FYI - cardstock for sale

Hey! I returned from Ohio last week with cardstock for sale! You can check it all out here:

http://www.tmalakrsc.blogspot.com/

The supply for some of the colours are low already!!

If you are interested please just send me an email
bmalakatcogecodotca

Therese

My Art - April Cardmaking - punchies

Another card that used supplies that I had sitting around!! I used 1/2", 3/4" and 1.25" punches to punch out the circles from my folder of green scraps!! It was fun to dig through the pile and find greens that coordinated to create these punchy little accents. I used a 1 3/8" punch to create the square for mounting the circle accents. These were then mounted onto a 3 3/8" square. It makes a very striking feature on this card. These could be made in any colour - just pick your scrapbucket and start punching!! I added an INNIE - OUTIE bow at the bottom. These are easy to create and make a bow with small amount of ribbon.

Thrifty tip - INNIE - OUTIE - punch two holes about 1/4" apart for narrow, light ribbon (about 1/2" for wider thicker ribbon). Cut about 4" of ribbon and put the ends through from the front - one end in each hole. Cross them over on the back and bring them back to the front in the opposite hole. Trim the ends!! Quick & easy and frugal on ribbon!!

Therese

My Art - April Cardmaking - punchie openings

This card uses another item that has been sitting for quite a while! This is part of a sheet of circle punch outs that SU used to sell. It was tricky because I had to punch a hole inside a hole to get the border on the inside. The green layer is the SU cardstock left over. Worked it out!! I used the 1.25" punch to repunch the green, a 1 1/8" to punch the blue below it. The decorative paper is gift wrap bought at Christmas from Michaels maybe a year ago. The star is from a SEE D Christmas set. The ribbon is actually seam binding which I have had in my stash for quite a while as well but I like the texture and the lightness of it - ties very nicely!! Stamped a greeting!!
Do you have something in your stash that needs to be used up to make room for new stuff?? I challenge you to use up one thing that has been around for quite a while!!

Therese

My Art - April cardmaking - foil flower

A simple card that uses foil tops from applesauce and yogurt!! Those little foils can be used in your card making in so many ways!! I cut the scalloped shape with my Cuttelbug and a Nestabilities die and then passed them through the Cuttlebug again using a silicone mat (SU) and a Fiskars texture plate!! Worked so well!!!! Also used an embossing folder (CB) to emboss the background paper. The flower is created from sequins. These were donated to me by my sister when she was visiting. The multi pack had one one kind she wanted so left the others to use as I saw fit! The ovals had a hole at one end so I threaded five of them onto a brad to create a flower!! The greeting is colour printed.
Try to find ways of creatively reusing some of the items that you would normally recycle or throw out!! It will leave you more money to spend on art supplies or rubber!!

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 - Altered book page with ATC

Did a numbers mingle on one of my groups a while back and just had time today to get that layout finished! Each person made an ATC which they sent off to another member of the group and then we had to create an altered book page incorporating the ATC we received. It is a fun way to create which is sometime outside our comfort zone!!
I gessoed my pages to begin with and then added some stamped swirls in pink. Glued down some pink tissue paper strips - one on each side then added some white acrylic paint to tone down the contrast. Added some more pink swirls on top of that. Used coloured pencils - were the closest in colour to the ATC to write the TWO and Sharpies to add the dots and the "then there were" to the left hand page. Attached the ATC to the right hand page with double sided tape. Like the way it turned out!!

Therese

My art - tea themed card

For our monthly exchange I created this tea themed card using Angelina fibers! These fibers are very sparkly which does not clearly show up on the scan of this card. I used purples and golds and stamped the teapot in black. The fibers melt into each other to highlight the stamp used. The girls bought their fibers at Stamp Fest several years ago from Class Acts.
I added a flower embellishment to the top and a tag with a tea quote at the bottom.

StampFest will be happening in Bancroft, ON again this year on July 18th!! You can check out their site by clicking Stamp Fest above. There will be demos, prizes and make and takes!!

Therese

My art - Letter folio

Letter folio!! Created this letter folio for my Mom. She was attending a retreat several weekends ago and we were to write love letters to her letting her know what she has meant to us and how she has been instrumental in our lives. Along with my letter I included this little folio created using cardstock layered with scrapbook paper. I used one 8.5" x 11" for each cover creating a flap on the inside for holding letters. The spine is cardstock which was scored and glued to each cover. I added a ribbon to each front edge that can be tied to keep all of the contents inside. I am sure my Mom had a great retreat and had a place to store her letters!!

