All occasion card featuring a watercoloured watermilll scene, seam binding and a diamond background paper

 The watermill scene was watercoloured and paper piercing was added once it was dry.  I trimmed a green card to fit in my large envelope.  I added a length of coordinating seam binding to the background paper and then added it to my card front.  I mounted my image to my card using 3D foam tape and then tied on a short piece of the same seam binding to simulate a bow.  One of my first cards for June!!

Therese

Event - Everything Rhubarb at Gaetz United - good food shared with friends

 

We will be celebrating rhubarb again this year with the Gramma Link Africa group.  Make a date with your friends and come and enjoy a couple of hours with a cup of tea and some good food.   Lots of baking and many wonderful handmade items that will be perfect for gifts this year!!! 

 I look forward to seeing many of you at our event this year.   Therese

May Card Club - Card #3 - quick and easy cards with little collages over some fun backgrounds

I always try to have a quick card as our last one.  These ones feature little collages as the focal elements.  They were trimmed from a 12" x 12" sheet of scrapbook paper with my postage stamp decorative scissors.  I chose backgrounds which echoed the warm colours in the collages.  For this first one, I stamped several large stamps (diamonds- SU, script  -     ) in different inks onto a ledger scrap book paper.  We embossed our coloured cardstock rectangles, adhered our small collages and then tied cording underneath then tore off the bottom to leave an interesting wavy edge.  These were added to our card fronts over our backgrounds using 3D foam tape.  Someone suggested that maybe we could emboss our backgrounds as well.  For sure!!  I also added watercolour to the edges of the last three!!  We will meet next in September!!

Therese

 

May Card Club - Card #2 - clear embossing resist with watercolour on decorative paper with embossed focal elements

For our second card we also did a resist technique using clear embossing powder!!  Also very fun!!  We used decorative paper cut to 4" x 5.25" and used stamps with embossing ink to decorate our paper.  Again, it is transparent so you are just guessing as to the placement of the images.  We applied our clear embossing powder and heated the paper which revealed the images.  The clear embossing powder protects the original design from the effects of the watercolour we applied to the paper afterwards.  Again, a very unique and artsy result for these backgrounds.  We again dried our backgrounds using the heat gun on low.  For these cards, I provided cardstock that coordinated with the colour of the background paper to ensure that everything coordinated.  We embossed (CB) our white squares of cardstock and then layered them onto a square of the same cardstock as the card.  I distressed the edges of my coloured cardstock and used my pattern tracing tool to add some paper piercing to my embossed element.  Mounted this focal element to my card using 3D foam tape.  

I used different colours of the same background paper for all the cards - pink, green and yellow.  You can see from the cards above that the watercolour can significantly change the character and colour of the card.  I had provided laser printed images as well if anyone preferred that for their focal element.  I made a few up with images - the little hedgehogs and the cute cactus.  They other two are small embossing folders from Cuttlebug - actually the thanks and flowers are two different embossing folders.  Paper piercing on all the images.  Some very creative cards came out of these card kits!!! Therese

 

May Card Club - Card #1 - wax crayon resist & watercolour, a metal embellishment and some doodled lines

It is always a good time when you spend time with like minded people doing creative fun!!  My friends were back for cardmaking yesterday and we did some very creative & artsy cards!!

For our first card we did wax resist using white wax crayon on white cardstock.  The cardstock was cut to 4" x 5.25", we placed them on the raised side of embossing folders and rubbed wax crayon ( on its long side) all over our paper until the raised areas were well covered in wax.  You really can't see where it is so you just go around several times with good pressure. Next, we added watercolour!!  It is best to add very saturated colour so the while crayon really shows up!!!  We used the heat gun on low to aid the drying process.  I let them choose which metal embellishment they wanted and then we cut a hole in their backgrounds using a 1.25" square Nestibilities.  

I gave them all black cardstock which allowed them to make their background any colour they liked!! We glued our backgrounds to our card fronts and then added the metal embellishment which had 3D foam tape on the back.  We finished off our cards by adding some lines and dots with a fine tip black Sharpie marker.  Totally artsy cards that are very unique!!!  A very fun evening!!!  Therese

 

All occasion card featuring a stylized dandelion with a watercolour wash background with layers, brads and a little turquoise bow

Another card for a family birthday!!!  Here is a dandelion (Sweet Clipart) which I did with this new colour wash technique I tried out a few weeks ago.  I ran the pattern tracing wheel on all four edges, layered it onto a turquoise decorative paper with a torn bottom edge and then onto a coordinating purple cardstock.  I added three little coordinating brads and tied a little turquoise bow on the yellow brad using a shiny heavy weight thread.  Love how it turned out!!!  Therese
 

