Exchange cards - CB scroll work EF

Love this Scroll works embossing folder by Cuttlebug!! A couple more cards I have created using the folder and the stencil I created for it!! Love the gentle shading possible with the sponges. The images are ones I downloaded from CLKER and digitally coloured to suit my card stock colour!! These are for my monthly card exchange!! Check out other ones I made here.

If you have the Scroll works embossing folder and would like a stencil/mask for nicely shading the inside I have a few for sale. They are quarter sheet size - $1 each. If you are local, you can come and pick one up!! If not, send me an email and we can set up a trade!!

These cards will be on their way today!!

Therese

CD charms

We are having a charm swap on AFTCM!!

This time we needed to use a CD to create our charms so I sanded off the shining layer, added some colour with Sharpies and/or alcohol inks and cut them apart!! Once cut, I laid the pieces on a heatproof surface (corrugated cardboard covered with foil) and heated them until they cleared up, their edges softened and they bubbled a bit. They look like glass!! I layered up the scraps and those made really cool looking charms as well. On the left, those that are finished. I have a variety to choose from - two going in the mail tomorrow!!

These are the ones that I made that I thought were acceptable for being considered for "charmdom"!! I have a half dozen rejects which I am not sure what I will do with. Maybe try redoing them or painting them - we'll see.

These ones are the first I made and in the final evaluation I decided were probably too big to be considered charms!!

Fun! We are going to have some great looking bracelets by the end of the year!!

Therese

Cardmaking - May - sponging

I have been admiring these softly shaded cards on Splitcoast Stampers as well!! I used digital images from CLKER for these cards!! Just love that dress!! You can find it here! The loon, here!

I designed an oval that would fit perfectly on the inside of the Scroll works (CB) embossing folder, printed it on a transparency and cut it out - voila - a stencil for sponging!! I printed the digital images on white cardstock, cut the sheet into quarters and embossed each one with the Scrollworks embossing folder. At class, I provided the stencils, sponges and inks and let each person sponge the frame as they wished. It is best to start sponging gently, from the stencil to the paper. You can mix colours or use different colours to get a very layered look. The image can also be coloured using any other method you desire!!
I mixed a bit of green into the blue for the loon image and it looks good!! To add a little colour to your embossing gently rub your sponge over it. I will be adding a rhinestone to the bodice of the dress and it should make a perfect wedding card!!!

I really like the soft look of sponging so I think I will incorporate that more into my cardmaking. Certainly, have seen others sponging the edges of their layers and greetings which gives a cohesive look to their cards!!

Thrifty tip: I am using the sponges that SU sells - cut into eighths. Just staple on a little cardstock handle in the colour of ink so you can keep them straight. Check out how they did it here! Stored in a baggie they are always ready to go and don't need cleaning!!

If you haven't tried sponging yet, try it!! Stamp an image and use the stencils you have!! Use a die to cut a stencil from scrap plastic - get creative!! Sponging works best with a rounded edged sponge which does not leave lines, so trim the hard edges off your sponge for a better experience.

Therese

Cardmaking - May - rainbow

Rainbows!! I used the rainbow scraps from my last card on these ones!! I made at least four prototypes of this card before I was happy with it!! That does not happen to me very often!!

I punched the right hand side of the rainbow layer with my SU scallop punch, layered it onto white cardstock, embossed it with the D'vine swirl (CB) embossing folder and punched the edge again!! I like the look of the repeated element. The die cut butterfly (SX) has been embossed with the Swiss Dot (CB) folder and threaded onto the ribbon!! I mounted this layer onto the card front and added a layered greeting!!

The rainbows are wonderful!! Great for a baby card or for a little girl's birthday!!

Therese

Cardmaking - May - bare tree

I have been admiring the great tree cards on Splitcoast Stampers so I decided to see what I could do to make one myself. I do not have a stamp of a bare tree so I went looking on the internet to see what was available in the way of digital images. I did find a couple but was not able to change their colour to brown from black - I am sure it is possible but the learning curve was beyond my alloted time!! So I just created my own using the SU one as a visual!! I printed the tree on some rainbow desktop publishing paper from my stash. After trimming, I was left with scraps of rainbow paper (watch for it later) and my tree with a beautiful blue sky!! I stamped on some leaves and added bushes using a torn piece of paper, a sponge and green ink. To finish off my card, I layered my tree onto brown, added some flowers and a grass die cut then glued it to my card front. I added Sapphire Stickles to the blue flowers and I will be adding some iridescent glitter glue to the pink one - just the right amount of bling!! Some of the cards had red apples and looked very much like this card I made earlier this week!!

