Cardmaking - March - handmade paper, flowers and ribbon

We got together again this week and made cards!!  It is always great to have your friends over for a visit and do something creative while you are catching up!!!  

This was our first card of the evening!!  I decided to see if I could include my own handmade paper into a card for this month!!  I dug out the couple of boxes and was quickly convinced that it would be easy enough to feature handmade paper on a card.  I had forgotten how many beautiful papers I had created over the years!!  

I tore the papers to size and found coordinating card fronts.  I added a ribbon - after I glued my handmade paper to my card on the first one ( was a little distracted ) and to the handmade paper layer in the case of the green one.  I had to make sure that I positioned it low enough so I could center my focal element over it.  For the red card, I die cut a flower (SX TH Tattered Flowers) from red cardstock, embossed it with Swiss Dots (CB) and added a circle punchie cut from decorative paper.  I glued it over the ribbon and added a layered punchie greeting (SU) on the lower right.  I had a small piece of ribbon left over so I tied it to the length on the front with one knot to simulate a bow.  

For the green card, I cut a poinsettia (Spellbinders) from three different red cardstock and embossed them before gluing them to each other. I added a small yellow circle in the center.  I cut a few green "leaves" using the largest poinsettia die which I added around the edges after I glued my assembled flower to my card front.  I added a layered punchie greeting to the lower right.  

I have not made any Christmas cards yet this month so I can now count ONE towards my goal of making six for this month!!  

Therese

Young cardmaker!!

 I spent the last week with two of my grandchildren and it was wonderful to spend time with them.  The oldest loves to craft so we made cards together several times.  Here you can see the great cards she created!!  She is an inspiration!!  She does not second guess herself, she is not afraid to try (she cut out the little red embossed heart - inside and out) and she does not give up.  She makes art in all different sizes - you can see a little one there is a passport.  She was adding a drawing and an address on the inside.
We had basic supplies - her box of pencil crayons which included a few markers, a couple of pencils,
some wax crayons and one black pen, one pair of safety scissors, glue sticks, a few cardfronts and a small stack of cardstock pieces along with two clam shell cases of images from my stash and one of greetings.  No fancy machines, no embossing folders, etc and we had a wonderful time making cards!!

I am looking forward to many years of time spent creating with her!!

I hope you take the opportunity to craft with young people when they present themselves!!  They are so willing to try and we just need to let them be - no judgement or advice about our visions of their projects!!

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - a bit of bling

What's the best thing about making Christmas cards??  You can add bling as often as you like!!
Here is another design inspired by Splitcoast Stampers.  I have been seeing this embossing folder used in every format and with several different techniques for the center image so I decided to see if I could find a way to use this embossing folder - Cuttlebug Flourished Frame - for a card in this class.  I perused my digital images and found that these ones had almost the perfect proportions for the frame!!  These are by Melissa Jenkins and were downloaded from her blog when she was offering free images regularly.  They were perfect!!  I laser printed them to the right size, watercoloured them and used 3D foam tape to layer them over the embossed layer which I had already glued to my card front.  Just a few rhinestones glued to the flourishes finished off these cards!!  THRIFTY TIP:  Check out this link on my sister's blog that talks about using a fine tip bottle for applying glue.  The rhinestones we used today did not have a sticky back so I brought my little fine tip glue bottle - works so well.  My bottle used to be filled with dimensional fabric paint made by Tulip, I think.  I used the paint to make decorative paper and filled the cleaned out, empty bottle with white glue.  Just a little dab will do you and it dries clear so if the glue expands a bit beyond the edge of the rhinestone it just disappears once the glue is dry.  I am willing to bet that in your stash of crafty supplies you have a bottle with a fine tip which you could use for this purpose!  If you don't, no worries, there are several glues out there made specifically for paper crafting that have fine tips so check out your local craft or scrapbooking store.

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - Folk art tree

I love this little folk art tree image!!  I found it on Laura`s blog called Pop N Stick.  She has several other cool digital images you can use for card making so check out her site!!  Here is a direct link to the tree.
I layered the tree to coloured cardstock, added a border punched strip and a  rectangle of decorative Christmas paper which I glued to a coordinating card front to make up this card.  I added a bit of ribbon to the decorative paper, sponged my eyelet edge, watercoloured my image and added this little greeting on my insert - Christmas is about what`s in your heart, not what`s under the tree. Wishing you a merry little Christmas!!
Making your own cards gives you so much flexibility!!  You can add your own little twists, use your favorite colour combinations and add meaningful greetings!!

