This is a group of over 30 handmade cards that I have refurbished in the last three days. They were given to me at my cardmaking class by someone who has been collecting greeting cards for a long while and did not want them to go to waste by just recycling them. Beautiful very detailed work - pergamano, tea bag folding, paper tole, original acrylics, etc. I will be donating these card to a local group that does outreach and is always in need of cards. This is what I do with all the handmade cards I receive through swaps and exchanges. There are so many places that would appreciate the donation of handmade cards - seniors homes, not for profit organizations, churches, etc. When I refurbish the cards I remove any writing or personal message - some times it means just replacing the insert other times I need to cut off the card front and remount it onto new cardstock. With a new envelope they are ready to go!!

Here is my contribution to another journal in the project!! I have created a folder which features a strip of each kind of paper and inside I stamped and watercoloured a scene that features the four seasons and used some of each kind of paper to create a "pocket" at the bottom of the folder. I have printed each technique's basic information and instructions on a tranparency and cut them apart and labeled them according to the season that paper is featured in. Lots of fun!! Only one more journal for me to work in and this project will be complete!!

Have been busy with some technique art journals this week. This is a round robin project started over a year ago. I have created layouts in all the journals that present four different techniques - handmade paper, serendipity, paste paper and faux leather!! It has been fun to come up with different ways to present these different papers! Here I stamped and gold embossed a gate on each kind of paper and added the description and basic instructions in a folded sort of booklet underneath. Added hearts and some inspirational quotes to finish off the layout!! I have truly enjoyed this project because of the diversity of art that has been presented in all the journals that went by and on all the pages of my journal!!

Created a few of these cards!! Was inspired by the ribbon which is sort of iridescent!! I used Iridescent Ice embossing powder (SU)on the words and the dragonfly wings. The background paper is "paste paper" which I created a while back - lots of fun. These fit in envelopes that were donated to me for use in my cardmaking.

These cards are the two I mentioned earlier that I made for my friend to include in her Christmas gifts for her family members. The first one has a harlequin background with a coordinating greeting. This harlequin paper is a roll of gift wrap I bought at Michaels before Christmas with a coupon. Nice rich colours and the roll will make LOTS of backgrounds!! The second is created with an image from a Page-a-day calendar!! I added a ribbon and a tag to embellish it! Both of these are good for creating quick and easy cards.

Went to my friend's SU party on Monday night. What fun to spend the night with a bunch of girls who like to stamp!! Our demonstator is terrific and always does a great job of the cards, the demos and keeping us focused. Tis the season of red and pink!! I really like the watercoloured flower - used a brush and stamp pad ink. Others used the watercolour sticks and aquapainters. The second card has a shave cream background created with dye reinkers. What a fast and easy technique!! I am sure there are instructions on the internet. Just google for them and I am sure you will find some. There's all sorts of fun stuff happening in the SU world - sellabration, spring mini, a new catalog in June and another one in January of '08. I will be having my party on February 18th and we are going to be doing a really cool 3D card!!
Spent Saturday helping a friend get her Christmas gifts to her family ready to go. She was making calendars and cards to go with them appropriate for the recipient! I will see about scanning those and getting them uploaded.
I also uploaded some new items to my MMM site today - metal charms and lockets, fashion posties and stencils, cat frames and circle tags, etc.
Thanks for stopping in! Have a creative day!!

Therese
Mixed Media Market - new stuff!!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmediamarket/

The embellishment on this card is a little flower that I bought at the dollar store. There were several on a bracelet that I dismantled. I do that a lot - dismantle items to glean the parts for art!! The decorative paper is DTP with pigment ink. I had much larger plans for this card but the prep time would have been unrealistic. Still very happy with the way it turned out!!

Fun card which features a watercoloured image of the angel (SU retired) and a cute little circle tag. Bought these at Dollarama last week. Very cute!! I stamped them with Memories but they could be wiped off. Will try StazON next time. I used drywall tape to create custom mesh for this one. Just painted it with acrylic paints in the appropriate colours.