Amazingly, some women did not recieve any letters!!!! So with Mother's Day coming up next month take some time to thank your Mother for what she has done for you. Mothers are not perfect and they often fail to meet all the needs of their children but they have done much!! I was just visiting with my daughter and her newborn son and already there has been so much done - early morning and late night feedings, laundry, meals, play time, bath time, etc, etc!! You will be blessed by concentrating on the many things she did for you rather than counting the places where she failed to meet your needs as legitimate as they were.

Therese

Cardmaking -

A card that uses punchies!! In this case, the five petal flower punch from SU. I used a pushpin at a very low angle on a soft surface (folded up newspaper) to emboss each petal from the center to the point to give them dimension and layered two to create each embellishment. The stamped one uses one of the Sale-a-brations sets. I added coloured sequins under the brads for a little bling in the centers. These can be made any colour and you probably have coloured sequins in your stash somewhere!!

Thrifty tip: I punched the three red punchies from the middle of the red rectangle layer. This saves cardstock and makes your card lighter!! Read this idea on a blog somewhere along the way and thought I would try it!! Worked quite well.

Therese

Cardmaking - Ribbon flower

Created a ribbon flower for this card!! Fun!! I used about 7" or so of 1.25" wide ribbon and ran a row of basting stitches down one side and pulled the top thread to gather it which creates the flower shape. Folded one end over and overlapped it to the other. Used a bit of hot glue to keep them together. The center is a stamped image that was coloured and cut out. I used a 3/4" cardstock punchie on the back side and attached the two together with the brad through the center of the flower which sandwiches the ribbon between them. This gave a nice surface for gluing the flower to the card front without worrying about glue coming through the flower - worked very well. The two leaves are die cut from the new SU die. Stamped the greeting in black on white and layered it with a coordinating green distressed layer and mounted it to the card with 3D foam tape. I love the texture of the ribbon on this card. Consider using fabric or some other maleable material to make your flower or using a monochromatic theme for a more elegant card. The greeting could be stamped and embossed right on the card front.

Have fun with your cardmaking by adding some of your supplies from other hobbies!!

Therese

Cardmaking - transparency flowers

I thought this would be a great spring or Easter card!! I printed the flower photo on the back side of a transparency in reverse so it would look right from the front. We made four different ones!! Easily printed four to a page on 8.5"x 11" transparencies. The trimmed transparency is glued to the layer of decorative paper which is just a bit larger with SMALL pieces of double sided tape in very dark areas so they would not show on the front. This is layered onto a white card. The decorative paper is some that I have created with acrylic paint on white bond paper. Always gives you a unique and interesting look. I added a strip of cardstock which I embellished with scallop scissors and holes (use a push pin and a cushy surface). I added the silk flower with a punchie and brad through all the layers to ensure that everything was secure. I always add a white insert so my cards can easily be refurbished and reused.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend and Easter!! We had snow last night but it will soon be gone as the sun comes out and stays til the middle of next week!! The tulips are up and living things are popping up everywhere!! The Earth offers us hope at this time of the year!! May we take it to heart and value the life we have been given and give back to the Earth in some way!!
Therese

Cardmaking - quick and easy card

Hey! I know it has taken me a while to post the March cardmaking cards. I have been out west to see my new grandson! He is awesome and doing very well. Parents are sleep deprived but hanging in hoping that the distance between feedings and sleep times will increase!! As we all know, they will!!

This was one of my quick and easy cards! It fits in a #8 envelope. The card is made from white cardstock cut 3.5" x 8.5" and folded at just short of the 6.5" mark. You can see on this one that I cut the edge with scallop scissors and punched holes with a pushpin to make an eyelet looking edge. Using a spongy mouse pad or thick fun foam works really well as a base for making the holes with a push pin. The top is covered with a small piece of decorative scrapbooking paper and the botton is a piece of cardstock which has been embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder - Floral Motif! and glued to the backside of the top flap. I stamped the greeting with pigment ink,embossed it with tinsel embossing powder for a glittery look which matches the decorative paper and punched it with the SU scallop punch. Great for a kids birthday!!

