A birthday card for DH!

I always try to make DH cards special!! He loves music and coffee so I try to incorporate those two themes into them if I can. This year, I started with a sheet of music from a choral book which was water damaged.  It was already crinkly so I ripped the page into strips and wove them back together to create my background.  I stamped the weaving with a mosaic background stamp which I created using rubber cut offs (when I mounted stamps).  I stamped in two different brown colours and then washed over them with water to spread the colour a bit.  Very happy with how that worked out.
Next, I decided to use a feather sticker from the above sheet which I bought at DollarTree.  The beautifully detailed stickers are made of some sort of soft foamy material and take colour very well.  I used markers to colour my feather and added a bit of orange using a Sharpie marker!!  I adhered the sticker to a piece of acetate which was printed with "Happy Birthday" and then trimmed around it.  The printing was a bit too prominent so I just scraped through the ones that were visible which sort of distressed them and that was much better.  Next I stitched the feather element to a coffee themed tissue paper leaving "cafe" showing in several places.  I used white thread but once I was finished I thought it would have been better to use darker thread so I just ran a marker over it and that was enough to dye the thread.  I simply wiped the spare ink from acetate with a cloth!!  I ripped off the extra tissue paper to finish off this element.  Once I laid the feather element over the background I realized that I would have to create an over sized card to get all my elements on the card.  I created a dark brown card, stamped the outside front edges using cream craft ink and the same handmade mosaic stamp I used on the back ground and then rubbed in a bit of gold mica powder to create an interesting border for my card.  I glued my background to my card front.  I used a flag ended laser printed greeting over my acetate adhering it with double sided tape.  I layered a burnt orange strip which was also flag ended below the feather element and adhered it to the back using double sided tape below the greeting so it would not show.  I trimmed all the ends and then adhered this whole element over the woven background using double sided tape behind the feather and the orange strip.  I added a brown brad through all the layers to the right of the greeting.  Very happy with how this card worked out.  Just need to add a gift card and it will be ready to go!!

Therese

Packaging for gift certificates for a fundraiser

 I am donating some gift certificates for classes to a local fundraiser and was wanting to find a colourful 3D presentation for them. Here is what I came up with and I am very happy with how this project worked out!!
I printed my gift certificates on a half sheet of white cardstock.  I scored a piece of acetate and a piece of cardstock at 1" and at 2.5".  I stapled the two inch flaps to each other near the bottom which created a slot in which I inserted my gift certificate.  I printed a "Creative Play Date" header for each one and added green grass die cuts to the back using double sided tape.  I positioned the header on the front of the acetate and pulled the cardstock up in behind until it made a good footing and stapled it on both side through all the layers.  I inserted punchies between the grass and the cardstock to add a bit of dimension and colour!!                  Therese

Yet more acetate cards!

These are the final three of the acetates I discovered in my stash earlier. Here and here are the other cards I created with these.   I went in a different direction this time and backed them with restructructed paper which I created a while back.  I really like the look of the random colours behind the acetates so I kept the colour scheme monochromatic.  For a textured accent I pulled out my border punch (SU) and created some lacy strips using kraft cardstock and added some stitching with black thread.  I love it!!  So many possibilities for combining this punch with thread - my head is full of ideas!!  I layered the stitched strips to a black strip that was trimmed with decorative scissors, attached that to the acetate with double sided tape and then attached the acetate to the decorative paper using double sided tape behind the strips.  I used mini brads to attach the whole element to the card front!!  I can see using the little mini brads with the lacy strips as well for creating decorative elements for cards.

More acetate cards!

 I found these printed acetates in my stash and thought they would go well with the paper napkin I used to clean up my alcohol inks when I was creating my previous acetate card.  I used Sharpies,  rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab to colour the images on the back.  I simply applied a bit of blue on the petals with the marker and moved around the colour with a  swab dampened with alcohol. In the same manner, I added yellow to the centers and green to the leaves.  The colour coordinated very nicely with my background paper.