This is an A2 version of the design I used for my Thank you cards! This one features a swatch of wall paper but any decorative paper can be used. More hydrangea flowers!!

This card features handmade paper which I have made. Really love making paper!! I save all of my scraps and bits from art to be recycled into more paper!! Great for all you scrapbookers out there as well. Save your acid free scraps and make paper for your scrapbooks.
This is a wonderful saying from one of the SU sets stamped in gold Encore. Painted little woodsie hearts to coordinate with the cardstock and paper.

Taught a cardmaking class last night. I do this class monthly and have a great bunch of gals who come and enjoy making cards. I was working on incorporating embellishments, so on this card I added a heart on the bottom right mounted with foam tape. Makes a valentine's card in these colours but could easily be made up in a different colour of cardstock and be used for a birthday or as a thank you card. The image is one of Maryse Carrier's! Love it!

Worked on these ATCs for an Alphbet ATC Swap I am participating in! We need to limit the weight and thickness so I have only added a bit of fiber on most of them. The letters are laser printed and cut out. A variety of backgrounds - walnut ink, junk mail, stamped, colour printed, stamped and sheet of music. The heart is cut from a red serendipity sheet I made a while back. The mesh is simply drywall mesh painted with acrylic paints. Love the look and you can make it to coordinate with anything you have. The key and the music sheets are available on my MMM (Mixed Media Market) Yahoo list. Just follow this link:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmediamarket/

Joining is fast and easy. Lots of fun stuff on there!!

Have a creative day!

Therese

Another anniversary card! Really happy with this one!! The background paper is acutally a coffee filter that has been watercoloured with thinned acrylic paint. Another gold embossed Magenta heart on polished stone. Some scrap ribbon from the grab bag. I received a Japanese screw punch (Lee Valley) for Christmas. WOW!! What a great tool! You can make holes in 5-6 different sizes anywhere you want. Worked like a darn on this cardstock. I expect it will work admirably on heavier stock as well. I am thinking - fat book covers and the like!!

There are always anniversary cards to be made as well and here is my first one of the year!! I always like to include hearts on these cards. I gold embossed this Magenta heart on polished stone! Love that look! The background paper is one I made myself with leftover acrylic paints.

I made this one for my niece whose birthday is next month. The heart is made of shrink plastic. I added a jump ring and a string to make a necklace. I punched a hole behind the heart through only one layer and pulled the cord through. I used double sided tape to attach the stamped layer to the front of the card to ensure the string did not get glued in place. When she receives the card she can simply peel off the heart (foam tape) and pull through the string and her necklace is ready to wear! Pretty happy with how well that worked out.

I have also started on my birthday cards for the year! The colours all worked so well together on this one and yet most were supplies dug out of stashes that are very unrelated. The inspiration was this little purple flower from the grab bag! I used white pigment ink and white embossing powder to get the greeting to show up on the colour printed paper I used.

Some more quick and easy cards using ribbons and flowers from the grab bag and my own paper scraps. Another one using those velvety red hydrangeas!! I used envelopes collected from the local Shoppers. If you ask those who handle the cards for a donation of envelopes they are often more than willing that they get put to good use by someone!

I just love this paper!! Bought it at Canadian Tire in the seasonal gift wrap section at half price just before Christmas. It is a wonderfully embossed hot stamped foil paper. Sort of a greenish pewter colour with gold foil stamping. I thought the design could easily transcend the holiday season! A lot of background paper for $3!!

Was very happy with the way these ones turned out. I used slidemounts cut with a Sizzix die. Really like this one with the offset window because it gives you room to add something to the larger side. Tied on scrap gold fibers to the right hand edge. The flowers are from a sprig I picked up in the parking lot outside Michaels just before Christmas!!

This is another card I made from random scraps. The ribbon was from the grab bag and I used it as the theme for the card. I punched some circles from leftover paint chips from another project. Really like the THANKS! From a foam mounted set of stamps my other daughter gave me for my birthday!