Christmas cards - bonus!!

 I have been working on Christmas card as of late and found these four sitting on a not often used corner of my desk.  They are ones that I refurbished from the stack that Mom gave me to reuse that she has saved over the years.  These are ones I have sent her and I thought it would be nice to give them another go around.
For three of them I trimmed off the fronts and remounted them onto new card fronts.  The red one simply needed a new insert and was good to go!!

This is like an artistic architectural dig!!  The first one - foiled Christmas tree goes back probably twenty years.  I applied glue to the green cardstock using a brush and when it was tacky I burnished metallic foil into it - gold for the three and green for the star!!  That was fun!! The wisemen and the holly are both handmade paper cards (fifteen years old) which I created on the screen and then couched.  I used watercoloured tissue paper to create the sky and torn handmade paper to create the wisemen on the top one.  The gold start was stitched on after it was dry!!  Still love it!!  For the lower one, the holly was created on the screen and couched off.  Next I dipped a sheet of white. laid the gold embossed greeting on tissue paper onto the screen then laid the couched holly leaves over that.  That was couched and dried.  Once dry, I glued the red berries - red cardstock circle punchies and added a bit of detail in the holly using green watercolour.  This whole element was then glued to the front of a handmade paper card and an insert was tied in.  Once I tore off the front I simply stitched it to a white card front and added a new insert.  The red one (eight years old) features torn strip of antiqued music sheet overlaid with a cardstock strip in brown and red ribbon over that.  The greeting was then stamped and the layered image (SU) was added using 3D foam tape.
So a total bonus that I found these four cards sitting on my desk.  So I count 23+4 = 27 as a total for Christmas cards made this year though I am not sure these were refurbished this year but they went into the stash this year and that is what counts!!

Therese

More Christmas cards!

Four more Christmas cards for my stash!!!  I made these with the JOYs that I cut out when I made these cards.   I made three of the pink and one of the purple.  I cut the frames using a small frame die (SX) and backed them with a coordinating colour.  Next, I glued my letters to fit inside the frame.  I mounted the decorative paper to the card front, added my ribbon and mounted my focal element overlapping the ribbon using 3D foam tape.  For the purple one I added three short pieces of silver cording tied to the ribbon and for the pinks ones I just added one short piece of the same organza ribbon.  I added glitter gel pen to the frame of the purple one and iridescent glitter glue on the pink ones.  The decorative paper on the purple one is some background paper I made using watercolour and a custom stamp I made using fun foam snowflakes.  The design was very subtle so to punch it up a bit I added some stamped snowflakes to it.
I have 14 cards left over from last year, added five ornament ones and these four make a total of 23!!

Therese

Bridal shower thank you cards

I created a set of these cards as a gift for a bridal shower coming up next week!!  I pretty much copied a card I had downloaded from the internet and was going to provide a link to the original but I can no longer find the source.  I would have thought it was from Splitcoast Stampers but I was unsuccessful at finding it there.  If this is your creation please let me know and I will add the link here.
I created the curvy line for the dress in Corel Draw and added the word "Thanks".  I printed two cards on an 8.5" x 11", trimmed the cards apart and then cut out the dress shape using scissors.  I cut to the inside of the line so there would be no toner left on the inside of the card.   I used an eyelet border framelit (SU) to embellish the bottom of the dress, a flourish embossing (SX) on the skirt, added a piece of wide white grosgrain ribbon at the bodice using double sided tape and added a shimmery flower punchie using a glue dot.  Done!!!
Very happy with how they worked out and I am sure will be appreciated by a busy bride to be!!
Therese