Therese

My Art - Birth Announcements

I am a grandma for the second time!!!!! Yeah!! This little guy was born on February 25th. I will be traveling west to see him this week!!
I created this birth announcement for my daughter to send out. It fits in a #8 envelope. It took me a while to figure out in Corel Photo Paint how to make the soft edge oval with the picture of him only days old. The birth info is below his picture and is revealed when the blue panel with his name on it opens up with the short piece where the button is. The short panel is embossed with the CB Swiss Dot embossing folder. The button is a Sizzix die I just recently acquired from a local posting on Kijiji.com. Well worth checking out this site for crafts supplies!! I glued the button die cut to the round ribbon slider die cut and tied them together with white fiber. This is attached to the card front with a ribbon!! His photo and birth info is laser printed and layered onto yellow cardstock the same as the buttons and his die cut name.
If you are a grandma who lives close to her grandchildren you are blessed!! We will be closer once DH husband retires in a few years. Until then, we have been blessed with children who think that grandchildren should know their grandparents and have made the effort to let us see them as often as possible. The other grandchild will be visiting in April with her mom just before her second birthday!!

May you all enjoy your spring break! May you be safe if you are traveling!! Enjoy your children and share a little art with them over the week and celebrate all that is good about them being the ages that they are!!

Therese

My Art - Numbers ATCs

Participated in a Numbers ATC mingle in one of my groups and decided to use my CB numbers embossing folder. Having played with metal in my classes with my students I decided to use metal foil from my latest chocolate treat!! If you need justification for your chocolate consider it buying art supplies with the chocolate being a total bonus!!
In this case, the bar comes with a silver foil liner which I glued to a piece of cardstock - use scrap or mistake cardstock because it will never see the light of day again. I cut the piece into the right sized layers for the ATCs and then ran them through the CB with the Numbers embossing folder!! I used alcohol inks to add colour to the embossed metal layer! Used printed transparency images under slide mounts as accents. Added some vellum beneath the transparency to make the images more visible. Added quotes around the edges using gel markers. Sent off a couple and offered the others to the students in my class as a little gift from me at my last class!! Still have a few leftover for trading!!

Therese

My Art - Embossed metal ATCs

Artist Trading Cards using embossed metal!! Several different techniques in this set.
Row 1 - two on the left: I decorated lengths of metal duct tape using ink and alcohol sealed with an acrylic finish. These were glued to cardstock before they were embossed. These have to be left at least over night or more to be completely dry before you put them through your Cuttlebug embossing folders to add texture. In the end, the finish washed out of the embossing folders with soap and water with a tooth brush but it was a bit time consuming. The quotes were printed on transparency, mounted below the bookplates and trimmed. The bookplates were attached to the ATC with brads. I did add a layer of vellum between the two to make the quote more legible. Really like the look of this embossed metal!!
Row 1 - one on the right: This one used the same tape as above but instead it was applied over elements that were glued to the blank ATC. In this case, from bottom up - a strip of fiberglass screening, a scalloped circle, a circle punchie with a snow flake punched out of the middle. I glued the tape down the center of the ATC over all the layers and applied pressure with my finger to bring out the texture of the layers below. Rubbing with anything other than a finger removed the finish and gave a bit of a distressed look to the metal which was cool. To distress the snowflake even more I laid a piece of wax paper over it and traced with with a pencil. I found the wax paper nicely pick up the finish and left no residue of finish on the piece. Neat little trick that I discovered by accident.
Row 2: I used a red aluminum (Christmas baking arrived in this one) container which was straightened with pressure and a wooden spatula handle (wood works the best for not marring the surface and giving a smooth finish). Once it was reasonably flat I cut out the smoothest areas and cut hearts using a Sixxiz die and my Cuttlebug. These were provided to the students along with pencils and a little pad of newspaper. The front was embossed with any markings made on the back with the pencil. The pad of newspaper had just enough give to get some decent embossing. The more pressure applied when making the markings the deeper the embossing. So everyone made their own markings and attached their hearts to the layered ATCs with 3D foam tape. Added words or quotes which were printed on labels to make them like stickers using fonts from the internet or their own hand writing. For very affordable aluminum for embossing consider buying an aluminum pizza or cookie sheet from the $$ store. I expect you could add colour with alcohol inks or inks, alcohol and acrylic sealer like I did with the duct tape above.
Row 3: These two were embossed with the same technique as Row 2 using stamped images on the one side instead of free hand markings. It does give you much more options for creating images which you cannot draw yourself. You could, of course, draw your own images with a Sharpie marker and emboss them. Just remember that all the images are reversed on the front side so words need to be written backwards. I added a bit of colour with Sharpies to the embossed metal on these two.
The students enjoyed embossing their metal hearts and choosing words to go with them. They fit perfectly in their Chunky ATC boxes though I expect the boxes maybe be used for several other purposes - apparently just the right size for small electronics like I PODS and cellphones!!
I will use this technique again for creating fun elements for my cardmaking!! Experiment and try something new!!

Therese

My Art - Chunky ATC boxes!!

