Christmas card featuring three lovely trees in blue and browns

For this large card which I created using my sister's supplies I started with a dark brown card.  I added a piece of decorative paper on the top which featured circle elements and rectangle below which featured stripes.  I added a length of coordinating ribbon in between adhering it using double sided tape.  I die cut two pieces of a scallop circle using the scraps and mounted them to the back of my white circle image of three trees (Blackberry Jelly).  I glued this element in place over the ribbon using 3D foam tape and then lightly watercoloured the trees in a coordinating blue colour.  I added dots tothe outside edge of the circle as well to better define the edge.  I created an oval layered greeting using a small oval punchie stamped with a greeting, over a larger brown punchie and finally layered onto a coordinating blue scalloped oval punchie (SU).  I adhered this greeting on the lower portion of my card front using 3D foam tape.  As a final touch I added iridescent glitter glue to the tree garlands and each scallop around my tree element.

Therese

Another large card with a snowflake 3D embellishment

Made another card with my sister's supplies!! I trimmed a piece of blue cardstock just a little smaller than my card front and added some decorative swirly snowflake paper - a large piece at the top and a strip at the bottom.  In between, I added a colour printed greeting which I layered with a different coordinating blue and mounted to my background using two silver snowflake brads. I created another layered snowflake 3D embellishment using three snowflake die cuts in decreasing size.  I bound them with a rhinestone brad and mounted it to my decorative layer using 3D foam tape.  I then adhered this large element to my white card front.
The greeting was created using two different fonts and was colour printed.
Really love the look of this card!!

Here is another one I made with very similar supplies - layered snowflake 3D embellishment, the same decorative paper and the same greeting.  For this card I punched the bottom of the greeting with a daisy border punch (MS) and layered it on blue then added mini clear rhinestones to the center of the snowflakes.  The decorative paper was layered on the same blue and then glued to a white card front.  I used 3D foam tape to adhere my layered greeting on the lower portion of the card and the snowflake embellishment on the upper portion.

Therese

A large snowflake embellishment

Another large card created from my sisters stash!!  I cut two pieces of the round elements decorative paper and left a space in between them for the strip of coordinating striped paper.  I glued the pieces to a dark brown card front.  I layered several snowflake die cuts  - a large brown one (SU-SX), a blue one, a white one and then another blue one all decreasing in size to create a really nice layered snowflake 3D embellishment for this card.  I held them all together using a rhinestone brad and then used a large glue dot to adhere it to the card front with its center on the strip of decorative paper.  I used a colour printed greeting punched with the Word Window punch (SU) layered onto a brown Modern Label punchie. I adhered my greeting with 3D foam tape just below the strip and to the left of the snowflake.  Thinking it needed just a bit of something I added iridescent glitter glue to the snow flake and the greeting.  That was better!!

Therese

"I AM - LOVE IS - YOU ARE" ART Canvas

I created this "I AM - LOVE IS - YOU ARE" art canvas for a fundraiser happening in the next couple of weeks.  The word collage features a list of words which appropriately follow  "I am...".  "Love is..." and "You are..." and is a reminder of our commitment to the ones in our lives that we love!! 

I started this deep 8" x 10"canvas a while back by painting it with pink and purple acrylic paint in a very colourwashed way.  I used Modge Podge to layer on some single layer heart images from a paper napkin leaving them a bit wrinkly and textured.  It has been sitting for a few months and when this fundraiser came up I thought it would be perfect for doing an image transfer of this love collage!!  The word collage was created in Corel Draw using a wide variety fonts and a few heart images.  

