Christmas cards featuring red and blue plaid paper, a variety of images & greetings and some ribbon

I am committed to making Christmas card regularly over the course of this year so I will have them ready by December when I need to have them mailed out.  I decided to use up a piece of foil gift wrap that was around one of our gifts this past season.  It is a red and navy plaid so I just cut what was usable from the piece and got eight 3.75" squares.  I found cardstock that coordindated  - one red and one navy and cut eight cards and the corresponding navy layers for each card.  I dug through my Christmasimage stash and found a few that would work with this sketch and colour scheme.  I also dug through my stash of Christmas greetings and found some that would also work.  I created the cards one at a time after that.

The first one features a Melonheadz image of Santa and the baby Jesus.  I trimmed the image into a square, watercoloured it and added faux stitching all the way around using a permanent marker.  I mounted the navy layer to the red card, added the plaid paper square then mounted the image over the paper using 3D foam tape.  I added a strip of the same red cardstock below the image and mounted my laser printed greeting over it using 3D foam tape.
The second one has a similar sketch.  I added a length of white seam binding to the navy/plaid paper layer before mounting my sleigh image (Black Berry Jelly) with 3D foam tape.  It is watercoloured, glittered and layered with navy cardstock. The greeting is stamped in blue, layered on red and flagged on the right hand side and mounted with 3D foam tape.
The third one features a snowman paper cast which I made a long while back to which I added a little turquoise snowflake with a tiny silver brad.  The paper has turquoise lines which only show when you look at it from an angle.  The laser printed greeting is layered with red, has a folded ribbon on the right hand side and is mounted below the focal image with 3D foam tape.
The fourth one is a bit of a departure from the sketch.  Because the image was larger I tore the square in two and mounted the two pieces to the top and bottom of the navy layer.  I watercoloured the angel (SU) and ran the tracing wheel on all the edges before mounting it to the layer with 3D foam tape.  I punched a Modern Label layer from a scrap of foil turquoise paper which is glued to cardstock to make it stiff enough to mount.  I added a small laser printed turquoise greeting.  I mounted the greeting overlapping the image and added a bit of 3D foam tape to the bottom edge when it attaches to the background.

The fifth card has the plaid paper adhered to the navy glued to the red card.  I layered a die cut nativity image (reused card) onto a white scalloped circle (Nestibilities) which I mounted with 3D foam taper for the plaid paper.  I layered the stamped greeting (SU) with red and mounted it with 3D foam tape.  To finish it off I added a length of white seam binding below the elements and adhered the ends to the inside of the card with double sided tape.
The sixth one has a very similar layout featuring a layered image of a couple of friends out for a walk in a winter wonderland (reused card) layered onto a white scalloped circle with a laser printed image layered with red below the plaid square.  I trimmed the red cardstock with decorative scalloped scissors, paper pierced the scallops and added a couple of embossed lines to each side of the greeting.

For the seventh one, I embossed the navy layer and mounted the paper over it.  Not the best idea with foil paper.  I layered the image of a beautiful house all ready for Christmas (reused card) with turquoise and mounted it this layer using 3D foam tape.  I adhered this large layer to the red card.  I layered the laser printed greeting with red before mounting it to my card front using 3D foam tape.
The eighth and last card features a small die cut ornament in navy.  I used glitter pens to colour the top and the wavy band and added dots of clear glitter to the rest of the ornament.  I mounted it to a white embossed strip with 3D foam tape, added a red ribbon to the top and flagged the end of the strip before mounting it to the navy/plaid paper layer.  I added clear glitter faux stitching all the way around the navy layer and below the plaid paper.  I trimmed a laser printed greeting, layered it with red, flagged both ends and added some embossed lines on each side before mounted it to my card front.
It was really fun to be back making Christmas cards after a bit of a break.  I am very happy with how they all worked out and that they are all a bit different.               Therese

Thank you card featuring laser printed digital background, seam binding and a punchie greeting embellished with clear dimensional paint

For this card, I started with the colour printed background which I trimmed to size and adhered to a very deep rose card.  I added a length of deep rose seam binding just leaving one end flagged.  I mounted a laser printed (digital) punchie (SU) greeting which was watercoloured to coordinate with the paper.  I added clear dimensional paint to the center where the Thanks is and let it dry before mounting it to the front of my card using 3D foam tape.            Therese

Thank you card featuring a layered punchie greeting with a length of folded seam binding

