Anniversary card with hearts

I created this card for DH for our anniversary!!  I combined two decorative papers using regular tape on the back and then glued down a variety of gold and brown heart die cuts (buttons from the SX gingerbread man).  I added dots around each heart and then dotted swirls in between using a dark brown fine tip marker.  I then embossed it using the Square Lattice (SU) embossing folder which very nicely integrates the little hearts into the background paper. and adds great texture.   I added a length of red seam binding which coordinates with my focal image and tied on a short piece to simulate a bow then glued it to the front of a brown card.  The heart leaf image (Magenta) is gold embossed and watercoloured.  I mounted it to my card using 3D foam tape.  The layered greeting (SU - Word Window greeting & SU - Modern Label) was added below using 3D foam tape as well.

Therese

Quick and easy cards from kits

In needed a few cards!!  One for my friend who has been babysitting my garden and another for a July birthday!!   I prepped these two cards from kits from my last class!! I flagged the ends of the decorative paper strips and glued them to the left hand side of a coordinating card.  I used my slot punch to snip the spine so I could insert my ribbon.  I adhered both ends to the inside of the cards using double sided tape.  I watercoloured the laser printed images (Beccy's Place), layered them onto coordinating cardstock and added a punched border before adding them to my card over the ribbon using 3D foam tape.  I layered the punched greetings over a coordinating label punchie (SU)  and added them below the image on my card front.  I knotted a short piece of ribbon with a single knot to the left of my images to simulate a bow.  Quick and easy!!  Having kits on hand is very handy!!

Therese

Father's Day card for DH

I created this card for my DH for Father's Day! It combines his favorite colours and a print of a photo of a light house we took on PEI.  I layered the image on dark brown/brown cardstock layer and punched the left hand side with the scallop border punch (SU) than pierced each scallop with a push pin.  For the strip I glued coordinating scraps of decorative paper to a scrap strip of cardstock and then embossed it with the Square Lattice (SU) embossing folder. I layered green cardstock strips to each side and then glued this whole element to the left hand side of a kraft card front.  I glued the image over the paper strip aligning the joint in the cardstock background of the image with the edge of the accent strip which worked nicely.  I layered my little oval greeting (Melonheadz) over a coordinating layer (Nestibilities) and adhered it to my card just below the image using 3D foam tape.

Therese

Father's Day cards!

I used several kits from last week's class to create Father's Day cards.   As you can see these kits can just as easily be made up in the landscape orientation.  I combined a flagged piece of decorative, a layered watercoloured image with a border, a piece of ribbon with a short piece tied on which simulates a bow and a little layered greeting from Melonhedz cut with oval Nestibilities.  The leaf is from Beccy's Place and the boat is from Arthur's clipart.  

Therese

Quilted background, paper buttons & seam binding

I made this card for my sister's birthday!!  I used a quilted background left over from this card kit from last week's class.  I left it full size instead of die cutting it and added faux stitching around all of the scraps glued to the quarter sheet of paper. I embossed it with the Square Lattice embossing folder (SU) which gives it great texture and helps to blend all the pieces into a unified whole. I added a length of white vintage seam binding and adhered this layer to my card front.  I fussy cut and watercoloured three paper buttons (Torico) in coordinating colours, added white thread and adhered them to the card front using 3D foam tape. I layered a coordinating laser printed punchie greeting over the seam binding using 3D foam tape as well.
The layering of the greeting requires that you cut a punchie using the same punch (SU) out of coordinating cardstock, cut it in half lengthwise, nip the middle points and then glue the two halves to the back of the greeting punchie.  Gives a nice layered look!!

Therese

Quilted fabric cards

I have been wanting to make some cards with fabric and I decided that today was the day!  I chose a backer piece of fabric and sewed scraps to it using the raw edge applique technique and one of my decorative stitches to sew them into place.  I chose scraps with some blue in them and started on one edge and kept sewing on pieces until I had covered the whole thing.  I then cut out petals using the first one that I cut out free hand as a pattern.  I only managed 11 petals so you can see that one of my flowers is fuller than the other one because that is how it worked out!!  I am good with it!!  I dug through the scrap bucket for some green for the stems and leaves and trimmed them a bit to make them work.  I stitched the leaves and stems on first using green thread and then used blue thread to stitch on the petals using my sewing machine.  I fussy cut some paper buttons (Torico), watercoloured them and tied them on with white thread.  They make wonderful centers for my funky flowers.  Really like how they worked out!  I stitched all the way around in blue thread as well and then mounted them to yellow card fronts.  I added layered punchie greetings (SU -Word Window, Modern Label) with 3D foam tape to finish them off!!  These will be sent to my card exchange partners for this month's exchange!!