Ornament Christmas cards

My first Christmas cards for this year!!  I usually make them monthly but for some reason I have not managed that so far this year. I am committing to getting on track though because I know it is great to have all of my cards ready at the end of the year!!
I have had this sheet of glitter paper sitting since last fall when I made these cards.  Some time after that I printed off these ornaments (CLKER) thinking they would go well together and there they sat until yesterday.  I watercoloured the ornaments blue, fussy cut them once they were dry, used silver gel pen on the tops and added iridescent blue Stickles to them.  I laid them out and let them dry overnight.  In the meantime, I cut my glittery paper into four and used a set of the Cookie Cutter letter dies to cut out Joy on the lower right hand corner.  This is one of the sets my daughter lent me last week.  Next, I embossed them with the D'vine Swirl (CB) embossing folder.   For the fifth card I punched the greeting with my letter punches into a dark blue cardstock layer and embossed it with the Swiss Dots (CB) embossing folder.  I punched a hole at the top of the ornaments and added a hanger - using white vintage seam binding for the white cards and silver gray organza for the dark card.  I adhered the ornaments to the front of the cards using 3D foam tape and glued the ends to the back of the layers using double sided tape.  Next, I glued these layers to the card fronts.  Unfortunately, on the dark card I was a little too enthusiastic with my sponging when I did the edge of the card and the greeting was no longer looked as crisp as I wanted it to be so I backed it with a piece of white cardstock which was more what I was looking for.
That makes five for this year.  I will have to count up the few I have left over from last year and start a running total!!  Have you started your Christmas cards??  If you are needing some inspiration my sister, Sylvia, is running a year long monthly Christmas Card challenge which can provide some framework for getting them done regularly.

Therese

Artsy address labels

 It was time to make another batch of address labels so I thought I would document the process to inspire you to do the same.
I started by printing my address onto labels. Mine are 1" x 4" and I have printed 6 addresses on each label.  I used a word processing program to lay them out and laser printed them.  I am using this size of label because we bought LOTS of them for a couple of bucks at a garage sale years ago  - they are plentiful and inexpensive!!
Once printed I apply watercolour to them in a variety of colours using a large watercolour brush.  A person could just a easily sponge them with ink, rub them with chalk or colour them with pencils or crayons, etc!!!

Once they are coloured and dry I used my paper cutter to cut them apart which gave me strips of address labels in a wonderful variety of colours!!
Use what you have!!  There are a wide variety of labels available so pick what suits you and use a word processor to organize your addresses and print the labels.  Then, have some fun and make them pretty any colourful way you wish. They will be unique and the next time you make a batch experiment with a different colour medium or a different technique to make them all together different if you wish!!  Just another way to be creative!!

Therese

Spring 4x4 chunky book page

Created this 4" x 4" chunky book page for a swap on one of my groups that was themed - spring, green and watercolour.  I started with a piece of watercolour paper which I created when I was playing with waterbased markers for this project. I cut it to 4" square and used a set of Cookie Cutter alphabet dies to cut out the word spring.  I do not own any of these dies but my daughter lent a couple of sets last week so I decided to play with them today.  Very cool!!  My sister, Sylvia, has been using her SU Alphabet framelits set to create these and these cards.  I do have a set of alphabet punches which I have used several times which gives a similar look but is smaller and a bit less versatile.
I layered a piece of green cardstock on the back and glued it into place being careful to ensure the glue would not show through the letters.  I added glue to the three fall out pieces (one on the P and two on the G) and repositioned them in the letters then into the holes so they would be properly aligned in the word.  Once they were dry I removed the letters.  Excellent!!  I stamped the silhouette of the birds in the tree (SU) in black, doodled in the border and the dots on my letters using a black fine tip sharpie and added the wire using the same marker.  I made up this quote and stamped it on my page using dark green ink and my Making Memories magnetic alphabet stamps.  I had to use my homemade Lego positioning jig - see it here - to ensure that the first line ended up between the letters.  I had been wondering what I was going to use to add a bit of dimension to my project but it all became clear when I stamped the last three words upside down.  I restamped it on a scrap of the same watercolour paper, trimmed it to size and used a few pieces of cardstock to elevate a bit from the page's surface!!  I used the fine tip sharpie to add the branch in the corner and some music notes among the words.  I used a piece of cardstock which I had scribbled iall over n green gel pen to create my back.  I applied several washes of watercolour which highlighted the gel pen because they resisted the colour.  I glued my back to the front, added the same border and my credits and it is ready to be mailed off to my partner!