For this thank you card I started with a pink card and added the patterned scrapbook paper background.  I found a coordinating oval font greeting punchie (SU) in my stash and sponged its edges in pink.  I adhered it to a green punched oval (SU) and then to a scalloped oval punchie from vellum.  I cut a piece of deep rose seam binding and folded it in half and crossed the ends.  I added a small piece of double sided tape where they crossed to keep the two lengths together and added another piece to adhere it to the front of my card.  I added 3D foam tape to the back of my greeting and positioned it over the fold seam binding!  Pink and green is my favorite colour combination so I am inclined to really like this card and it soft background and greeting with a bit of punch with the seam binding!!          Therese

Christmas cards featuring little penguins skipping with a light string, some ribbon and fiber

I had hoped to make this sketch one of the cards for my card class last week but unfortunately I had a very difficult time getting them to stamp cleanly and emboss them effectively.  These are the ones I salvaged from the discard pile.
I started by stamping and embossing with black embossing powder the little penguins and then stamped the greeting below and did the same.  I watercoloured the image and then distressed the edges before adding a length of ribbon/seam binding between the image and the greeting.  I tied fiber to two of them and a length of the same ribbon on the other one before mounting it to a coordinating layer of cardstock.  I mounted a piece of decorative paper to a coordinating card and then mounted my large focal element with 3D foam tape.  I am really happy with this sketch so I will consider stamping in permanent ink when I revisit it. 

Therese

Christmas cards featuring a large JOY greeting, decorative paper and some embellishments

 Still making Christmas cards!!

These all feature a JOY greeting that was created using a decorative font and printed in two greens and brown.

For the first one, I cut a piece of decorative paper (gift wrap) and added a length of red seam binding before adhering it to the front of a red card.  I watercoloured the JOY in red on the green colour printed word and mounted it over the seam binding.  I tied a short piece of the same seam binding to the one on the front above the greeting using a single knot to simulate a bow.  

For the second card, I used a piece of colour printed decorative paper (SU) and mounted it to a red card.  I watercoloured the JOY in the green word to coordinate, ran my tracing wheel around the edges and mounted it to a coordinating rectangle of cardstock.   I added two little green branches (SU - bird punch) adhering them behind the greeting and finished off my card by mounting the JOY over the decorative paper using 3D foam tape.  

For my third card, I tore a 4"x 4" piece of scrapbook paper and sponged their edges before mounting them to the front of a dark brown card.  I manually embossed the space in between using the Swiss Dot embossing folder.  I watercoloured the JOY in my dark brown printed greeting using shimmery blue paint.  I layered it with coordinating blue foil which was trimmed with decorative scissors before mounting this element to the front of my card using 3D foam tape.  I found the two snowflakes in my stash and layered them with a brown brad.  I mounted this with 3D foam tape to finish off my card.  

Therese

A birthday card for my Mom (85) featuring a blue tag, an embossed collage background and a beautiful silk flower

My Mom will be 85 at the end of the month and we will be celebrating with her!!!!!  Blue is her favorite colour so I always like to include it when I am making a card for her.  I started with a large blue envelope and made a blue card to fit.  Next, I worked on a blue and white collage background. I dug through my scrap paper bucket and found a variety of white and blue pieces - a bit of watercolour trimmed from a decorative paper piece, some glittery gift wrap, tissue paper, etc.  I dug out a piece of scrap paper and glued on my white and blue scraps which included a few pieces of sheet music.  Once it was dry I embossed it with a large embossing folder which I had to do in three different runs to get it all done.  I stitched on two lengths of while lace and then adhered a length of white seam binding over the stitching tucking the ends to the back and adhering them with double sided tape.  I found this tag in my stash which coordinated so I added a small ribbon at the top and adhered it over my lace.  I found the greeting in my stash, trimmed it to size, distressed its edges and glued it to my tag.  A trip to my silk flower stash yielded these blue and white silk flowers which I layered and secured with a white button brad.  I added it to my collage background before adhering this large element to my blue card front.  I am very happy with how it turned out!!  My Mom is an amazing woman who has lived her life within certain confines but did it with grace.  This is a perfect card for her!!  She has been a seamstress and quilter most of her life hence the stitching and button brad!!             Therese

Mother's Day card featuring a hand decorated border, a beautiful ribbon and a digital greeting