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - Vintage look

Christmas cards with a bit of a vintage feel!!  These cards feature images from a font called Christmas Cheer which I downloaded from the internet last week.  You can find it here.  I used the JOY, PEACE, NOEL and the winter scene with the house for these cards.  In Corel Draw, I sized the images to fit nicely in my largest oval Nestibilities, laser printed them eight to a page and cut them out individually.  I sponged the edges of my oval, my card and my button and watercoloured my image. I added a black label frame die cut (SX) embossed with a victorian embossing folder and placed some vintage seam binding in between.  These were layered onto a card front which was stamped using my Worn background stamp (SU) in brown.   I added a button and a bow which is a new technique I picked up this week off of Nancy Ward`s blog - Paper Friendly.  You can find the tutorial on Vicki Wizniuk`s blog - Wizards Hangout.  Basically, you take a length of ribbon, cross the ends, bring the center of the loop to the cross over, insert it into a loop of twine on the back of the button, tighten and tie off with a double knot.  Check out the tutorial and you will see how easy it is!!  I used a chipboard button which I die cut from a cereal box which was just the right colour to go with this card and used black cotton crochet thread to tie off the bow.  We used glue dots to attach this embellishment to our card fronts.
It is fun to create Christmas cards in non traditional colours though this one is starting to be one of my favorite combinations.  Check out these cards and these ones we made last year.  Here`s a few more and some more made a few years ago.
Don`t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to colour combinations and images for Christmas cards.  One of the girls at class today said she would probably use these bird images for making a few Christmas cards.  I think they would make wonderful Christmas cards!!

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - doilies

Christmas cards!!  We met this morning to create Christmas cards and get a head start on that process.  It always feels great to have your cards made and ready to go when December rolls around.
I have been loving the lovely cards I have seen on Splitcoast Stampers that feature the dainty Doily stamp from SU and really wanted to make a card with that lacy look!!  For this large class it means a lot of thermal embossing to get that look so I decided to see if I could find a digital solution.  Hooray!  I found one.  On the Avant Garde Collection CD (SU) there is a paper collection called Flirtatious and one of the papers is a large doily!!  I brought the image into Photo Shop Elements and replaced all of the white areas with transparent in a few clicks of the mouse following instructions from the internet.  I cannot seem to locate the exact tutorial I used but there are lots of different ones on how to do this.  I was also able to change the colour of the doily in PSE using the paint bucket so I created a white and red version to use on these Christmas cards!!    I imported the images into Corel Draw, duplicated them so I had four doilies and then  laid them out so they would each be off the page in each corner of a 8.5 x11 page.  I created a box of colour beneath the two white doilies to show them off nicely and added greetings.  Once I had them sized and positioned by eye I printed one page to see which circle punch I would need to create the centers.  I had to resize the doilies a bit so that the 1 3/8" punchies would leave a nice scalloped edge visible.  I printed these on white cardstock using a colour laser, cut them apart and trimmed them to 4" x 5.25".  I layered a coordinating circle punchie in the center of the doily, added a fiber snowflake and used a brad to attach them all together.  This element was glued to a coordinating card front.  I embellished the front with glitter glue to add just a bit of sparkle!!  I used iridescent for mine but some girls at class today used silver on the blue one and red on the red one and that really looked very nice!!  I expect a spritz of shimmer spray would be really great too!!
So I encourage you to find your newest Christmas stamp, a sketch you like,dig out some paper and get creative!!  If you prefer digital stamps check out the next few post for links to some I used for this class.

Therese

Cardmaking - June - Feathered Friends

I love these bird images!!  They are available from The Graphics Fairy.  She has a wide variety of images, backgrounds and line art - simply a great resource for digital images.
I used four different images and added a quote to each one as well as a coloured border.  I have been playing around a bit more with combining digital elements so this was a fun experiement.  In the end, it made for a quick and easy card.  I printed the image on white cardstock and we simply embossed the lower half, added a ribbon and glued the whole thing to the front of a coordinating card!!  Too easy!!   To easy to add a greeting as well with a little piece of 3D foam tape.
I will be passing on the cardmaking baton to a friend of mine who will be taking over the Wednesday night classes in September.  She is excited to be on the other side of the table and has been brainstorming and designing kits for the fall.  I look forward to catching up with the group during the Christmas card classes on the first two weekend of November!!
I have so enjoyed this group and the opportunity to share cardmaking!!  I will miss the friendships I have built, but I do need to change my focus.  My craft room is part of the unfinished basement and the finishing process has begun so I need to be cleaning up, sorting and packing up my "stuff" so the job and be finished within a reasonable timeline.
I will still be around and posting to my blog regularly!!

