Beautiful crocus paper for Easter cards

I love this crocus paper for Easter/spring cards!!  This is almost the very last of the paper I have which has been my go to paper for these cards for many years!!  Not sure if it is still available anywhere!!  I may have to find a new favorite!!

For my first card, I cut my background with a slit - 1 3/4" from the right hand side half way up and then folded the flap up.  They were plain white on the back and I thought they needed a bit of something so I added little rectangles of a subtle patterned paper to make them more interesting.  I like how it looks.  Next time I will glue a strip of paper to the back before I cut the paper which will help to get everything lined up and create a nicer fold.  I used a small piece of double sided tape right near the fold to keep the flaps open.  I added a piece of purple ribbon from the folded area to the outside edge and adhered the ends to the back of the paper using double sided tape.  I embossed (SU) the right hand edge of a yellow card and then added my folded background.  I watercoloured my laser printed digital greeting, layered it onto a purple scalloped circle die cut and mounted it over the end of my ribbon using 3D foam tape.  I added a bit of clear glitter to the flowers and the line on the greeting.  

For my second card, I used two small scraps and taped them together on the back to created a full background.  I glued it to the front of a green card and added a ruffled ivory ribbon gluing the ends to the inside of my card with double sided tape.  I created an opening on my spine using a slot punch by just punching off a sliver.  I added some purple and white bakers twine over the center of the ribbon which worked out quite well.  I used regular tape to secure the ends on the inside front.  I watercoloured my laser printed punchie greeting and mounted it over the ribbon just a bit to the right as to not cover up the yellow crocus.  Again, a bit of clear glitter was added to the greeting to give it a bit of fun!!  

Therese

Two more cards that feature embossed resists with watercolour - card kits

A couple more cards for my stash that feature white embossing as a resist on watercolour paper!!  The rooster (SU) was a bit too detailed to work really well for this technique.  I added several colours - red, blue, green and yellow but because the design is too intricate there is too much white.  I went with it anyway and added some green for the grass and brown below that for the ground.  I coloured the sky blue!!!  I added a length of green satin ribbon adhering both ends to the back with double sided tape and tied on a short length with a single knot to simulate a bow.  I trimmed a laser printed greeting with decorative scissors (Deckle), sponged the edge with a bit of green and adhered it to my artwork with double sided tape by just tucking it behind the ribbon.  The ribbon was a bit loose so I added a little piece of double sided tape between it and the greeting to keep everything in place.  

The card on the right was fun to make!!  It was hard to actually see what the design was so I just added red and orange watercolour until the design show up!!  I did add a bit of black with a fine tip Sharpie in the center of the flowers and used a yellow gel pen to highlight the outside edge of the flowers as well.  I fussy cut one of my laser printed chalk greetings and edged it with a black marker.  Once I punched the holes I threaded through a gold satin ribbon and adhered both ends to the back of the watercolour paper.  Once I positioned the greeting I added 3D foam tape to the back so it would stay in place.  I tied a short length of ribbon to the one on the front with a single knot to simulate a bow.  I layered this large element to orange cardstock and then to the black card front from the kit.  

Love this technique!!!        Therese

White embossing resist with watercolour on these handmade cards from card kits

I have been rediscovering my desk and found some card kits from past classes so I decided to make them up and add them to my stash!!  These cards are from this class.  With the embossing already done I simply applied watercolour, layered them and added greetings to finish them off!!  Card kits make card making quick and easy!!

I watercoloured the feather in blue and green and did the script background in blue.  After the watercolour was dry I added shimmery paint in blue and green to give the feather more glitz.  I layered this element onto green cardstock and then onto the black card from the kit.  I chose to change the greeting to this laser printed one which I fussy cut and then painted with blue shimmery paint to coordinate with the feather.  I adhered the ends of the greeting with double sided tape and added a small piece of 3D foam tape in the center to give it a bit of dimension.  Very happy with how this one worked out!!!

For the other card I was careful in my application of colour to make the images really stand out!!  I started with yellow for the squares (Magenta), then green for the leaves, and finally blue for the background.  Lastly, I used several colours to finish the flowers.  Once dry, I was careful to wipe the surface of the embossing with a paper towel to remove any colour that had dried there.  It makes the white pop!!  I added a simple laser printed vellum greeting on the upper right by folding the end to the back and securing with tape and a tiny bit of double sided below the H in Happy to keep the flagged end in place.  I glued this layer to purple cardstock and then to the black card from the kit.  It was fun to change up these kits a bit.  I do have a difficult time making exact multiples of cards!!

Therese

White embossing on watercolour paper - bright cheery cards!