Fun cards!!

Therese

Cardmaking - May - classic cars

Father's Day is coming up so I prepped a few of these cards for my cardmaking class last night. I prepared several different greetings so the cards could be customized though my "For you, Dad" was not flexible enough for the ones in the group that needed a card for Father's Day for their husbands or sons, so the next time the greeting will say Happy Father's Day!! Without a greeting, it is well suited to a variety of occasions!!

The cars are from a font I downloaded off the internet called OLD CARS. I used four different ones even though both of my cards ended up with the same car!! Must be the one I like the best!!

Layered decorative paper and added a fabric trim. On the first one I colour washed the twill and at class I decided to use colour pencils. They worked remarkable well for removing the starkness of the new twill and helping to integrate it into the look of the card. I laid the short piece over the longer one and tied them together with a piece of string. This works well for giving you the look of a bow without the bulk. Watercoloured the laser printed image, trimmed it close and mounted it above the trim using 3D foam tape. I colour washed the greetings before adding them to my cards. For a more balanced design, I added three little black cardstock punchies to the top left hand corner. A little Dimensional Magic or a similar clear gloss product would give them a bit more shine!! In an effort to use what I have, I will be adding some to mine! Unfortunately, it takes too long to dry for use in the class room.

The guys in our lives need to be celebrated for all they contribute!! Make your special people a card today!! "Just because" is enough of a reason!!

Therese

Paradise challenge - tree and hearts

Scrapbooker's Paradise is having a challenge - dig into your stash and use three things to make a card!!

From my paper stash I dug out some desktop publishing paper with a rainbow on it!! After a bit of thought I decided to print a brown bare tree (digital stamp) in the lower left hand corner of it. With the other three quarters trimmed off I was left with tree with some beautiful sky - perfect layer for my card!! I dug deep into my wood mounted SU stamps looking for this leaf stamp which has not see the light of day for quite a while and added leaves to my tree using green ink. The tree was still in need of something so I dug into my cardstock scrap bin and I found this scrap of red that has leather texture!! It has been sitting there a long time!! Next, I dug into my small punch drawer and dug out this heart punch - it has not been out of there for a good while, though its friends, the flower punches come out regularly!! I punched some little hearts for my tree!! I layered these onto a brown cardstock and added a green grass die cut below - still needed a bit of something so I added some greenery to the background using a torn piece of paper, a sponge and green ink. I added the laser printed greeting from my stash of extra greetings and layered the whole thing onto a black card front. As I was admiring my creation I had a flash of insight - I had some Dimensional Magic - which I purchased years ago that still have not been used so I dug it out and added it to the red hearts!! It gave such a wonderful glossy finish to my hearts!! I will be using it more often!!

Join the challenge - I know you have something in your stash!!

Therese

Masculine card

I created this card as a follow up to my exchange card in hopes of being able to work out a card design for my next class.

I used double sided tape punched with my 1/4" punch to create my little domes of glossiness. They grabbed the embossing powder really well and heated up nicely though gave a more pebbled effect. The little punchies are more touchy to get positioned and more easily damaged in the process so not ideal for the class room. I also tied my twill with a string instead of using a double knot. It is easier for most people to manage that process and creates a card with less "lumps" to catch in the postal template. If the card catches in the template it requires more postage to send.

I am back to the drawing board to see what I can do to change up this design to suit my class.

Therese

Class Act contest card - masculine

The card exchange tomorrow evening is themed masculine so I checked out Class Act challenge#5 guidelines - use a masculine image in combination with fabric and/or stitching - and used them as my starting off point!! I stamped and black embossed Class Act's classic car, watercoloured it and trimmed it closely. I added faux stitching with a fine tipped Sharpie marker to my decorative paper, glued it to the top part of my card front, added a colour washed fabric twill which is double knotted and included a colourwashed laser printed greeting. I added the car using 3D foam tape to add a bit of dimension. Thought it needed just a bit of something, so I added three mini glue dots and sprinkled on black embossing powder expecting the embossing powder would be immediately adhered to them. Not so, I had to rub in the embossing powder to get it to stick to the glue dots - who knew! After heating them with the heat gun I had three nice little domes of black glossiness!! Just what I wanted and just the thing to finish off my card.

So check out Class Act's challenge #5, dig out your masculine images and start creating!! If you use a Class Act stamp you will get two chances to win.

While you are there check out the great cards created by their design team!!