Therese

Cardmaking - June - Transparency

I was playing around with a paint technique for a challenge and ended up making up several sheets in these two colours - pink/red and yellow/green.  I have seen many videos and tutorials where they use old credit card to apply paint but it is the first time I have tried it.  It works really well. If you been thinking you would like to try it I encourage you to give it a go!!
I printed Dover images on transparency to layer over my decorative paper and attached them to the card front using brads.  I added three little strips of embossed coordinating cardstock to the right hand side.  On the first one I used a corner rounder and am not terribly happy with the look - I think because the top one ended up round and looks like it doesn't go with the others.  So on my second one I decided to use a different technique and I am happier with that.  I also embossed the card front which helps add texure!!  The little felt flower was added last using a glue dot.
You can sign up with Dover to get emails regularly which highlight their collections and offer free samples.  Well, worth it for the free images they offer!!  Go here to sign up!!

Therese

Cardmaking - June - Fun Greetings

It is always fun to change things up, so for this card I combined the image and the greeting.  All of the images were downloaded from CLKER and I added some fun greetings using an appropriate font.  Some of the other ones were: "Heard you needed a pick up" with a little truck, "Best Fishes" with a cute little fish, "Be Happy" with a little bee, "Butterfly Wishes" with a butterfly, "Smile" with a camera, "You're Purrr- fect" with a cute kitten and "You're so sweet" with a little cupcake!
I cut the circle elements and the scalloped layers with my Nestibilities.  Started by adding a layer of decorative paper to the card front and a length of seam binding or ribbon.  Tied on a short piece with a single knot to simulate a bow and added my main layered element over it using 3D foam tape.
It is always good to have a few greeting cards on hand that you can send to friends and family for just for fun!!  These fit the bill perfectly!!

Therese

Cardmaking - June - Vintage

Our last Wednesday cardmaking session before the summer break!!  It is hot here!!  We were glad to have our cards made early and be off to cooler places!!
For our first card we made one with a bit of a vintage look!!  After not finding enough of what I needed for these card kits in my decorative paper bucket I decided to make up what I needed.  I started with brown paper that came in a box a few weeks ago wrapped around something "important".  I wrinkled it, opened it up and wrinkled it again and then started adding different colours of brown acrylic paint washes and then wrinkled it again.  Once it was dry I ran a dark brown ink pad over the wrinkles to highlight the texture.  Added a lighter colour to soften the dark one and I was happy with that.
I added a piece of my new decorative paper to my card front overlapping the section I had embossed.  I added a piece of paper lace - from way deep in my stash - being sure to only dab my glue stick on it so the holes would remain open.  I layered my collage element over a layer of kraft and mounted it over the end of the ribbon using 3D foam tape.  For a little more texture I added a small flower (TH) cut from corrugated cardboard and adhered it to the card front using a brad to which I had added a gold sequin - just a bit of bling!!   The images were all different and were cut from a 12 x12 page of scrapbooking paper.  I trimmed each image using my Fiskars stamp edger scissors.  Just the look I was wanting.

Therese

Cardmaking - All Occasions - wedding & more

These were the last set of cards we made this morning!!  I always have a quick and easy card for the last one because everyone is getting antsy and ready to get on with their day.
I chose four images from WP Clipart - a wedding cake, a fern, a baby carriage and a bouquet of tulips which created cards appropriate for a wedding or anniversary, a masculine birthday or a sympathy card, the birth of a child and could be customized by colouring the carriage either blue or pink and a get well or spring birthday card.  An embossed background, a seambinding with a simulated bow and a layered image.  I did not add colour to the wedding cake leaving it until I actually use the card so I can customize it to the recipient.  I may consider simply adding some sparkle using a clear Sakura StarDust gel pen instead of adding any colour.
I do so enjoying sharing my enthusiasm for cardmaking with like minded people!!  It blesses so many people, me as I create the card kits and teach the class, the participants as they create the cards and add a bit of themselves as they do and the recipients of these lovely creations.  If the card is resused, it is a blessing yet one more time.  Thrifty Tip:  Use plain paper inserts on the inside of your cards and simply glue them with one little strip of glue on the inside front near the fold.  This allows the insert you have written on to be removed and replaced with a new one and the card reused!!  Here is a tutorial on making envelopes so you can send that refurbished card on its way!!