Therese

Another quilted card!

I made up this card for a friend having a birthday this week.  I created some quilted backgrounds using scraps from my decorative paper scraps, cut them out with a label die (TH), added some faux stitching all the way around and then embossed them with an embossing folder (SU)!  I love how this dense embossing folder helps unify the quilting and gives the whole element wonderful texture.  I added a ribbon and tied on an extra piece to simulate a bow and added a layered greeting.  I made a few last week for my class. Check them out here.

Therese

An anniversary card and another one from those same kits!

 This is the last of these kits!!  I replaced the round image with  a collage of hearts to create a special card for my sister and her husband for their fortieth anniversary!!
The card front has been stippled (SU) with light green ink and the label of decorative paper (wax resist and watercolour and a stamped green flourish) has had a ribbon added on the top portion and then was adhered to the card front.  I tied a short piece of the ribbon to the front to simulate a bow.  The circles were cut with Nestibilities -Classic Rounds.  I chose three hearts from my little punchies stash that worked well together and adhered them to the ivory circle.  The small heart was adhered with a small piece of 3D foam tape.  I sponged the edges of the laser printed custom greeting punchie and adhered it with 3D foam tape as well.
The final kit I simply made up and added to my card stash.  The cute image is from Digital Two for Tuesday was watercoloured.
I had hoped to be able to be more creative with the sketch for these kits but this layout seemed to work the best so that is what I went with!!

Therese

More Christmas cards

These were created on the way to designing these Christmas cards.  I only had two of these images so I had to come up with a different set of supplies so I could make enough card kits for my class.  I have yet to emboss my greeting on the front of these but I will come back and update my Christmas card total when they are finished and added to my stash!!  My stash is up to 29 with these two cards!!

Therese

May cardmaking - quilted labels

 I had started with another quilted card idea and some how with this sketch and design.  I started by making paper quilts by gluing strips and small pieces of coordinating decorative paper to quarter sheets of scrap paper/cardstock.  Once dry, I cut the quilts with the TH Large Label die, added a line of stitching all the way around and then embossed it with an embossing folder with a very tight design which really helps to blend the pieces and hides any minor blemishes.  I added a length of ribbon gluing both ends to the back of the label using double sided tape.  I then tied on another short piece using a single knot to simulate a bow.  The greetings are laser printed in colour and then punched with the Decorative Label punch (SU).  I punched another in a coordinating colour, cut it in half lengthwise and the glued the two halves to the back of the greeting.  Just highlights the greeting that little bit.  The oval layered greeting was cut using Oval Nestibilities.  It was really fun to make paper quilts and cards with quilting on them always seem to have such a handmade - homespun quality to them.  It was just as effective to use the card in a portrait orientation - just the greeting needed to be spun a quarter turn. Love them!! This is a very effective technique for using up scraps.  You know, those ones you have been saving because they are too precious to throw out!!
Therese

 

May Cardmaking - Christmas cards

I always like to create a few Christmas card kits for anyone who is wanting to get their Christmas cards made early.  In this case I used one punched border (MS) instead of two strips and put it on the bottom of the 2" x 5.5" piece of decorative paper.  I flagged both ends of a white gros grain ribbon and fold it in half keeping it aligned with double sided tape.  I then used double sided tape to adhere it to the card front.  I found these cute little wreath punchies which I had prepared a while back for another class which worked perfectly with my decorative paper.   I layered a white scallop behind them offsetting the scallops to give them more contrast against the paper.  They were adhered with 3D foam tape.  The greeting was gold embossed directly on the card front echoing the gold ribbon on the wreath.  I made 6 of these which brings my could up to 27!!
You can check out the other cards here.