Therese

All Occasion cards - embossed

I love the elegance of an embossed image done in white cardstock!! Does not require much else so I simply added a piece of ribbon and a layered greeting!!

The tree embossing folder is by Darice and the flower stems is one by Quickutz!!

I have created greetings in a layout program (Corel Draw) that can be printed and punched out with my punches - in this case the large SU oval punch!! Great for customized greetings!!

Therese

All Occasion cards - masculine

Masculine cards because everyone eventually needs one and Father's Day is coming up!!

I printed these digital images (Arthur's clipart page) onto kraft cardstock and embossed the area below them with a variety of embossing folders which added texture. Tied a piece of ribbon to a strip of black cardstock and layered it over the top edge of the embossing!! A variety of greetings were available and could be added to the strip before it was glued into place.

I love the look of kraft and black!!

Therese

All Occasion cards - patchwork

Quilted cards!! They really look quilted because the paper/cardstock has been embossed using an embossing folder and Big Kick. I love the look of this technique. I cut 1.25" squares for these cards but you could get much more detailed and create your favorite quilt pattern. Check out the log cabin design I used earlier this year.

We used 12 coordinating squares and glued them to a 4"x 5.25" piece of white cardstock leaving a tiny border all the way around and some space between the squares. Embossing the whole layer gave it a lot of texture and hid any little variances in the spacing that occurred as we glued our squares into place. I added my ribbon to the corner but it was long enough to go across in either direction so we had a lot of different variations in these cards. I varied the 3D embellishments and greetings as well.

I actually added the little butterfly (Sizzix) to the ribbon as it had slits on both sides of the body which easily accommodated the ribbon!!

A fun card that could easily be created using scraps of decorative paper!! You know what I am talking about - that little stash of scraps you are having trouble parting with because they are so beautiful!!

Go make some cards!!

Therese

All Occasion cards - spray of flowers

A friend was over the other night with a bunch of her friends for an evening of creating!! What fun to spend time with like minded people being creative and trying something new!! It is the best!

Started with coloured cardstock, added a piece of decorative paper with a border and layered on a coloured image with a small piece of ribbon!! I watercoloured my image but other chose chalks or pencil crayons instead. I mounted my image onto cardstock added a little piece of folded ribbon then mounted it to the card front using 3D foam tape. We had a variety of colours to keep the whole process interesting.

The digital image, which I laser printed, is one offered over on Beccy's blog. She has some cool images - check them out!!

So consider getting together with a friend/s and making a few cards!! You could even consider wrapping up a few in a card holder and using them for gifts!!

Therese

Calligraphy

Calligraphy in a guest book for a local convention!! I used fluid acrylic paint in a shimmery blue for the lettering and added a few flowers in pink with yellow centers. The leaves and stems were added using a Stardust gel pen - just the right amount of sparkle!!

It has been a long time since I pulled out my pens and did some lettering so it was great to get the opportunity to add some elegant lettering to this guest book!!

Therese

Hat pins for a swap!

Hat pins!! Made these for a swap on AFTCM!! It was very fun and easy!! Very tempting to make LOTS of them.

I used corsage pins and added a handmade flower and some beads, some ribbon and beads and the first one in the photo is my ode to steampunk - bits of things wired together and industrial looking accents instead of beads below! Take a close look and you will
recognize earring backs used a decoration on this hat pin!

Here is a close up!! I used very glittery fiber to create this flower shape which is hand sewn from a 2" length using clear thread. I used "Goop" as a clear adhesive to keep the flower and beads near the top of the pin.

Totally fun to use supplies in a new and creative way!!

If you are using pins on your creations please plan to provide some protection from injury for the recipient by covering up the sharp point of the pin. Depending on the creation, you could use an earring back, a small piece of foam or a glue dot to keep the sharp point secure. You could also consider dulling the point some with sand paper to reduce the risk of injury!!

Challenge yourself to something new today!! What have you never created before?

Today is the day!!

Therese

Anniversary cards

No anniversary cards in my stash so I made a few!!

Had a friend over last night and she brought along her MS heart lattice punch - a nice large punch. So I dug out my red paper scraps and punched out a LOT of hearts!! It is nice to visit and craft - time goes by so quickly!!

I started without a plan, so first, decided to use two hearts on each card. The lattice seemed to be calling for glitz so I added

double sided tape to the back of each of them and applied glitter to the front. I layered them onto white in different configurations to have some variety and added a border of dots to three of them. Layered them onto a coordinating red and decided they needed white below so I cut the layers and embossed each one differently. Added ribbon to three of them and black lace trim to the last one!! Layered onto red and the last one I layered onto black before layering it to the red card.