Sewing - tape for making quilt ruler non slip

Having read up a bit on how to make my quilting rulers non slip I found a video that was recommending this tape for applying to the backside of the rulers to keep them for slipping when cutting fabric.  I was using a 6" square ruler to trim 4" squares.  The squares were just slightly over the 4" and so not very much needed to be trimmed off but I was having trouble getting the ruler to be stable with so little fabric to provide resistance to the ruler.  I am sure this will work very well.  I cut 1" pieces for both of my square rulers and one of my long rulers. Six pieces for the square - corners and middle and every six inches on the long one on both edges.  I bought it at the local Pharmasave for $3.77 - 10 yards x 1" wide".  Will have plenty for any other rulers in the future.  Therese

 

All occasion cards featuring glittered poppies, paper piercing with ribbon flags over a striped background

For this card I started with a large warm yellow card.  I trimmed strips from a piece of decorative paper until I had enough to cover the front. I glued them on with even spacing.  The poppies (PVDorg) were coloured in the same way as I have done several others - laser printed and then a overall wash of clear water.  I then added colour in and let it move around a bit then added colour to the poppies and those ran a bit too.  Love the look!!  Left to dry naturally and then pressed.  I added clear glitter to the dots, paper pierced each side and mounted it to a dark pink cardstock.  I added pink and gold ribbon flags before mounting this large element to my card front using 3D foam tape.  This one is off to my daughter in law for Mother's Day!!

Therese

 

All occasion card featuring a few simple daisies with a tied ribbon over a pieced background with seam binding

I started with a large gray card and added the purple plaid background which had to be pieced from scraps so I added a piece of coordinating seam binding to hide where they join.  I ran the pattern tracing wheel on all four edges before adhering it to my card front.  The little daisies were laser printed and then I added a large wash of just water and started adding colour to the puddle until I was happy with it.  I then added just a bit of purple to the flower petals and it ran very nicely outside the lines!!  I really like how it turned out.  Gives a softer painterly look to the flowers.  I paper pierced around the edge an then layered it onto a double piece of coordinating cardstock.  Next, I added some purple satin ribbon to each corner - tying a bow in the upper left hand corner.  I mounted them to my card front using 3D foam tape.  This one is off to my youngest daughter for Mother's Day.    Therese
 

Birthday card featuring a watercoloured fabric background, stitched pieces of cake and candle along with some sequins

Another card featuring some watercoloured (Inktense) fabric for the background, little rectangles stitched on to create a cake and two hand cut pieces to create the candle and flame.  Totally fun to make!!!!  I used Inktense watercolours to colour wash my ivory background fabric.  Once heated the watercolour because permanent.  I dug up a few fun fabric scraps and trimmed out five little rectangles to create the cake.  Found some small coordinating scraps and trimmed them into a candle and a flame.  A birthday cake it born!!  I know the recipient will love it!!!!  I layered it with a piece of flannel and then a backer piece and stitched it onto the front of my card.  It can be removed used as a little mat or framed as art.  I did add some small iridescent pink and gold sequins to make it more interesting.  It is off in tomorrow's mail!!!  Therese
 

A large all occasion card featuring a fabric mat with stitched candles

 I have revisited using fabric on my handmade cards.  I used a piece of cotton from a pocket and used Inktense watercolours to give it a wash.  I cut some candles from scraps of fabric and watercoloured the flames using the Inktense as well.  I stitched the candles on with blue thread, and then stitched on the flames using yellow thread.  Nice to be able to use little ends of spools on these small projects.  I added a flannel and then a backer of the same fabric and stitched all the way around several times.  I chose to leave the edges raw.  To keep the layers together I stitched on some blue rick rack across the candles.  I added a little bow using yellow crochet thread to finish off my card.  I stitched it to my card front using the same crochet thread - you can see the small yellow stitches to the right above the rick rack and to the right of the green candle on the left.  It can be removed and used as a mug rug or displayed as a little quilt.  Glad to be back to card making!!!  Therese

All occasion card featuring a scrappy woven background with a sunflower with a button & yarn accent

For this card I laid down a long piece of double sided tape down the side of the card and added strips of coordinating papers varying their distance from the edge.  Next, I used longer strips of paper and wove them into the strips that were adhered to the card front.  I added another length of double sided tape once I ran out of room for weaving in strips.  The sunflower (Sweetclipart) was laser printed on white cardstock and then a wash of water was brushed over most of it.  Gently, colour was added and allowed to expand into the water all ready present.  I added until I was happy with the background then I added a few different colours into the flower itself and its leaves.  It was then allowed to dry completely on its own then pressed overnight.  I really like the look - more painterly than just watercolouring the image.  I made several so they will be showing up over time on cards in the future.  I added paper piercing to the image using my pattern tracing wheel and the mounted it onto a double green piece of cardstock.  I watercoloured a fussy cut paper button, tied it to the image with white crochet thread and then wrapped three lengths of yarn around the button.  Will do the trick as a card for my oldest daughter for Mother's Day.    Therese