I created these boxes with the Chunky ATCs in the following post!! I cut and scored a panel of poster board to which we (students and I) Modge Podged tissue paper and/or napkins. On the lower one I wish I had used a more neutral and lighter tissue paper as the bottom layer which would have been a better canvas for the flowers I glued over it. I had not fully realized how transparent the napkin images were going to be after being applied with Modge Podge over the tissue layer. Live and learn!!
The panel is attached with thumb tacks to the sides of the chunky ATCs to create a box with a lid!! Glued beads onto the bottom to create feet. Added two brads with circles to create a quick and easy tie to keep the box closed. Of course, the box is the perfect size for storing ATCs which is what the students and I were creating this week!!

It has been a total blast to come up with interesting and creative art projects for these students and they have been great at getting into it and working with the supplies to make the projects their own.

Therese

My Art - Chunky ATCs

Chunky ATCs!! I read about these in Somerset Workshop - Autumn 2008 recently. (Purchased for me by my DH - love him!! He picked it up because the cover looked like things I would enjoy!! Love him more!!) Audrey Hernandez talks about listening to her SO speak of 2x4s and later measuring a scrap to find out it was 3.5"!! Needless to say she ordered one 2x4 cut into 2.5" pieces which gave her 40 chunky ATCs for $2.75!!!

With my DH being a woodworker I thought I would ask for scraps of 2x4s cut to 2.5" and have a go with this for a class with my students. In the end, he had 1x4 scraps instead of 2x4 scraps which I said would be fine!! I am blessed that he was careful to pick only ones that were smooth and power sanded them for me!!!! (love him more!!)

So I primed these great little canvases for art and had my students create chunky ATCs with them using Modge Podge and tissue paper/napkins images which were quick and easy! We added the dimensional elements the next day with hot glue. You can check the previous post to see the boxes we made with the ATCs we made!!

Therese

My Art - Thank you cards

I created these for all the people who attended my Stampin Up party in February!! It was a great afternoon with my SU demo, Catherine. We did two make and take cards and she demonstrated the Big Shot with texture plates and dies. What a machine!! If I did not already own a Cuttlebug I would be buying one of those. She offers a free die if you buy a machine - a sweet deal! It was a great day and I got a few free goodies as well. That is one of the great things about Sale-a-bration!!

The cards feature a transparency printed with a daisy photo which I took last year!! I added the word "thanks" using Corel Draw and printed them four to a page. I used small pieces of double sided tape to attached them to decorative paper which I created myself using gesso, Modge Podge and acrylic paint leftovers from my classes!! I placed the ds tape in an area where it was quite dark so it would not show on the front of the transparency. The ribbon is added to this layer and taped to the back. I glued this to the front of a white card, added my double daisy punch accent with a brad and an insert!! Love the way they turned out!!
Decorative paper: I used white copy paper and painted on my gesso and Modge Podge leftovers in an all over pattern. Once dry I used my acrylic paint leftovers to add colour washes over that. It makes for very interesting paper because the gesso and glue resist the acrylic paint leaving you with a wide variety of hues and texture in your decorative paper. Very unique papers!! I was sure to scan these papers before I used them in my cards so they can be used digitally in other works of art later on. I am starting to build a body of digital elements which are my own work which I can use without any restrictions in my future work. It will be really nice later on to have no copyright issues when I am creating collages or multi media art.
Therese

My Art - Collaged Art Canvases

Loved doing these canvases!! These are 8x10 canvases which I first treated with gesso and in the process added some tissue and embossed paper for texture. Once that layer was dry I added some colour using (pink and blue & yellow and brown) colour washes with acrylic paint. The elements (hearts and B letter) were created using book pages coloured with acrylic paint. These were collaged onto the canvas using modge podge. Not sure this was the best option because the edges wanted to roll up. I did add a bit more acrylic paint to blend in the collage elements into the over all design. Using Sharpie markers I added my quote - all handlettered. The whole surface was then treated with a coat of Modge Podge to seal it including the edges. Found inspiration for these on several blogs including this one: Lost and Found. I would highly recommend this process for creating art for your craft space, home or work place!! This was one of the projects I did with my high school students and they really got into in and enjoyed the process of creating their own art and using art as a form of self expression. They all did a great job!!!
Therese

My Art - Cardmaking serendipity

Another serendipity collage card!! For the cardmaking class I created black & white collages with just one more colour - silver, gold and tan. It is nice to use textured cardstock with these collages!! You can refer back up a couple of cards for more information on the collages and the cards!!

Create some art today!!

Therese