I made this card for my oldest daughter for Mother's Day.  Using some of her favorite colours I started with an ivory card with a large envelope.  I added a stamped and watercoloured background and then a gold edged coral ribbon.  The border was one I found in my stash which I created a while back for a different project using the clear embossed resist technique but the colours were very appropriate so I used an eyelet border punch on each long side and mounted it over the ribbon.  I die cut a flower in a coordinating cardstock and then added a layer which was die cut from gold metallic cardstock.  Once layered I adhered them over the circle in the border.  I corner punched my laser printed greeting (Desert Diva), punched a hole in the left hand side and sponged it to coordinate with my card, then added a piece of soft vintage seam binding in a wonderful green colour before adhering it to my card using 3D foam tape.    Therese

Valentine's card that features a blingy heart, seam binding and a laser printed greeting

Another Valentine's card!!  I used a fun background from Melstampz which I printed a while back, trimmed to size and mounted to a black card.  I added a length of dark pink seam binding adhering the ends to the inside of my card using double sided tape.  I created a layered heart focal element using a glittered heart, a silver heart punchie (SU) and a little darker teal heart die cut (CB).  After gluing them all together I mounted this large element to my card using 3D foam tape overlapping the seam binding.  I added a little laser printed greeting just to the left below the heart.                Therese

Anniversary card with a gift wrap background, seam binding and some punchie hearts

I am working on cards for my family's special occasions!!  An anniversary card for my sister!! 
I started with a large blue envelope and made a blue card to fit inside.  I layered on a piece of beautiful gift wrap that coordinated nicely.  Digging through my stash looking for a white heart shaped paper doily I found this wonderful embossed gift wrap and decided to use it instead.  I cut one panel from the piece which was saved off of a gift a while back and layered it with the same cardstock as the card.  I glued it on my card front using glue stick.  I added a length of coordinating vintage seam binding overlapping my little square and a bit offset.  I added two heart punchies (SU) from my stash in silver and one stamped one (SU) in a delicate dot pattern.  I mounted them over the square using 3D foam tape.  The greeting (Bird's Cards) was laser printed and them punched with the large oval punch (SU).  I sponged the edges to coordinate before mounting it below the square with 3D foam tape.  It still needed a bit of something to I tied a short length of seam binding to the one on the card using a single knot.  Nicely simulates a bow and was just what this card needed to finish it off!! It is off to my sister and her DH in today's mail!!!!!  Therese

Praying for you card that reuses a card panel

Always good to have a few of these on hand as well!!  This card features a panel from a commercial card to which I added a length of white seam binding.  I punched an opening (SU Modern Label) in the top right before adhering it to my purple card in which I added a small laser printed greeting in purple punched with the Word Window punch from SU.  I love the shimmer on this card and it's soft and subtle colour scheme.   These are always quick and easy because the large element is ready to go once it is trimmed.      Therese

A beautiful birthday card which reuses a panel from a commercial card with a large die cut greeting

Birthday cards are essential parts of every card stash so I am making a few of those as well.  For this one I am reusing a panel from a commercial card that was donated to me for use in my cardmaking that features these wonderful glittery poppies!!  I used the other half on this card.  After trimming the image to size I added a red strip to the right hand side and mounted this large element to a green card.  I die cut this large laser printed font greeting with my Nestibilities, sponged the edges in green and added an innie outie bow in pink seam binding before mounting it to my card using 3D foam tape.  A quick and easy card!!             Therese

Friendship card with embossed handmade paper, a blingy heart and a stamped heart punchie greeting

Yet more stash cards!!  For this one I embossed a quarter sheet of handmade paper (made it myself) with a flourish embossing folder.  I love the subtle look of it!!  Added white seam binding across the width tucking the ends to the back than stitched it all the way around to a white card with purple thread in my sewing machine.  I added a layered heart shaped greeting.  I started with a large glittery heart which I gleaned from a commercial card, added a stamped heart shaped punchie greeting layered to a purple die cut with scalloped edges.  Makes a great card for a friend for almost any occasion!!

Therese

An elegant card with a beautiful white dress

I love this dress image from CLKER!!!!!!!!!  It is a classic image suitable for a wedding and/or a shower when done is white shimmer as I have done for this card.  I have coloured it in different colours which makes it suitable for a graduation card!!   I layered it onto an aqua rectangle and added three little rhinestones for a little bling!!  I embossed a white layered with a beautiful flourish embossing folder and added a coordinating vintage seam binding before adhering it to a white card.  I mounted the large focal element over the seam binding using 3D foam tape.  Always good to have one of these on hand. 

Therese

A shaker card with hearts for our anniversary!