I applied white glue to the back of the acetates - same side as the colour - and placed them on the coloured paper napkin and left them to dry.  Once dry, it was easy to trim the napkin to the edge of the acetate.  I added a white layer below the acetate to help brighten the flowers because placing them directly on the cardstock dulled the colours too much.  I added a length of seam binding between the image and the greeting, gluing the ends to the back and tied on a short piece to simulate a bow.  I attached this element to my card front with four brads.  This was a stash buster!!  The background paper napkin didn't even make it to the stash as it was still on my work surface!!
I really love the watercolour look of the background!!  Save the paper towels or wipes you use to clean up to use as backgrounds for future projects!!

Therese

Acetate and sticker card

On AFTCM, I joined a swap that requires that I create an elegant acetate card that includes a sticker.    It took a bit of time to come up with the layers for this card to insure that no glue or brad tangs were showing but it finally came all together.  I started by cutting a piece of acetate that when folded in half fit in a large envelope.  I cut another piece of acetate for my focal element, applied my sticker - a vase of beautiful sunflowers - to the front.  I used alcohol inks on the back of this layer to create a soft watercolour look.  I lifted the vase part of the sticker and added a piece of yellow vintage seam binding over the acetate and glued the ends to the back.   I layered some decorative reflective foil to the back of this acetate and attached it using some double sided tape behind the sunflowers. I added this element to the card front using four brads through all the layers.  To cover up the brad tangs I added an embellished layer of green cardstock slightly larger than the element to the inside of the card front using four large glue dots on the brad tangs and a couple piece of double sided tape in the center area.  I had punched the one side of the green cardstock using a scallop border punch (SU) and pierced the scallops using a push pin.  To the inside back of the acetate card I added an embellished layer of white cardstock using large glue dots in the corners.  I had previously border punched one of the edges and added some dots and stitching using a coordinating blue gel pen.  To cover up the sight of my glue dots on the back of the card I added four small sunflower stickers.  To finish it off, I tied a small length of seam binding to the piece on the front with a single knot and tied on a sticker embellishment which I created using two round tag shaped clear stickers with a little sunflower sticker sandwiched in between.
Really love the dimension and interest created by that reflective foil I placed behind my acetate.  It has been in my stash for YEARS!!!!!!!!  Saved this foil wrapper from a KitKat bar when Lost World was the movie to see!!
Enjoy the last of the summer before the kids head back to school!!

Therese

2012 Calendar

On AFTCM, I signed up for a desktop calendar swap. I created this one using two blank coasters which I bound together after they were embellished. On the right hand side, I added a label die cut (TH-SX) layered with an oval (NS) and a butterfly punchie (SU) using brads over the last bit of this decorative paper I had left from my trip to London two years ago. I left the layer loose so that little notes could be tucked under it. On the right hand side, I attached a clear acetate layer with brads and tucked a set of small calendar pages in behind it. After the year is over the recipient can add another set of small calendar pages or insert a photo or quote instead. It will be a gift that keeps on giving!!

I love the soft colours and flowery design of this paper!! Very happy with the way the calendar worked out!!

Therese

Birthday card

One of the guys from our guild is turning 70!! His wife organized a surprise (until Friday) party for him tomorrow!! He is a great guy who can make anything out of wood.

I do not have many masculine stamps and wanted a larger card for this occasion so went searching through old cards I have ready to be refurbished to see if I had anything suitable. I really like the simplicity of this image so I trimmed it down, added a black border and found an envelope the right size in my stash. Added a black ribbon tied with a double knot and a greeting printed on acetate - ensured it would be in the right place and not be smeared!! Have added Happy Birthday inside in black!! A very nice card that did not take too long to make and suited the recipient.

Therese

KN - masculine cards

Made these cards up for Cyndi's space at Knitting Nimrod. They are appropriate for Father's Day as well as birthdays for those special men in our lives.

