My Art - Oct cardmaking - heartfelt greetings

These cards feature die cut felt shapes!! Fun!! I added cardstock accents and brads to attach the felt shape to the card front but they could have been just glued instead!! Once I attached my felt accent I stamped a single word greeting (SU) and used a push pin to add a pin pricked design that incorporated the word and the felt accent. I freehanded my pin pricked design but you may wish to draw a light pencil line to follow and then erase it when you are done.

Really love the simplicity of this card!!

Therese

My Art - Oct cardmaking - glossy card

Here is another card created with the glossy cardstock that I recovered from my presentation folders!! I embossed this one with the harlequin embossing folder (CB), added a couple of strips of cardstock and a round greeting embellishment (SU)!! I used a large metal brad in the center of the embellishement to keep this card looking masculine!!

Check out the Christmas one I made with teal here!!

They were really popular last night and there are no kits left!!

Therese

My Art - Oct cardmaking - sunflower & ladybug

Love this card! I struggled with the design of this card - the cardstock was ivory and making the whole thing look too warm to properly show off the little ladybug. I finally decided to try adding black to the edge of the card and that worked perfectly to tie in that lady bug accent. I used a black marker and drew a line around the edge of the card front. FRUGAL TIP: This is a great technique if you are wanting to have the look of a separate layer without the bulk and also when you do not have the right colour of cardstock but have a marker that you can use to simulate it!!
I embossed the background layer using my Cuttlebug with a silicone texture mat and a flooring sample!! The sample had a simple hexagon textured design and with a custom sandwich in my CB I was able to texturize my cardstock!! Always be on the look out for everyday items that can be used in your art!!
Because of the proportions of my watercoloured image to my green layer I needed it to be as wide as possible so I modified my border punch (SU) so that the scalloped edge would punch closer to the edge of the cardstock. Typically you lose about 1/4" of cardstock when you punch the edge with a border punch. SO.... I just added an 1/8" piece of matboard to the throat of my punch so that the cardstock would not go in as far when I punched it. Worked like a dream!!
I see in the scan that the ribbon looks the same colour as the background cardstock but in real life it is a nice deep ochre colour and velvety!!
The little ladybug is actually a postage stamp!! Bought what I needed at the post office - 1 cent postage - for less than a dollar!! So these little stickers cost ONE CENT!! It is the best deal going anywhere and they are very cute!! I layered the ladybug onto a rectangle of black cardstock and mounted it to the card using 3D foam tape.

Therese

My Art - Oct cardmaking - glitter

Had another great group of cardmakers at my October class last night!!
These cards feature decorative cardstock which I printed on my inkjet printer. It was double sided so each person could choose which side they wanted to use for their card. The images were silver embossed and then glued to the white square - some of which were embossed (CB) and some were not due to an oversight when I was prepping. I did think that prep had been done in record time!! Once this element was glued to the decorative cardstock I ripped the bottom edge and punched some shapes along it. I turned over this piece and applied tape to the back to cover the holes I had punched. I sprinkled glitter on the front and rubbed it in a bit so the glitter would be well adhered and shook off the excess. It created such a nice effect. All that was left to be done was to glue the whole thing to the front of the card!!
I like the idea of using tape to apply glitter. I was thinking that I could cut shapes from labels or adhesive cardstock and apply glitter to those!! A technique I will be persuing in my future classes.

Therese

My art - exchange card

I made another Christmas card for my exchange this month. It really is best to start Christmas cards earlier in the year to avoid a rush in November. It does also allow you to make several different designs and sort of play with your supplies to come up with new designs. Under the crunch of time we rarely do our best work.

The glossy paper on this card came from a presentation folder!! Bought years ago at one of the office supplies stores. Loved this teal colour! There were also - olive green, deep purple and rust!! I have purchased new file folders with beautiful butterflies on them for my desk so these were now ready to join the stash and I decided to incorporate them into my card class tomorrow night.

I used the Snowflake CB embossing folder on the glossy teal and the D'vine swirl on the strip which I highlighted with white pigment ink. I used a strip of pearly carstock below the swirly strip. The round greeting (SU) was stamped and white embossed on a scrap of the glossy then layered onto a darker teal. They are held together with a medium white snowflake brad. I attached this embellishment with 3D foam tape.
Very happy with the outcome of this card!! It is nice and sparkly without glitter!!
Cardmaking for October is tomorrow night and all my kits are ready to go along with my instruction sheet!! I have never been prepared this far in advance before so it is a good feeling. Will post those cards after class tomorrow unless I actually have time before then!!