From my past experience (see this canvas) the transfer works better with a smooth surface so I sanded the canvas to smooth out as many of the wrinkles as I could.  It worked quite well and I did not lose as much detail as I thought I might.  I laser printed the word collage mirrored onto white bond and used Modge Podge to adhere it the sanded canvas.  I applied the Modge Podge to the canvas with a foam brush and then carefully placed the trimmed down printed sheet over it making sure that the edges were even to ensure that the words would be straight across the canvas.  I gently rubbed the paper all over making sure its surface was in contact with the glue on the canvas everywhere.  I let it dry overnight to make sure the glue was completely dry.  To reveal the words I applied water to the paper and gently started rubbing it off once it was soaked through.  It is a bit of a process making sure that the paper is removed across the whole canvas and that the words are left behind. I did find some of the words had pieces missing because they were stuck to paper napkin that released from the canvas surface with the water.  I had not anticipated that situation but once the paper with the toner was gone there was not much that could be done. I let the canvas dry and used a fine tip Sharpie to fill in the missing parts of the letters.  It worked quite well though the ink was a bit more shiny than the toner.  That contrast disappeared after I applied the final coat of Modge Podge to seal the surface.  

I was not sure just what to do with the edges - they seemed too plain!  My sister suggested that I splatter them with black paint so I dug out my supplies  - black acrylic paint, a bit of water and my spattering tool.  I applied a little paint to the bristles, inserted the rod and turned the handle. It took a bit of practice for me to get the spatters where I wanted them but I did eventually coat all the sides and a bit of the front with spatters. Thankfully I had spread out papers to catch the off spray because there was paint everywhere!  I am very happy with how this art canvas worked out.  I added a hanger on the back so it is now ready to be dropped off!
Therese

An elegant black and white Christmas card

This card features a laser printed image on vellum.  I had printed several of these for cards a while back and I had this one Christmas one left.  It is a swirly Christmas tree by Kate Pullen which I combined with Merry Christmas in a fun font and printed it on vellum.  I layered the vellum onto silver foil and trimmed it leaving a slim margin of the silver foil showing.  If the foil you want to use is very thin consider gluing it to paper or cardstock before trimming it to size. I attached the vellum to the silver foil using four silver mini brads strategically placed on the tree. I layered the tree element to a layer of black cardstock to which I also attached a piece of silver ribbon (glued ends to the back ) an added two layered snowflakes to the center with a tiny silver brad.  I glued this whole element to a large white card front.
Love the elegant look of this monochromatic card!!

Therese

Valentine's card featuring an embossed metal tag

I created this card for DH for Valentine's.  I started with a piece of decorative paper I made a while back.  It is a page of music which I stamped with a harlequin background stamp (SU) and embossed with clear embossing powder.  I painted it with red watercolour and cleaned off the embossed areas once it was dry.  I mounted it to a a black layer, added a strip of black paper with deckled edges, overlaid a strip of gray seam binding and turned the ends over the edge securing them with double sided tape. I stapled both ends as well to repeat the colour of my focal element and then glued this large element to my red card front.  I created my focal element using an old foil baking pan which had been washed in the dishwasher too many times and also had some holes in it. I cut the pan into pieces using utility scissors and used one of the sides to die cut my tag (SX).  I turned it over onto a piece of fun foam and used a pencil to create the textured design.  I started by adding dots along the outside edge, next I added the frame on the main body along with the swirls around the hole.  Next, I turned it over and positioned my felt heart embellishment and traced around it with pencil.  I embossed the line with my pencil and then used a popsicle stick to create a depression on the inside of the heart.  After that, I turned it over again and added all the swirls and dots around the heart inside the rounded frame.  To create a bit of contrast I sanded the embossed areas on the front side which made them shinier than the rest of it. I love this embossed metal tag!! I added a length of red seam binding trimming the ends neatly, added my heart in the depression I created with a large glue dot and used 3D foam tape to secure it to my card front.  I embellished my little laser printed greeting with watercolour and used double sided tape to adhere it into place after it was dry. Really happy with how this card turned out!
I have added an embossed metal tutorial here!!