Therese

Cardmaking - All Occasion cards - Faux Pinwheel

These were fun to do!!  I regularly check out Splitcoast Stampers for cardmaking inspiration.  It is such a wonderful resource for any cardmaker - lots of eye candy!!   You can find a tutorial here and a video here!
I created a template (see below) to simplify creating the pinwheel by providing a center and indicating where all the corners needed to be.   I used 1.25" squares and the pinwheel is about 3.5" across.  Works best with contrasting coordinating papers - I used decorative paper for one set of squares and cardstock for the other.  The background was embossed and I added a layered laser printed greeting.  The layered greeting combines punchies from the SU window punch and their modern label punch.
It was fun to dig through my scraps of decorative paper and come up with some coordinating cardstock for the other set of squares and the background.  I mounted the pinwheel using 3D foam tape and then added the flower punchie in the middle which helps give this element some dimension.
One of the girls commented on how the pinwheel looks very much like a quilt design and she had a friend that would most appreciate one of these cards.  That is one of the benefits of making cards - you can make them to suit those who will be receiving them.
Give this a try!  It is easier than it looks!!  Consider doing one with scraps first to help you understand the process of placing the squares and gluing them to each other.

Therese

Cardmaking - All Occasion - cake & gifts

Another versatile sketch!!  I used digital images created my Michelle Perkett for this set of cards.  She has a variety of images and sentiments as well as an Etsy shop so check out her site!!
The decorative paper on this card is layered with coordinating cardstock.
Thrifty Tip:  use two small rectangles behind your decorative paper instead of a full piece. It will allow you to use smaller pieces (check your scrap bucket) as well as providing less weight to your card.
I embossed the top portion but today some embossed the whole front, some debossed the area instead of embossing and others chose to emboss the bottom half instead of the top - so many options.  The digital image is laser printed, coloured, layered and added to the card front using 3D foam tape.  It was fun to use different embossing folders for each card.  I also added some paper piercing below the decorative paper - adds a bit of texture.
Thrifty Tip : I use a push pin, a strip of plastic canvas and an old mouse pad as my paper piercing tools - works really well for creating evenly spaced holes.
These fun images would certainly be great embellished with some glitter so I may consider adding some before I send them on their way!!

Therese

Cardmaking - All Occasion - bon voyage!

Another great cardmaking class this morning!!  We were making All Occasion Cards this time so I ensured that each card was a bit different by using flexible sketches and a wide variety of colours!!  It is always fun to see the cards once the kits have been assembled at class as each person adds their own flair and creativity to the process.
I love the flexibility of this sketch!  I included anywhere from four to eight strips of cardstock to create the background and then encouraged the participants to consider different placements for their ribbon and greeting and they could even have created a portrait card with these elements.
The little strips were embossed and then glued to the background layer which was then adhered to the card front.  Once the ribbon placement was decided the ends were glued to the inside front of the card using double sided tape.  The greeting was coloured and layered then adhered over the ribbon using 3D foam tape.  The little cardstock diamonds provide a nice little embellishment on these cards!!
I love these little digital greetings which all include little images as well!!  They are from Melohheadz Illustratiing.  She is a prolific artist and has a wide variety of images - check out her site!!  Use the labels on the right hand side to help you find what you are looking for!!  Here are direct links to  Bon Voyage, Giving Thanks, HB Cupcake, Friendship is  images!!
I am finding myself using a lot of digital images lately.  They are always perfectly "stamped" cause they are printed, can be sized to fit your project, take no room to store, can be modified to any colour and if you save them carefully - in a folder with the name of the site in it - you can always find them!!  Lots of benefits!!

Therese

Cardmaking - May - little boys

These cards were created with little boys in mind.  They feature decorative paper as the main element of the card which is a different way of approaching card making for me.  I love the little animals!!  I added two embossed and pierced rectangles and a colour printed greeting layered over a scalloped circle.  These are quick and easy cards!!
These fit in #8 envelopes which I purchased in bulk at an office supply store.  Some of the girls in class mentioned that they have been purchasing them at discount stores.  I thought they were a different size but  when I compared them this morning they are the same size so consider that option when buying envelopes.
THRIFTY TIP:  To make two #8 cards from an 8.5" x 11" piece of cardstock cut off two pieces that measure 3.5" x 11". The scrap that is left over (1.5"x 11") is exactly the right width for adding to the 11" (11" + 1.5"= 12.5") to make a 6.25" card (6.25 x 2 = 12.5).  Cut two 1.5" x 3.5" pieces and add to the two pieces you have already cut.  I usually hide the joint below an element or a layer.
In this case I added a piece of double sided tape below the two rectangles which holds in place the 1.5" x 3.5" piece I added to the front bottom of the card.  You could also choose to add a piece in a different colour which works just as well and uses up scraps.