I used an embossed (Lattice - SU) collage background for this card.  Collaging scraps is a fun activity which you can do anytime you have no project on the go or when your mojo is on strike.  You can use almost anything as a substrate - junk mail, a flopped background or a ruined layer!!  Just keep gluing scraps on until you have filled the whole area.  Once completely dry, you can stamp, sponge, emboss and even thermally emboss to make it more than the sum of its parts!! 
I decided to make a shaker card for my DH for our anniversary.  Have not made these often but they are always fun to do.  I cut a square opening with a frame using two Nestibilities square dies nicely spaced from each other on my magnetic plate in my Big Kick. I added a length of white seam binding from the edge of the opening to the right hand edge adhering the ends to the back with double sided tape.  I adhered a coordinating background behind the opening and then layered the whole piece onto brown cardstock and then to a blue card front.  I stacked heart punchies in the opening along with a few micro beads in green.  I added double sided tape to the back of the frame and adhered a small piece of plastic from packaging then added 3D foam tape all the way around to ensure that my little hearts and beads did not escape.  I positioned the frame over the hearts and pressed firmly to adhere my little shaker to my card front.  My shaker is not too shaky as I added a few too many hearts in it but they do move around a bit so it works well enough!!  I tied a short end of seam binding to the one on the front using a single knot to simulate a bow and added a little laser printed greeting using 3D foam tape just below the "bow".  I will be trying this again and will be more skimpy with my inclusions to ensure a better "shake" next time.  Cutting the frame with two Nesties works really well!          Therese

The last three truck cards from card kits

For my January class I created card kits that featured little truck die cuts.   It is a set - stamp and thinlit die combo from Stampin UP which my sister owns.  I was visiting a few weeks agon and cut a few more red trucks.  I really like these little trucks though with the card kits the layouts have all been very similar.  Black or gray cardstock to which I have added a white line to simulate pavement or stipple stamped to simulate a dirt road.  I added some green grass with watercolour to the torn green layer of two of these and like how that looks!!  I added a layer of collaged, embossed die cut "grass" to the bottom one and I like that a lot. Looks like a tree line. 

 I used balloon punchies with thread strings on the first two and added a load of hearts to the last one.  I chose the greetings from my stash so made them a bit different with bakers twine on one and seam binding on the other and a totally different flagged greeting on the last one.  I added some lines of piercings with my pattern tracing wheel on the last one to add some texture to the sky which I like a lot.  The trucks all got some clear glitter gel pen on the lights, windshield, hub cabs, running rails and front bumper which adds some sparkle.  On the last one I added some watercolour to make the truck two tone which really adds some interest to it. 

I have cut LOTS more little trucks - mostly red ones but I am glad I did cut a few more different colours to add a bit of interest to the next set of cards.  I will have see what other layouts have been use with this little truck to see if I can change things up a little.    I have used a few others things in the back of the trucks so I expect I can find a few other fillers which will change things up as well. 

Therese

Cards from kits - fun fold with decorative paper and some embossing

 In order to get a few more cards made for my stash I have translated some card kits into cards!!  These are from my March class.  A very versatile sketch in that you can change up the paper and the elements to suit almost any occasion.  Since I designed these I have seen some used landscape as shirt fronts with a tie for guy cards and also with the folds facing the other way for a different look.  I suppose they might even work the other way in the landscape orientation if you put our focal element on the bottom edge of the card with the flaps sort of simulating tent flaps.  I will keep those in mind for next time around.
For these cards the front right hand edge of the card was embossed with coordinating embossing folders.  The decorative paper was cut from the left edge about 1.75" at the center point and a line scored from the end of the cut to each corner and then the flaps folded out.  I used a small piece of double side tape to secure each flap placing them very close to the fold and folding them back to secure them.  I added a short piece of ribbon or seam binding from the bottom of the V fold to the outside edge of the decorative paper securing the ends to the back with double sided tape.  These were then adhered to the embossed card fronts.  They all have round layered greetings.  The top one has a round laser printed greeting (The Spruce) which was punched out (1.75" SU)  and layered onto a brown scalloped circle (Nestiblilities) which was paper pierced in each scallop using a push pin.  The button (Torico) was fussy cut and water coloured to coordinate.  It was adhered in the center of the greeting with 3D foam tape and the layered greeting was also mounted to the card front using 3D foam tape.  I used brown thread and a needle to embellish the button before mounting it.

These two both have laser printed greetings (Netty's cards and Desert Diva with a cupcake) which I watercoloured.  Two coordinating layers on the first one with some clear glitter gel pen on the slim ring.  One scalloped circle on the second one with clear glitter gel pen on the scallops and the icing of the cupcake.  These were mounted to their card fronts using 3D foam tape.  It is fun to create with these card kits and certainly quick and easy as well.  