Therese

Packaging for gift certificates for a fundraiser

 I am donating some gift certificates for classes to a local fundraiser and was wanting to find a colourful 3D presentation for them. Here is what I came up with and I am very happy with how this project worked out!!
I printed my gift certificates on a half sheet of white cardstock.  I scored a piece of acetate and a piece of cardstock at 1" and at 2.5".  I stapled the two inch flaps to each other near the bottom which created a slot in which I inserted my gift certificate.  I printed a "Creative Play Date" header for each one and added green grass die cuts to the back using double sided tape.  I positioned the header on the front of the acetate and pulled the cardstock up in behind until it made a good footing and stapled it on both side through all the layers.  I inserted punchies between the grass and the cardstock to add a bit of dimension and colour!!                  Therese

Cute bird house Christmas card

I am back to making large cards with my sister's supplies.  She left them here last summer and I have been working on cards for her every once in a while when I have a bit of time.
This one features this very cute and glittery birdhouse paper!!  I cut the paper to the proper width and then measured what I needed once I added the strip of red and trimmed it to size.  I cut it about two thirds down, inserted the red strip of cardstock and butted their edges to each other and used regular tape to attach them together.  I butted the other piece to the bottom of the red cardstock and taped them together.  I now had an integral piece which I glued to my dark brown card front.  I layered my red laser printed greeting to a layer of brown and mounted it onto the red strip.  I cut one bird house from the scraps and mounted it next to my greeting using 3D foam tape.
I am enjoying making these large cards - 8.5" x 5.5". They are a real change from the A2 and it is fun to be using someone else's supplies as well.

Therese

Embossed metal tutorial

Embossing metal is fun and easy requiring only a few items which you probably already have on hand. It makes creating customized 3D embellishments for your projects possible and they look so authentic.  

First of all, you will need a piece of foil.  It needs to be reasonably thick so I often use foil pans which can be bought inexpensively or you might even find in your recycle bin.  You might also want to consider any foil seal you find on a variety of cans or containers.  The one above came off of a coffee tin but you can sometimes find them on cans of nuts or yogurt.  You will also need a block of wood.  Here I am using a wood mount from a stamp which I have unmounted but it could be one from the toy box or the workshop.  

Just rub the edge of the wood block over the foil to remove any wrinkles or embossing and make the surface nice and smooth.  

 Once it is nice and smooth, cut your shape out.  Here I cut a circle for creating the badge I was making for a card.  I used my Nestibilities but you could easily use any other die or even hand cut the shape you want.  

Embossing requires a forgiving surface beneath your metal. Here I have used a piece of fun foam but a stack of newspaper works just as well.  

I wanted a star in the middle of my shape so I centered a star die cut (SX) on the back of my shape and lightly traced it on to the metal using a pencil.  You could hand draw your image or place a printed image over it and trace lightly to transfer the image to the metal. Be sure to reverse any image or words before you emboss so it will be right reading on the front. 

Next, I embossed the image into the metal by tracing the shape with my pencil pressing medium hard.  You have to be careful because if you press too hard you will pierce the metal.  You are better off to trace the shape several times more lightly rather than to press too hard and risk making a hole where you do not want one. 

 You can see above what the star looks like on the front - the outline is raised up - embossed - in the metal.  

 I turned it over and embossed a few more details - dots, another frame and shapes in between the arms of the star.  

This is what it looks like from the front.  You can see here that I debossed (indented) the shapes between the arms of the star by applying pressure with my pencil from the front.  So as you go on, you can choose to emboss from the back and deboss from the front any of the elements you wish to add to your creation.  

You can see from the finished piece that I added some embossing inside the star as well as dots on the outside edge while I debossed all the shapes between the arms.  You could certainly also choose to pierce your metal embellishment.  I would suggest using a push pin over a stryrofoam tray to get uniform holes.  I would suggest piercing from the front so that the ragged edges created end up on the back of your creation.  Consider colouring your embossed metal embellishment using permanent markers like Sharpies or alcohol inks.  