Therese

Shabby Chic postcard

Signed up for a postcard swap on one of my groups that called for  us to create a shabby chic postcard with a raised M.  I found this lovely postcard on Graphics Fairy.  I digitally added some handwritten text (GF) in black, printed it and fussy cut it out.  I thought it needed a bit of colour on the edges so I sponged on a bit of green and dark brown to hide the white cardstock edge as well as to add a bit of dimension to it overall.  It still needed a bit of something so I stamped some butterflies in a soft green and added a few flourishes in the same colour to embellish the middle section.  I designed a medallion accent using a doily (CLKER), some text and a large M which echos the words Moment in the quote.  I printed it, fussy cut around it and mounted it to a scallop circle (NS) which I had sponged with the same green and brown inks as I had used on the postcard.  I punched some holes between the text lines and inserted a length of pink vintage seam binding.  I ran the ends of the seam binding to the back of the post card and into slits I had cut which effectively hides them behind the seam binding on the front and finishes off the back quite nicely.  I adjusted the scallop on the seam binding and glued it into place on the front.  I tied a short length of seam binding to the left hand side of front piece to add some texture and added some dimensional magic to the M for the same reason.  Still needed a bit of something so I added some layered flower punchies, some thread loops and few pieces of brown twine between the medallion and the post card to finish it off.
Very happy with how it turned out.  It is always fun to challenge myself to use different styles when I am creating for swaps!!
Therese

Lacy wedding card

A wedding card!!  After doing a bit of inspirational research on Splitcoast Stampers where I was drawn to the lacy neutral cards I went digging in my stash to see what I could find.  Was there any doubt?? Some beautiful lace and a length of wide brown satin ribbon.  I used two pieces of lace stitched together to create what I needed for this oversize card.   I positioned double sided tape on the center of it, laid it carefully in place before using pressure to adhere it to my kraft card front.  I also used double sided tape to adhere the ends to the inside of the card.   I cut a length of brown ribbon, laid it over the center attaching the ends to the inside card using double sided tape as well.  I cut the butterfly (MD) from white cardstock, added clear rhinestones on his body and used a piece of double sided tape to adhere it in place after securing the ribbon to the card front just below where I was positioning the butterfly with double sided tape as well.  I stamped the greeting (SU) in dark brown on kraft, trimmed it to 5/8" and used a small label die (SX) to trim both ends.  I punched a tiny hole in one end and tied it to the butterfly's wing using brown thread which I coloured using a brown sharpie marker.  I added a bit of 3D foam tape to the back of the greeting and glued it to the front so it would hang nicely.
Very happy with how it turned out!!!

Therese

Green Art quiltie for March

Time for another quiltie!!  This one is for March and the theme was open so I decided to include some green as a nod to St. Patrick's Day!!
I started by sewing three strips of fabric together - a floral and a green linen with a white one in between. I trimmed this element down to 4.5" square with my rotary cutter and quilting ruler.  For the back, I cut another green patterned fabric to the same size and used my sewing machine to stitch the batting to it following the lines of the patterns.  I stamped "BE CREATIVE" on the white strip using green permanent ink and a small alphabet stamp set.  I then placed the back and the top facing each other and stitched around the edge leaving a gap which I used to turn it inside out.  Having sewn the batting to the back really helped to keep it in place during this process.  I pressed it  my quiltie flat and stitched closed the gap.  I started my hand stitching on the front by adding pink french knots to the round petaled flowers, then I added yellow french knots to the center of the pointy flowers and used a pencil eraser with blue ink to colour the swirly flowers.  I used a running stitch to highlight both edges of the white strip and added a blue stitched flower.  I made a row of green briar stitching on the lower strip added pink seed bead flowers with yellow centers.
One of the other girls in the swap has used her ink jet printer to print words on white fabric which I would dearly love to do but unfortunately I do not have an inkjet printer so I am researching other ways of getting laser printed text onto fabric.  In the meantime, stamping is working out very well.
This little quiltie will be on its way to my partner in the next couple of days!!

Therese

Pink and green scrappy collage and flowers

Used another rectangle of this collage in the process of creating this card.  I layered it onto pink, added the ribbon and the layered flower element using double sided tape.  I trimmed the straight sides with my paper cutter and the top edge with an exacto knife.  I really like the way the layer frames the circle element.   I added my flower element to an ivory card front to which I had adhered some green decorative paper.  I tucked the ends of the ribbon to the inside of the card front and attached them with double sided tape.  The layered element consists of a stamped image (Chapel Road/Class Act) in pink, a white embossed punchie, a pink flower punchie and a green handmade paper flower that features a pink rhinestone in the center.  I added another small handmade paper flower to the lower right hand corner.  My favorite colour combination!!!  This one is headed for my card stash.

Therese

Birthday card for a book lover!!