Therese

My Art - creative binder

I have decided to try to put all of my creative brainstorming in one place as opposed to bits of paper all over the place. There are several projects on hold because I cannot find the paper I mused the details on!!!
I altered a small binder. I sanded the front and glued down my own decorative paper. I added masking tape all the way around and then painted it with a dark maroon acrylic paint to coordinate with the binder cover. I stamped the bird in black StazON onto the decorative paper and then added some lustre in red and gold. Added beeswax over that to just seal everything and keep any colour from rubbing off.

Inside I have some blank pages for doodling and drawing as well as lined pages for making notes, etc.

Very happy with my new little book and am hoping to keep myself better organized.

Therese

My art - calendar cover

How many days before the new year?? I decided to buy myself a new calendar for my purse because I am finding I use it often and it has helped me stay organized and prevents double booking myself with activities. I bought an inexpensive calendar that had the "guts" I wanted and created a new cover for it tonight!! Consider just altering the current cover if it is heavy enough.

I watercoloured a piece of cardstock, stamped my angel in the light brown and then just the border in the dark brown a little offset. Added the rosette in dark brown all the way around the edges and on the back. Now I have a cool designer calendar that will look great all year and make me happy every time I take it out and use it!!

Add your artistic touch to things that you use in your life. It will give you a unique one of a kind look and make you happy!!

These calendars make great gifts as well for girl friends, co workers and those people who have everything. Customize them for each person.

Make a few extra for sale at your local bazaar/craft sale or to donate to a fundraiser for your favorite charity!! It is the season!!

Therese

MS - Leafy moths

One of the girls at Book Club last night was talking about getting UFO - unfinished craft projects done for the holidays. As I was going through my box of pressed leaves for a different project I found these skeleton leaves I have had for a few years and remembered seeing a project online that used them. The project is called Leafy Moths on Martha Stewart.
So I dug them out along with my bucket of sticks and made some moths!! They are huge and would be great on the edge of a pot, frame, candle or basket handle, on a bare branch as a fall and winter decoration or even as a package decoration!! With a magnet glued to the back they would be great on the fridge or file cabinet as well.

So I challenge you to find something in your stash today that can be finished! OR a project you can create with what you have on hand.

Therese

My Art - snowflake ornament

Snowflake ornaments!! I created these yesterday though it took me all day to come up with a design I liked I did manage to get a dozen of them made after supper. The photo shows you the back and front of the same ornament.
I used the Snowflake #2 (Sizzix) to cut the snowflake from a chipboard coaster. Cut the smallest and the largest flower from the four flower set (CB) out of coaster as well. Was able to use scraps from the snowflake to cut the small one. I used the snowflake from the snowflake and embossing folder set (CB) to cut the coloured snowflake from a variety of blue cardstocks and punched a matching snowflake (MS). I layered the punchie onto the large flower and attached them together with a silver brad. I placed the coloured snowflake behind the large coaster snowflake and pulled all the legs of the coloured snowflake to the front. I placed the small flower on the front of the large snowflake and attached all three to each other with another silver brad. I then used hot glue to attach the flower/punchie element to the other side of the large snowflake element. This gives a finished look to both sides and each one a distinctively different look. I added a pearl cotton hanger to finish it off!! Really happy with the look of this ornament!! Certainly could be used on the front of a Christmas card as a gift/card combo or could be used as a package topper as well.
I had a variety of other inspirations for snowflake ornaments and maybe some of those will also see the light of day as the prep for the holiday craft season continues to inspire me. It is amazing how a deadline will put your creativity into action.
So set yourself a goal today - whatever it is - Christmas cards by December 1, handmade cards for the girls at the office, gift list by November 1 and then start looking for ideas and inspiration daily - a store front window, a sign on the highway, a jingle on the radio, a colour combination in the garden, internet blog hopping, etc and jot down your ideas in a journal or book. Pretty soon you will have what you need for the creative projects on your holiday gift list.

Therese