I used 3D foam tape to adhere my shape to my scalloped circle but you could also use brads, staples, stitching, nails or eyelets to secure your 3D embellishment once you have created it!! 

Have fun!!! 

Therese

Pink fabric ribbon on greeting cards

My daughter gifted me a roll of fabric ribbon when I was visiting the last time and I decided to challenge myself to make a few cards for her with it.  It is a pink ribbon with a variety of pale yellow images on it so I found coordinating cardstock in pink and yellow and a few scraps of decorative paper that worked as well.

The top left hand card features two strips of decorative paper glued to a pink card front.  I used a piece of scrap cardstock as a substrate to create my focal element.  I layered two punched and sponged borders top and bottom, added a length of the fabric ribbon and glued the ends to the back using double sided tape then added a piece of organza ribbon in a deep pink colour that is reflected in the decorative paper.  I glued this large element to my card front between the two pieces of decorative paper then added two small fabric flowers in ivory on either side of my laser printed greeting which I adhered with 3D foam tape.  The little flowers have pearl centers and were adhered with glue dots.
The top right card features two strips of decorative paper over which I glued a piece of the fabric ribbon to which I had stitched a length of delicate ivory lace. I watercoloured the image (Digital Two for Tuesday) and glued it over the ribbon in between the two strips of decorative paper.  The little greeting was adhered over this using 3D foam tape.  I love how beautifully the lace complements the fabric ribbon.
On the lower left hand card, I layered two pieces of decorative paper to a substrate, added two strips of fabric ribbon, a length of lace and stitched them all in place with ivory thread using my sewing machine.  The laser printed greeting was then stitched onto this element and this large element was adhered to my pink card front.  I added a colour printed vintage rose image from Graphics Fairy using 3D foam tape.  It still needed a bit of something so I added the little pink ribbon flower with a white button brad.
For the lower right hand card, I glued my two pieces of decorative paper to a substrate, added the ribbon gluing the ends to the back then glued this large element to my pink card front.  I added a fussy cut watercoloured rose (Birdie Brown) and a laser printed greeting over the ribbon using 3D foam tape.
I have enjoyed the challenge of creating with this ribbon.  There is much more on the roll so I anticipate I will be making a few more cards and may also incorporate it into some of my fabric postcards as the year progresses.

Therese

Baby shower gift for a baby girl

Babies are the best thing!!  Another baby girl has been added to my extended family and I made a set of these for the baby shower.  I love the white on white look but don't do it very often so I thought I would play with that a  bit.  I used a white card front and added an embossed layer (SU) with a corner of swirls and flowers. I added some white vintage seam binding to the top portion and glued the ends to the back.  I layered the cute little elephant over a pink scalloped circle and mounted it over the seam binding using 3D foam tape.  I tied a short piece of seam binding to the piece on the front to the left of the focal element with a single knot to simulate a bow.  I could have gone all white which may have been a bit more classic but the pink was calling to me.  I have packaged them up and they are ready to go!!

Therese

Special occasion cards from kits!

These cards were created from kits which I prepared for my last card class.  The Valentine's card features this cute little clown and the other one is a Christmas card which features a vintage image of Christmas roses!!  All of these kits had embossed and sanded backgrounds using cardstock with a different core colour which when sanded really highlights the embossed design. I used coordinating vintage seam binding and tied a short piece to the one I added to the background to simulate a bow.  The images are colour printed digital images that were downloaded from Graphics Fairy.  Both have layered colour printed greetings.  I love creating cards for a wide variety of occasions using the same components by using a variety of images and greetings.  The elements can also be combined in a variety of layouts which varies the looks of your cards.  There are a few more cards here as well.
This Christmas card bring my stash to 14 for the month of January.  A few more than I need but that will give some extras in case I don't meet my goal in any future month. 

Therese

Valentine for a class project

 On one of my groups someone was asking for people to send along a Valentine for a class who is gathering them as a project and hoping to get some from all over the world.