While I was getting images ready for these denim and roses cards I decided to create a few more to fill my sheet and print at the same time.  I combined the book image (CLKER) with the quote which I found on line in CorelDraw.  Digging through my scrap bucket I found a few elements to create a background for this card - an embossed rectangle of ivory cardstock which I sponged with brown ink and glued to the bottom of the kraft card front.  I added two pieces of gold embossed mesh which I trimmed with flag ends and adhered them to the top portion of the card with a piece of dark brown vintage seam binding in between.  I distressed the edges of my image and stitched it over the background using brown thread in my sewing machine which neatly attached them all to the card front.  I found the little magical greeting (Pink Cat Studio) in my stash, sponged its edges, layered it onto a dark brown punchie and attached it to my card front using a small piece of 3D foam tape.   Loving the look of this one - a perfect birthday card for any book lover!!

Therese

RAK Challenge!!!

 I signed up for a RAK challenge while I was away on vacation.  I had only brought a limited amount of crafty supplies with me and they were mostly for my quilties so I had to get creative!!  I found this playing card on the sidewalk when we were out walking one day and thought it was worth keeping.  The ribbon was found on a different walk a couple days after Valentines.  Determined to make something with what I had on hand I decided to embellish my card with ink and embroidery!  I punched all the holes with my needle following the lines in the design on the front of the card before I started.  This gave me the guidelines I needed to add the doodling I did on the back.  I cut pieces of heart ribbon to incorporate as on the front as I did my stitching.  It was fun to work with limited supplies and I am happy with the final result.  

I also added four little embroidered flower designs to the envelope which she can incorporate in her art. They can be stitched in place or easily adhered with any of the products created for fusing fabric.

Therese

Three denim and lace cards

Needed a swap card that included denim and a rose so I printed off a few roses (with added leaves) overlaid onto a brick background (CLKER), dug some denim from my mending stash and started playing!!
For my first card, I stamped all over the worn denim using dark blue ink and a set of rose stamps (Stampendous).  I watercoloured my rose image, cut around the petals with my exacto knife, added a light blue background and some short lengths of white lacy seam binding.  I used double sided tape to hold this element to my stamped denim and used my sewing machine with white thread to stitch all the way around.  I trimmed two of the lace ends diagonally and tucked the other two under the denim and then stitched this whole element to a navy card front!! Cutting out the petals really gives the flower dimension!!  I added a scroll greeting which I watercoloured to coordinate with the flower element.  I found that the denim stretches when I am stitching it into place so I will have to stabilize it with double sided tape in a few more places next time.

I used the same flower image (CLKER) for this card.  I watercoloured it and added a piece of denim to the top and bottom of it which I die cut on one edge using a border die (SU).  I added some cotton eyelet trim to the left hand side of the card, overlaid my image over its edge and then my denim pieces over it and stitched everything to a navy card front using white thread.  I added more double sided tape behind the denim this time and it stayed in place much better.  I stitched "kindness" on the bottom right hand corner which was stamped and trimmed from an all over stamp (SU).  It still needed a bit of something so I added french knots on the points using yellow embroidery thread that coordinated with the center of the flower.  Just what it needed!!

For my third card, I used the same flower image (CLKER) which I watercoloured and layered onto black cardstock. I stamped a piece of denim with some flower images in blue ink and stitched it to the left hand flap of a navy gate fold card capturing a piece of lace seam binding in the process.  Next, I laid my layered flower image onto the flap, tucked in a piece of lace seam binding and stitched all the way around my image which very nicely attached it to the flap!! I stamped the same flower images in white on the right hand flap of my card.  To finish off my card, I tied the two pieces of lace in a single knot and trimmed the ends diagonally.  To keep the knot tight I used a dab of glue just beneath it.

One of these will be off to my swap partner and the other two I will use for my monthly card exchange.  I really love the look of white lace with denim and it was fun to use some denim scraps on my cards.

Therese

Card featuring a ighthouse postage stamp

I found this light house postage stamp and thought it would be great as a focal element on a card!!  I glued it to a light blue rectangle of blue cardstock which I had flagged on the bottom end.  I found several bits of ribbon that worked well with the image and adhered them to the right hand side of the rectangle.  I had another piece of that beautiful background paper which I received from my Secret Sister at Christmas so I layered my element on it and stitched all the way around and then decided to do around the postage stamp as well.  It seemed a bit stark so I used my stipple stamp (SU) and some light green ink to add a bit of texture to the piece.  I adhered this whole piece to the front of a white card.  I sponged the edges of a punched (SU) greeting and added it to the front using 3D foam tape.  I like how this card came together and the colour combinations as well.  I will certainly be using postage stamps in my creations again.  That was fun!!                 Therese