Therese

Cardmaking - May - masculine

As you have probably already suspected I was featuring masculine cards this month.  Father's Day is coming and it is always good to have a few masculine cards in your stash.
These cards featured a decorative paper with bold stripes including gold which added richness to the look of the completed cards.  I echoed the gold by adding a layer below the images.  We sponged the images using a round template which left a nice white border all the way around the image - love that look! I coloured the details in the images using watercolour.  The images and the sponging template (transparency) were cut using my round Nestibilities.  I used the same bow technique I used on this card which involves punching a small hole in the greeting, pushing a loop of seam binding from back to front and inserting several small lengths into the loop.  The bow is formed by pulling both long ends to tighten it nicely.  It works very well with seam binding which is soft and pliable and makes a bow with very little bulk because there is no actual knot. The greetings were colour printed and trimmed with decorative scissors.  The digital images are from Arthur's Clip Art.  This site has a large index to help you locate the images you are looking for.
Take time to celebrate the best of the men in your life and let them know you appreciate them with a handmade card!!

Therese

Cardmaking - May - corrugated paper

Love the look of this corrugated paper!!  The red one on the right I bought years ago in a variety pack but I have since discovered a more economical option which is featured on the card on the left hand side.  THRIFTY TIP:  Check your recycle bin and look for any box that has been made up of fine corrugated cardboard. Cut it apart, lay a piece on a flat surface and wet the inside layer with a spray bottle or large foam brush. The water will be very quickly absorbed, then let it sit for a few minutes.  Start peeling off this wet layer by lifting an edge from one of the sides.  It should peel up perfectly.  If not, just wet it down a bit more and wait a minute or two and try again.  Gives you lots of corrugated paper in no time.  Want coloured corrugated paper??  Just paint with acrylic paint any colour you need for your project.
I added a large ribbon across the middle and layered on a colour printed image to which I added some photo corners.  These photo corners have been in my stash for a while and I was happy to get a chance to use them.  I liked the vintage scrapbook look, especially with the Eiffel tower image.  On one of the cards I stapled the corrugated paper to the card front and on the second one I simply glued it in place.  Just a different look!!   Added the three little diamonds to finish it off.  These digital images were colour printed but you could certainly consider using images from packaging or collage sheets or real photos.  All the images are from The Graphics Fairy. She has a  lot of images so use the search box to find what you are looking for.  Many of the girls at class were looking for more of this sailboat image.  Enjoy!!

Therese

Cardmaking - May - little tag card

Love getting together with others to create so had a good time last night with my cardmaking group!!
Our first card featured a little tag greeting!! I printed up a few Happy Father's Day tags so anyone who wanted to could customize their card.  We debossed the front so that the tag could easily be slipped into the slot and added decorative paper to the left.  I used the SU window punch to create the slot and only glued the outside edges of that layer to create a pocket for the tag to slide into.  The watercoloured image was  layered onto the front of the tag holder and a small piece of ribbon was stapled to the tag.
I laser printed these are digital images - the leaf is from Beccy's Place and the bison is from Arthur's Clip art.  Several  of the other images I used were from Clker.
I love digital images because they can be sized to suit any project and always print perfectly!  There are many places where you can download images for free so check out the links I have on the right hand side of my blog to see what you can find for your next project.

Therese

Cardmaking - April - Artsy flowers

This was so much fun to do!  I laser printed the Papier Salat images onto white cardstock and added some swipes of liquid watercolour using a foam brush!!  I love the bold bright look of these little works of art so decided to keep the design simple - a double knotted piece of vintage seam binding and a brushed silver paper layer nicely framed on black card fronts!!
Love these quick and easy cards!!

Therese

Cardmaking - April - woven accent

In the spirit of making the most of the supplies I have on hand and in celebration of Earth Day I decided to use the stash of paper strips I have accumulated as I trim paper for other projects.  I love how these worked out, though, I really prefer the randomness of the red one.  The one on the left used cut offs from these cards and I am really happy how bright the colours were next to the yellow cardstock but after I glued down the piece and added the image I thought it was just a little too square and even but taking it apart would have been problematic because these are made using wax crayons.  The butterfly image I downloaded from CLKER and the heart is from Torico, I laser printed them and use 1 3/4" punch to cut them out. Used a scalloped Nestibilities circle die to cut the layer.  The little patch of woven strips works really well over the embossed card fronts.
Therese