Card with an artsy scrap paper background

I created this artsy background using scraps of paper.
I have a little basket on my desk where I put paper scraps that are leftover from my paper crafting projects.  I often dip into it when I am looking for just a bit of something to add to my projects.  When the basket is full I transfer it to my Serendipity background box where technically the scraps are supposed to be sorted into bags to be used for making serendipity backgrounds.  Needless to say, the sorting into bags does not get done every time the basket gets emptied.  For this background, I simply dug through the top of the box and found some similarly coloured papers, ripped them into strips and glued them to a cardstock substrate.  Quick and easy!!  I trimmed the background in half and used it on this card so I have another half to use another time!!
I added a bit of sponging to the edges of the background, the scalloped circle and the image.  When I watercoloured the image the sponging was pretty much incorporated into the colour which was fine.  When I positioned the background on the card front and auditioned the rest of the pieces there was a round motif on the right hand side just below the seam binding which was too prominent so I used a bit of sand paper to rough up that spot and when I sponged that area over I decided it would not hurt to do the whole thing so it all got a bit of brown ink.  I stitched the background to my kraft card front using my sewing machine and brown thread.  I added a length of brown seam binding over which I added my focal element and then tied on a short piece on the left to simulate a bow.  The focal element was created by layering my watercoloured image (CLKER) with brown and then gluing it to a burned orange scalloped circle to which I had added some faux stitching.  I watercoloured the greeting with a bit of brown and glued it to the focal element below the geese.  I really like the look of this artsy background and will be making more for use in this year's cardmaking.  

Puffin - thinking of you card

Made this card today for a neighbour who is in hospital.  A card is a double blessing - for me when I make it and for the other person when they receive it!!  I made a Z card with a puffin on it!!!  I downloaded him from CLKER and laser printed him on white cardstock.  I had to look up exactly how to colour him - they have bright orange feet!! So I touched it here and there with a bit of watercolour.  I saw this Z card on my sister's blog earlier and when I needed a card I thought I would give it a try.
You take a regular quarter sheet card and fold the front back to the spine.  I added a piece of decorative paper to that top piece and then added the layered puffin image over that using double sided tape only on the left hand edge where it overlaps the front.  I sponged the edges of a little oval punched greeting and adhered him below the image on the front.  I added a 4" x 5.25" white insert to the back panel where I can write my message.  This is a quick and easy fold to use whenever you are making regular A2 cards.
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

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

Washi tape Collage card!!

Our god daughter has a birthday next week and I made her a wahsi tape collage card!!  Super happy with how this one turned out!!  I started with an alcohol ink background  which I had sitting on my desk from a fun day with my sister.  I had stamped it with a script stamp but they had overlapped a bit and made it a bit darker which I found distracted from the whole.  So, I just covered it with washi tape!!  I used a whole strip of the diagonal black and white design which very nicely started a trend so I continued with some pink and polka dots and then a piece of checker next to that on both the top and the bottom!! It was working out well!! I then mounted it to a black card front.  I dug a checkered heart ( Meljens)  from my image stash and watercoloured it to coordinate, added some glittery details with a pink gel pen, fussy cut it out and added it to my card front using 3D foam tape.  I watercoloured my laser printed greeting (CLKER) and thought it needed just a bit of something so I added some pink heart punchies below it!  Just what it needed!!
I have not created a collage card in quite a while and think I will have to try the technique more often!!  It was fun to play with all the elements to make a pleasing design!

Therese