Therese

A Father's Day cards that features digital images - a plane, a greeting and some decorative paper!!

Made this card for DH for the weekend.  Not sure exactly what are plans are going to be but I am ever grateful for his presence in our child rearing years!!!
All the elements for this card were laser printed.  The cool plane image is from Arthur's Clipart, the greeting is from Desert Diva and the  coordinating decorative paper is from Morgue File.
I glued the decorative paper to a red card front after attaching a length of caramel vintage seam binding with double sided tape.  I layered the trimmed plane image onto navy cardstock and used my pattern tracing wheel to add pierced lines of texture.  I adhered the image to my card front using 3D foam tape overlapping the seam binding.  The greeting was trimmed, mounted onto red cardstock and also mounted to my card front using 3D foam tape.  To finish it off I tied a short piece of the same seam binding to the one on the front using a single knot which very nicely simulates a bow!!!!!!!  I did sponge the edges of the plane image with navy and brown and added just a bit of sponged colour to the greeting to dull its bright white look.  Perfect!!          Therese

Airplane postage stamp for a cool card for a pilot

Our son's birthday is coming up next month but we celebrated this weekend because he will be headed back overseas very soon where works as a pilot!!  He has been a plane fan from the very beginning - he knew all their names and numbers!!  This used postage stamp features an F-18 Hornet which is the fighter jet the Canadian Military flies!!  A well known sight and sound of his youth so I thought it would be appropriate for his significant birthday card!! 
I mounted the used postage stamp onto cardstock - navy and yellow  - combined to reflect the colours in the stamp.  I used 3D foam tape to mount this element to a warm blue rectangle of cardstock which I had distressed on all its edges.  I trimmed the bottom edge of the laser printed greeting with Deckle decorative scissors, sponged the bottom edge with coordinating ink and mounted it to the back side of my focal element with double sided tape.  I used a background I had in my stash from when I was creating these fun washi tape cards and embossed it with a timepiece embossing folder.  I sponged the edges with the same ink I used on the greeting and mounted it to a navy card front.  I added a length of white seam binding before adhering my focal element to my card front overlapping it.  The ends of the seam binding were adhered to the inside front of the card using double sided tape and are covered by the insert which I add to all my cards. 
Therese

March Cardmaking - a fun folding technique with ribbon and a layered focal element

For the second card I decided to try out this fun fold which I have seen quite a bit on Splitcoast Stampers.  

I cut my scrapbook paper backgrounds to 4" x 5.25" and then cut a 1 3/4" slit from the right hand side at the center (2 5/8").  I scored from the end of the cut to each of the corners and then folded the flaps back.  This works best with double sided paper which makes the flap interesting!  Digging into my stash I did find several pieces of double sided paper to make up my kits.  Both of the above are gift wrap.  I added a ribbon from the bottom of the cut to the opposite side securing the ends with double sided tape and then mounted this element to my embossed card front.  I added a tiny bit of double sided tape right near the fold on both flaps to encourage them to stay open but still allowed the tips to lift from the main area which creates a bit of dimension.  The focal elements were all layered scalloped circles - some with greetings and others as above without.  The flower (CLKER) is laser printed, punched and layered with green then onto a blue scallop punchie (SU).  The button was laser printed, fussy cut and mounted to a circle punchie and then to the scalloped circle punchie.  I pierced the scallops with a push pin to add some texture.  One of the girls at class mentioned that it looks like a blouse if you rotate it to the left!!  So it does!! This would certainly work well in the portrait orientation to create a shirt with a tie for a Father's Day card.   You can check out another of these cards here and here.  So a fun fold for a fairly quick card once you have your focal element worked out!!

Therese

Cards from kits that feature a tag, seam binding and watercolour!

In a effort to finish all the card kits I found on my desk I made these two up which use the same sketch.  I watercoloured both laser printed images of flowers in a vase (Anne's Cards) and sponged the edges of the tag.  I trimmed the bottom edge of the greetings and sponged those as well before gluing them to the back of the tag.  I added the seam binding using double sided tape.  I mounted the decorative papers to the front of my coordinating cards and added the embossed cardstock strips over where they join.  I adhered the tags I had prepared onto my card fronts using 3D foam tape to get them a bit of dimension.  I trimmed the ends of the seam binding after they were mounted to the card to ensure they fit within the boundaries of my cards.  Always love how these turn out!!!                Therese