I made this one up to send.  I layered two hearts - a small embossed white one over an embossed red one which I sanded a bit to highlight the embossed dots.  I added a white flower to the back of it and then layered it onto a red rectangle to which I added a line of white doodling around the edge.  I added this element to a white card front and then added the stamped greeting below using two little button brads.  I like it!  I hope the class will be happy to get a Valentine from up north!!

Therese

More cards from kits!

I have been finishing up kits from my last class.  Kits sure make creating cards quick and easy!! These kits are from this set of cards and feature full colour images, embossed and sanded backgrounds, seam binding and layered greetings.

As you can see I have an extensive selection of embossing folders so it was fun to pick designs that worked with the images I had picked out.

The birds and flower are from Graphics Fairy, the victorian woman was from a printed sheet of images, the couple is from Go Make Something and the butterfly image I do not have any credits for.

Therese

Anniversary card with hearts and embossing

I needed an anniversary card for today so I snuck a card kit from this week's class to create what I needed. For this one, I wrapped a long length of gray/silver fiber to a white embossed layer (CB - D'vine Swirl) and tied a knot.  I layered a deep silver heart punchie over a die cut embossed navy heart (SU) and used 3D foam tape to adhere it over the fiber.  I adhered a navy embossed punchie overlapping it  and added my little laser printed greeting just below to the right using 3D foam tape.
Card are so quick when you start with a card kit with all the elements ready to go!!!

Therese

January cardmaking - embossed and sanded backgrounds

This set of cards featured solid core cardstock which has been embossed and sanded to highlight the embossing.  The core of the cardstock is a different colour so sanding the embossed pattern brings out the details.  On this pink card, the effect is more subtle because sanding removes the shimmery outer coating to reveal the true colour of the cardstock below. I added a length of white seam binding before adhering the background to the black card front.  I layered the colour printed butterfly to a black layer and trimmed the one side with decorative scissors before adhering it over the seam binding on the card front using 3D foam tape. The greeting is laser printed, punched with an oval punch and then layered onto a black oval punchie SU).  Finally, I tied a short length of seam binding to the on on the front of the card to simulate a bow!

You can see the sanded effect better on these two cards which have a lighter cardstock as a core.  The sympathy card's greeting features an oval punchie (SU) inserted into an oval ribbon slide (CB).  The greeting on the green card is a window punchie (SU) over a modern label punchie (SU) in a coordinating colour.  I embellished the trimmed edges by piercing them along the curves or in the scallops with a push pin.

Again, this kit was fairly flexible in that the card could be made up in landscape or portrait and the elements could be added in a variety of positions.
All the images are from Graphics Fairy except the butterflies which I do not have any credit information for.

Therese

Valentine's cards

Valentine's cards!!  Check out the other kits from this set of cards here. Again, a variety of layouts using the same elements - an embossed background, some fiber, embossed die cuts and punchies and small laser printed greetings. I used two swirl embossing folders - one from Cuttelbug -D'vine swirls and the other is from Tim Holtz - Sizzix.  The other is CB - Musical Flourish.  The larger hearts are embossed die cuts and the others are punchies both by Stampin UP!

The colourful heart punchies are from serendipity paper I found in my stash.  They worked very well to add a bit of punch to these cards.  The other two are stamped hearts which coordinate with the heart punch also by SU.
You can see that it is easy to change up the orientation of the card along with the position of the focal element and the greetings to create a variety of sketches.

I combined white and red fiber for these cards choosing to tie on a small piece of the red onto the white just below the hearts except for one.  That one also has a layered punchie greeting to change things up a bit.

Therese

January cardmaking - Canadian Postage stamps

I love reusing and giving items a second chance!  In this case, I have utilized cancelled stamps which have in their first life accompanied a letter through the postal system.  I was going through my box of used stamps the other day and noticed a set of four stamps which featured mailboxes in each season.

