressed them over and added a line of stitching in white to hold them in place.  I folded and pressed the other side of my orange strip leaving it about 3/4" wide. Next, I created a navy patterned border from a strip of fabric by just folding it in half and pressing.  I laid it on the top edge of  my orange strip and stitched it in place.  Once I had that created I looked for a piece of fabric that would work for a background for my focal element.  I found some green fabric with a bit of floral texture in a darker shade which worked well.  I added a layer of batting and stitched several wavy lines across to secure the two together.  After laying my focal element on the background I decided to add another layer above my strip in dark green.  I cut a strip about 3/4" wide, added fusible webbing to the back and then die cut it with a scalloped Sizzix border die. To finalize my design I positioned my element and then positioned the green strip with the scallops just above it then fused it to my background.  I embellished the scallops with orange sequins with green seed beads - one in each scallop and finally adding some blue stitching in each valley.  Next, I stamped celebrate (SU) three times in dark blue ink across the orange strip.  I applied fusible web to the back of my focal element and fused it below the embellished scallops.  I added a white backer and added yet more lines of wavy stitching in between the ones I had created earlier which tighten the visual texture of the background.  I applied fusible webbing to strips of green fabric to use as my binding and trimmed strips to fit each side.  I lay the strips on the front overlapping about a quarter of an inch and fused it in place.  I flipped the postcard over, folded the remainder of the binding strip to the back and fused it into place.  I repeated the procedure for the three other sides.  Once they were in place, I added two lines of stitching using orange thread to very neatly finish off the binding.  A much different look than the last few I have made but I am as happy with it as the others.  It is off to my partner in hopes that it will arrive before her birthday!!         Therese

Tall slim Christmas cards that feature two different snowman

I decided to make some Christmas cards for my daughter while I was at it.  I have enjoyed making individual cards for birthdays but decided it would be more efficient to make all the Christmas cards using the same sketch.  I started with purple cardstock which coordinated with the handmade purple paste paper I dug out of my stash. I added my decorative paper to my short card fronts and then added a length of double sided tape on the very bottom edge and then added a strip of white which was cut on the top edge using a wavy blade cutter and which I had embellished with several lines of texture using my tracing wheel.  I am loving my tracing wheel!!  The images are digitals from Dearie Dolls which I laser printed, trimmed and then watercoloured.  I cut several strips of silver decorative paper, border punched the edges and added my images then scored a few lines to define the bottom edge.  I tied on a piece of colourful fiber that coordinated then glued this large element to my card front.  I embellished the centers of the snowflakes with clear rhinestones. 
I made the next set exactly the same way using a different snow man from Dearie Dolls and another piece of paste paper from my stash.  Really happy with how these turned out!! Therese

A flower silhouette combined with decorative paper

Another card for my stash!!  This one uses a floral image (CLKER) which has been sitting in my box of images for a little while and I thought would work very well with this paper being as it has a bit of black in it.  I sponged the edges of the image, layered it onto a coordinating green cardstock and then added a length of ribbon gluing both ends to the back.  I tied a short length to it using one knot which simulates a bow.  I added the decorative paper to an all over stamped card front leaving a even border all the way around and then mounted my focal image using 3D foam tape.  Decided to not add a greeting which makes this card more versatile. 

Therese

Holy Family Christmas card

I found two sets of the cardstock and coordinating decorative paper in a box I unpacked recently and today I thought I would see if I could make up a couple cards with them. 
I adhered the decorative paper to the maroon cardstock and added my watercoloured image of the holy family which I layered with silver cardstock on the left hand side with 3D foam tape.  I layered a coordinating punchie greeting (SU) onto the same silver cardstock and mounted it to the right of the image with 3D foam tape as well.  I made two of them and they are headed to my Christmas card stash which is sorely lacking!!  I expect a few more will show up after my cardmaking class next week!! 

Therese

Quick and easy cards for gift giving

 I am making cards for my stash and in cleaning up a packed box I found several of these paper backers which I created when I first designed these cards.  It involves printing two lines that intersect with a greeting on the bottom right side of a white backer.  I went looking for some bright decorative paper to create my "flower".  I cut four 1" squares from the paper I chose and corner rounded two corners on each square before gluing them to the backers.  I cornered rounded two corners of the backers and glued it to a card front that coordinated with my decorative paper squares.  These are quick and easy cards that can be made for any occasion and combine nicely for a set of cards for gift giving.  And, everyone can use a few cards for sending out to their friends and family.    I did add a rhinestone to the intersection of the lines which nicely finishes off the flower.  The first two have scrapbook paper, the pink one uses scraps from a used commercial card and the last one uses an alcohol ink background which I stamped with a flower and embellished with clear glitter gel pen.  Therese

A kid's card that features a fun alien robot

For this kid's birthday card I lengthened my front with a piece of brown cardstock the same as I had used for the card holding them together using regular tape on the front.  I added my piece of decorative paper over everything which helps keep the pieces in place.  I trimmed the image, (a cute alien robot from Dearie Dolls) watercoloured it and added some copper metallic watercolour to some of his parts so he would coordinate with the decorative paper.  I added a blue layer to my image and then adhered it to my card front using 3D foam tape.  I trimmed my laser printed greeting, flagged one end, sponged the edges with blue ink and then slipped the other end under the image and adhering the flagged end with double sided tape.  It was fun to change the orientation on this card. 

Therese