Therese

May Cardmaking - flag ended ribbon and a scallop circle

Our second card featured flagged ends on the ribbon instead of the paper!! Easy to do!! Simply fold ribbon in half and trim from edges to the folded center.  Voila!!
We started by adding two small strips of coordinating paper to each long side of our 2" x 5.5" strip of decorative paper which we then glued to the top portion of our card front.  The length of ribbon was flagged on both ends, folded in half and double sided tape was used to keep them properly aligned. This element was then adhered over the decorative paper using double sided tape as well.

Next, we watercoloured the images and mounted them to the scallop circle punchie (SU) once it was dry.We used 3D foam tape to adhere the scallop over the ribbon to simulate an award ribbon - like First Prize!  The greeting was layered punchies (SU) that were glued together and then mounted to the card front with 3D foam tape.  Two were embellished with a clear glitter pen - StarDust Clear - by Sakura.
 

One of the cards has the focal element on the opposite side and maybe next time I will consider using a portrait orientation to see how well that works.The images are by:  cupcake and flower - Black Berry Jelly and the little toad stool - Arthur's Clipart.  

I made a Christmas version of these for anyone wanting to make a few Christmas cards.  Check it out here.

Therese

May Cardmaking - flagged ends and watercolour

 Another session of cardmaking this week!!  Three examples of our first sketch. There were several iterations before I established this sketch was the one.  

 We started with a 2" x 5.5" piece of decorative paper.  We snipped a V in the bottom of it

and glued it to the left on our card,  The laser printed images were watercoloured and layered onto a coordinating layer.  We added a border on the left hand side.  After positioning the image we added our ribbon. We laid the ribbon in place, penciled the spine with its position and used a slot punch to nip a tiny bit of cardstock which created a tiny slot for the ribbon.  We inserted one end of the ribbon in the slot and adhered the end to the inside front using double sided tape.  We did the same with the other end.  The piece we trimmed off was tied to the front with one knot to simulate a bow.  The focal element was then adhered with 3D foam tape over the ribbon.  The laser printed greeting was punched out (Word Window - SU) and layered onto a label punchie (Modern Label - SU) in the same colour as the image.  The oval greeting was cut using Nestibilities and the image is from Melonheadz.
The images are all digital : the light house - CLKER, the graphic flower - Digital Doodling and the vintage flower - Digital Two for Tuesday.  I love sharing cardmaking with my friends and it is always a good time when they come over to play!!

Therese

Special Class - circle border

 Our third card was this one!  I have wanted to make a border with circles for a while and decided I would make it happen with this card.  I cut 2.25" strips of decorative paper (top - scrapbook paper, bottom - serendipity) and glued them to the top portion of the embossed card front.  Each kit had a variety of punched circles in a few colours from which to create a border. It was fun to mix and match until you had a border you liked.  I left one of the larger ones in front so I could use it to attach my 3D element to.  Once the positions were decided I glued them down one at a time.

Then, I adhered my decorative element (punchie with a brad in the center) to the top circle.  I added some embellishing dots using a gel pen on  a few of the punchies. I layered the laser printed greeting punchie (Word Window - SU) over the coordinating label punchie (Modern Label -SU) and glued it into place and adhered it to the card front using 3D foam tape.
I did manage to find quite a few circle punchies in my stash and then filled in with new ones.
A couple more below which I have finished.  The kits are all made up!
Therese

Therese

Special Class - confetti birthday cards

 Another card for my special card class.  I embossed the right hand side of the card fronts.  I cut decorative paper strips and punched two holes in them -n one nearer the top and one lower down.  I punched borders that coordinated with them and adhered them to the back of the decorative layer being careful that the border did not show through either hole.  I added ribbon to the right hand side of the top hole and then glued this layer to my card front letting it overlap the embossed area.  Next, I added the confetti embellishments.  I added pearl dots to those on the right and little orange sequins to those on the left.  I positioned the flowers - one in each opening and one on the embossed area.  I layered my greetings and added them to my card front.   Therese

Special class - birthday cards

I had a special class this afternoon that was a prize for a fundraiser earlier this year!!  A friend and her sister in law came and we had an afternoon of cardmaking!!  Here is one of the cards we made. 