These are the first in my line of HeartFelt greetings. I felted some old sweaters and will die cut shapes out of them to be the accent elements on this line of cards. Cards that feature felted wool for sale in a yarn shop! What a great idea!!

These cards have felted stars (Sizzix) layered over handmade paper strips with acetate greetings attached with brads or sewing!! They have great texture and wonderul colours!!

If you are in the area consider checking out the store - great vintage buttons, yarn of every description and patterns for most anything!!

Therese

My Art - All Occasions - acetate

I created the top card for the class because it required less time to finish. The bottom card was my first try at this design. It has the advantage of a colourful image but does not have the contrast of coloured cardstock which adds appeal to the second card.
I sandwiched the acetate between the flap on the left hand side and the layer I added on the inside to hide the double sided tape which also adds some interest because it shows through the acetate!! Layering the white embossed image on the acetate layer can be tricky. I started with the white layer which I glued to the inside of the card front. Lay it, properly centered, on the inside of the card with double sided tape well to the center facing up and close the front over it. Perfectly positioned!! Now just add double sided tape to the back of the image and position it on the front of the card evenly centered on the white layer. I added a decorative fiber tie on the right hand side to add some dimension to this card.

Love the clean lines of this card and it has a elegant look done in a colour and a neutral!!

Therese

My Art - April cardmaking - butterflies

Fun cards at cardmaking last night!! I cased these from Toni's blog!! I loved the idea of having the clear acetate in the middle of the card!! I made the lavendar one as a sample using my SU scallop border punch but found when assembling that there was little margin for error on attaching the acetate so opted to use decorative scissors instead at the class because it allowed for more room. Very happy with the way these ones worked out. There were some really beautiful butterflies created!!
I sandwiched the acetate - stamped with StazON in black with a butterfly quote - between the cardstock and the decorative paper which makes a nice neat finish. Used double sided tape to attach to cardstock. The butterflies were embossed with metalic embossing powder and were either watercoloured or finished with colour pencils. I did both of these with watercolours. Added just a quarter sheet insert so that the clear strip would be very evident on the card front.
April features Earth Day so I was trying to find ways of being green - using what I have instead of starting with new. The acetate on these cards were cut offs left over from the glitter card I made for Christmas.

Therese

My Art - Christmas cards

A Queen Anne's Lace snowflake!! I picked more QAL this summer and pressed them for making Christmas cards. I just love creating with this soft green colour. I cut the layered scalloped circles with my Nestabilities and my Cuttlebug machine. There is a double layer of acetate that protects the QAL which is attached to the back layer with a tiny piece of double sided tape. There is an ivory layer that I cut at the same time as the front on the inside that hides all the layers and acetate. The outside of the card is stamped with a multi snowflake stamp(Michaels $1.50) in soft green ink. The scalloped circle that I cut out of the front ivory layer I stamped with a large snowflake in the same green ink and glued to the inside of the card so when the card is closed you can see it through the window. I used Bowtique ribbon (last year's supply) of the ribbon and layered my stamped greeting onto a darker green oval and applied it with 3D foam tape.

Love the natural feel of this card and it is really different as a Christmas card!!

Therese

My Art - Christmas cards

Glitter just makes every thing sparkle and is always appropriate for Christmas!! On this card we glittered our little tree on the back side of the acetate so to keep the stray glitter at bay!! I stamped the little tree on the front of the acetate with black Staz On and we coloured the star and trunk with Sharpie markers on the back. We also applied white glue with a very fine tip to the tree then sprinkled on ultra fine green glitter ($1 Store). It takes a while for the glue to dry clear but we assembled the cards anyway and by the end of the class some of them were already dry - clear - so you could see the glitter!! A really fun card!! I cut the aperture in the blue layer with my rectangle Nestabities and my Cuttlebug machine!! Sure does a nice job and so much quicker than an exacto and a ruler!! I added a snow bank of white cardstock so the tree would have a place to stand and stamped a greeting on the outside!! The background is coloured printed on the card front. A few layers but worth the time!!

Therese