They were all the same size which I thought would make them the perfect focal elements for a set of cards!! I chose cardstock which coordinated with each image cutting the card base from one and using the other to embossed this scrolled frame with a star theme.  I glued the embossed frame to the card front and then cut black rectangles to just fit into the center of the frame.

They perfectly held the postage stamp, the little note greeting which I embossed in white using my handmade stamping jig and a little coordinating ribbon flag which I stapled in place using a little gold staple.  I used 3D foam tape to secure these focal elements to the embossed layer on my card fronts.  I used Merry Christmas as a greeting with the winter postage stamps!!  All the stamps are so representative of Canada. The fall postage stamp features a tractor mail box, a yellow school bus and harvested grain fields of the western prairie. The spring one features an east coast light house and nautical mail boxes including one with a fish head.  The summer one features mail boxes shaped like a cottage, a church and a cow in a lush backdrop of the fertile fields found in the valleys of the Canadian Shield. The winter one features a chalet and a Canada Goose mail box with the Canadian Rockies in the background.  I love how these cards turned out!!
I made four of the Christmas cards which are being added to my stash. That makes my count - 13 so far!!

Therese

A flapper fabric postcard in teal, pink and gold

On my fabric postcard group I joined a swap for January that was themed :  Teal, pink and gold!!  Very close to my favorite colours so I signed up to play!!!  I decided to use small scraps of fabric and create some flaps on the bottom portion of my teal postcard.  They were cut to 1/2" wide and I cut them to 1.5" in length and lined a group of them across the bottom of my teal fabric then stitched them into place with my sewing machine.  I placed another row above them overlapping the first row.  I also offset them just a bit and stitched that set into place. I really like this glittery butterfly fabric and the colours were all keeping with the theme.  I found a pink ribbon that coordinated, positioned it above my stitch line and stitched it into place tucking the ends underneath before stitching.  I added a layer of batting to the back and added wavy lines on the top portion and then again a few lines of stitching below the flaps to keep the batting in place.  I used fusible webbing to add an interfacing layer as well as a white backer.  I decided to create a button to introduce the gold.  I used plastic packaging, some gold foil  and several layers of fabric to create my 3D embellishment.  You can check out the tutorial I created that outlines the process of making this collage button here.  I used pink thread to sew my button embellishment to the front of my postcard.  Really happy with how this all worked out.  I was really hoping to add some beading but it seems finished just the way it is, so I anticipate that I will not be adding any.  The teal layer was large enough to fold over twice to the back and then I simple hand stitched the border in place to finish off the back of the postcard.  It will be off to my partner very soon.  

Therese

January cardmaking - embossing with die cuts

For my second card for the class features embossed white backgrounds wrapped with fiber and  punchies and die cuts as the focal elements with small greetings. A very flexible kit!
For these two cards, I used a script and flourish embossing folders.  The butterfly was die cut, embellished with watercolour and finally I tied on silver cord to create the body and antenna.  The other card features an embossed heart die cut (SU) and an embossed heart punchie (SU) layered over the fiber. Made a few of these with red hearts for anyone who might want a Valentine's card.  Both have small laser printed greetings.

These kits featured hearts in other colours for anyone who was wanting anniversary cards.  The larger heart die cuts (SU) were overlaid with a metallic heart punchie (SU) and a coordinating heart punchie was added along with window punchie greetings(SU).  All kinds of options for putting together these kits.

These cards feature more elaborate focal elements created by layering die cuts and punchies and holding them together with a brad.  I used a doily die (SX) and cut two doilies - one yellow and one blue and then swapped the centers which I taped into place.  I added a flower punchie in a coordinating colour and held everything together using a small white button brad. Those are so cute!  The pink one has two pink flower die cuts, one silver flower die cut and then a pearly white punchie all held together with a large white brad.
All the focal elements were adhered to the card fronts using 3D foam tape which accommodates the bulk of the fiber very nicely.

Therese