We started by gluing our backgrounds to our card fronts - the flowery one is handmade using watercolour crayons, water and a brush and some final definition with a fine tip sharpie marker (check out my tutorial here), the other is kraft gift wrap with red balloons.  I trimmed the half circle off the sides of the labels so they would fit on the portrait cards.  I added white gros grain ribbon across the middle and attached the ends to the back using double sided tape and then glued them to the card fronts.  The images (Black Berry Jelly) were watercoloured, layered onto coordinating ovals and mounted over the ribbon on the labels.  The little greetings are layered punchies.  Laser printed greetings punched with the window punch (SU) and the layer punched from the oval layer so it would coordinate perfectly using the modern label punch (SU).  I adhered the greetings with 3D foam tape.  I made up these kits after making this anniversary card.  I have made up my last kit and another card for my stash!

Therese

Air Mail thank you card

I had paired this image with an ivory card on my desk thinking they would be components of a card down the line.  I worked on a few colour combinations and when I found this background (plastic wrap and watercolour) I decided the card needed to be darker so instead of finding a different cardstock I simply sponged the edges of the ivory card until it was the colour I wanted.  I added a dark red layer beneath the image and the background.  I liked the yellow organza ribbon which I added to the background before assembling all the pieces.  I tied on an extra short piece to simulate a bow.  The image just got a little bit of gray watercolour on the dove and some red on the letter (Arthur's Clipart) before being adhered to the red layer and then to the card front.  I added a laser printed punched (SU) greeting which I sponged with the same colour as the card front to tone down the ivory.  Adhered the greeting with 3D foam tape.  Another card for my stash!

Therese

Butterfly thank you card

Another card made with supplies that have been accumulating on my desk.  I love the decorative paper  - white embossing on white cardsotck of a IO flourish background which was then watercoloured with yellow's and blues!!  I trimmed it and mounted it to a black card front. I had set aside the butterfly image (CLKER) a while back because I thought it worked so well with the background.  I watercoloured it and when it was dry I layered it with a green cardstock oval and mounted it to my decorative paper.  The little fussy cut scroll greeting (CLKER) was just the perfect thing to finish off this card.  I watercoloured it slightly to just tone down the white and added it using 3D foam tape.

Therese

Collaged Thank you card

I made up a few thank you cards to get out in the mail this coming week.  This one started with a dark brown card front.  I had saved this background from a package of Prima embellishments because it was so cool - lacy and stitched!!  I have been saving up little bit to add to this as I have been working in my craft room.  I added some coloured vintage ad transparencies, a plaid tag, some seam binding, a paper button, an oval vintage image and a few words on transparency as well.  The transparency was laser printed with images from Gaby Braun in an all over pattern, sanded on the back and then painted with diluted acrylic paint to age them. They have been in my stash for quite a while.  The tag was part of an exchange a few years ago and the oval vintage image was printed for some other project and I found it in my stash as well.  The butterfly was part of a thrift store find - a bunch of butterflies - stickers and embellisments.  The paper button was laser printed, coloured and them tied with a string before being added to the layout.  Really happy with how it worked out.

Therese

Green and pink baby cards for a baby gift

 I made these for a new mom expecting a baby any day.  Things get busy once you bring the baby home and it is nice to have cards on hand to acknowledge gifts and thoughtful things that those around you do to help out.    These are 3.5" x 6.25" and fit in a #8 envelope which I bought a while back for another purpose.  I cut two out of an 8.5" x 11" piece of white cardstock.  The joint is under the pink border.

I embossed all of the fronts with the swiss dot embossing folder (CB), added green to the bottom of the fronts using a small piece of regular tape.  I added a full length of double sided tape over the joint and positioned the large pink scalloped border (SX) over that which holds all the pieces together and keeps the inside neat and tidy.  I used two images  - the two little owls and the pink rattle - from Pixabay which I colour printed on white, cut them apart then layered them in a coordinating colour before adding them to my card fronts.  I made almost a dozen of these and changed up the layout and the orientation to give the cards a bit of a variety!!  After they were finished, I thought they needed a "bit of something" so I added some dots and dashes on the pink scallops with a white gel pen.  That was better!!  I hope she enjoys them and finds them useful!!

Therese