These two cards were made up from kits I found on my desk from this class.  I love these!!!  I simply added watercolour until I was happy with how they looked and left them to dry.  For the left hand card I stamped and clear embossed a friendship quote (SU) in the center section of the background and then added three flower sequins in coordinating colours using tiny brads.  This focal element was layered onto coordinating cardstock and then onto a black card front.  For the right hand card I added a coordinating organza ribbon and tied a short end to the bottom section to simulate a bow before adding a laser printed chalkboard greeting over it using 3D foam tape.  I glued this layer to a coordinating cardstock and then onto a black card front.   I have a few more kits from this class so expect to see them in the next little while!!  I really fun technique!!  Therese

Christmas card class #2 and #3 - joy with a star

I taught two Christmas card classes yesterday!!  So much fun to listen to Christmas music and create!!  This is one of the card we made.  It is the same as the ones I made for this class a few weeks ago.  

I started by gluing a background to a coordinating card front and then added a colour printed JOY - PEACE ON EARTH trimmed to leave a border on the words.  I used a decorative font to create the JOY so it was easy to change the colour to accommodate the rest of the card.  I watercoloured the inside of the letters then glued it to the front of my embellished card and finally added the little star punchie using 3D foam tape.  The PEACE greeting is from a CD I purchased many years ago which I printed on kraft cardstock.  I added a few lines of tracing wheel texture to the PEACE card and the red JOY card.  I am finding all sorts of places to use this cool tool. 
These were really fun and fairly quick to put together.  

Therese

Exchange cards that feature white embossing and watercolour

I made up a couple of kits from my last class for my exchange cards for this month.  These are so fun because the design emerges when you apply colour!!  The design is embossed on watercolour paper using white embossing powder so the design is very subtle until you add watercolour.  The gift and teapot stamps have been in my stash for a long while and it had been quite a while since I had actually used a rubber stamp as I am much more likely these days to use digital stamps in my cardmaking.  I also stamped the greetings onto my label die cuts (Spellbinders) using a Versafine Black stamp pad.  I wrapped the fiber around my background and incorporated the greeting label just before tying it off.  These large focal elements were glued to the front of a black card which really highlights the colours nicely!!  

So these are off to my card exchange partners in today's mail!!!

Therese

Another fun watercoloured card

I made this card with a kit I made up for my last cardmaking class.  It features white embossing on watercolour paper and the design emerges as colour is applied!  I started with yellow watercolour all over avoiding some parts of the presents as I went along.  Next I added blue to the inside of the presents and discovered that the bottom edge of the design is not closed so the colour ran into the yellow a bit.  Next, I added just a wee bit of red to the heart bows on the top of the presents.  A fun design using a stamp I have had for ages!!  I coloured the greeting with the same colours as the main element though I watered them down some so as to not compete with the front.  I wrapped the fiber all the way around and then incorporated my label greeting in on my last wrap before tying it off with a double knot.  The greeting was stamped with black ink (SU). I glued this large element to a black card front.  Love the bright colours!!

Therese

September Cardmaking - white embossed images with all over watercolour

I have been wanting to try this out for a while and decided to include a card into the class that included white embossed images on watercolour paper coloured in an overall manner with watercolour!!  It is always a bit of a surprise when you start adding watercolour because white embossing powder on white watercolour paper is very subtle!!  Fun!!  I included black cardstock in all the kits because it nicely highlights any colour and it was completely unpredictable what colour the participants were going to choose for their cards.  We watercoloured our focal images and used a hair dryer to encourage the drying process.  Next, we wrapped white fiber which would work with any colour of art around our dried artwork and threaded on our greeting before tying it off on the side.  We did choose to watercolour our greeting slightly before cleaning our brushes so they would coordinate with our focal element.  The greetings were stamped in black ink onto label die cuts (Spell binders).  I did add a bit of double sided tape to the back of my greeting to keep it exactly where I wanted it.  These large elements were then glued to our black card front.  Love the look!!    Here are a couple more with more of an all over embossed pattern. 
Therese

Watercolour and white embossing resist on watercolour paper

My grand daughter was visiting this week and we spend some time in the craft room.  She was working on her own projects so I got started on a technique that I have been wanting to revisit - white embossing resist!!  I discovered some small sheets of watercolour paper in my stash a while back and thought they would work very well for this technique which I have been seeing on Splitcoast Stampers lately.  I started with a couple of small clear stamps that have not seen much,  if any use.  I stamped them with Versamark on the small sheets of watercolour paper and embossed them with white embossing powder. I added a greeting (SU) under the floral swirl and embossed it as well.   I used regular palette watercolours on the left hand one by simply applying several colours with a very wet paintbrush until I was happy with the look of it.   For the second one, I used distress inks applied to a craft sheet, spritzed with water and laid the paper in the puddle.  I kept dipping until I was happy with the look!!  Once dry, I trimmed the sheets neatly and stitched them to coordinating layers (4" x 5.25") using my sewing machine. Next I layered them onto coordinating card fronts.  I finished off the left hand one with star punchies which I painted with pearly acrylic paint and I used colourful sequins on the other one.  Very happy with how these turned out and I will be using them for my exchange cards for my partners this month.    Therese