Do you ever just start creating without knowing where you are going? I don't usually, but, after a relaxing day and no time pressure to get these done, just starting and going with the flow worked for me today. Four cards in less than a couple of hours - that is good for me!!

Therese

Cardmaking - April - used greeting card

We all have greeting cards that we have received and saved because of who sent them or because of the occasion that was being celebrated!! This technique reuses images from used greeting cards!! I trimmed the card fronts to 3.75" x 5" and embossed them with a stitched plaid embossing folder. I sanded the embossing lightly until the white from the card beneath started to appear - nicely highlighted the stitches. You could use any embossing folder but I would recommend one that is not too busy - lines or polka dots would work well. For those without embossing folders consider embossing the image using your scoring tool. Scoring lines in a grid pattern from the back will emboss them on the front. I added a ribbon and my butterfly accent. The butterfly is a digital image I downloaded from the internet. I laser printed it onto cardstock, watercoloured and trimmed it. I attached it to my card using a modified (stretched to a thin line) glue dot which allowed me to lift the wings for a 3D look!!

Thrifty tip: Don't have a scoring tool - create one. Take two pieces of cereal cardboard the same size - cut one in half and glue the two pieces to the other leaving a slight gap (1/16" to 1/8"). Place your image upside down over the gap and use a bone folder or stylus (crochet hook, knitting needle, pen cap) to score the lines you want. It is easier to line up the score marks if your tool is longer than your image.

This card reuses an paper image and features a digital image both of which are earth friendly!!

Have my cards have inspired you to be more earth friendly??

I encourage you incorporate a few new techniques in your art - it will reduce your impact and kick start your creativity!!

Therese

Cardmaking - April - serendipity

Serendipity is a collage technique that uses paper scraps!! You simply glue a variety of small paper scraps to a cardstock base and embellish it once it is dry. In this case, I over stamped the collage with silver pigment ink, thermally embossed it with silver embossing powder and added just a bit of colour using a flourish stamp with permanent ink in a coordinating colour. Using my paper trimmer, I cut the collage into 1" strips, then trimmed the strips to 3.5"!! They are little pieces of art!! I combined three of them onto a layer, added a couple of flower punchies with a silver brad and stamped a greeting. At class, I gave everyone the opportunity to silver emboss a greeting if they wished!!

Serendipity is a earth friendly technique!! You can use ANYTHING for your substrate!! You need light weight cardstock - consider junk mail, a card front or layer discarded because of a mistake, packaging from the recycle bin, covers from annual reports, catalogs and paperbacks, etc. The smallest I would start with would be 4.25" x 5.5" and 8.5"x 11" is plenty large!! For collaging onto this surface almost anything goes!! You need scraps about 1" in diameter preferably ripped so the edges are soft and easily glued down. In the way of paper, you can use old greeting cards, calendars, catalogs, junk mail, gift wrap, tissue paper, napkins, decorative paper, envelopes, paper bags, packaging, instructions, manuals, artwork, labels, etc. You can also consider adding lace, fabric, mylar, foil, tyvek, mesh, etc.

For these pieces I chose similar coloured papers from my "box for collage" - turquoise and blue for the one and purple and pink for the other. I ripped all the scraps into smaller pieces (1" or so) in uneven and random shapes. Armed with a tray of scraps, a glue stick and some discarded cardstock I started applying glue to the back of the pieces and gluing them down. Lay them next to each other or overlap them - whatever works!! Sometimes I tear the pieces smaller still to fill in gaps. Don't worry about going over the edges - that can be easily trimmed later. Really mix up the colours and texture - like pieces should not be adjoining!! Once you have covered the whole surface, double check that all the edges are well glued down and leave to dry. I would recommend over night to ensure all the glue has dried. It may not look fantastic when you are done -no problem because you can embellish it by stamping with colour, embossing with embossing powder, colour washing with acrylic paint, adding glitter, spritzing with shimmer mist, etc!! My favorite is to stamp with a script stamp and emboss with metallic embossing powder!! Works every time!! Once your collage is finished you can use it to make accents for your art by cutting it into any shape - rectangles, squares, hearts, circles, snowflakes (use a die) - whatever you want!! Straight lines means no waste!!

If you need a visual you can find tutorials here and here! If you would prefer a video tutorial check one out here.

So this weekend consider doing your bit for the environment and create a Serendipity collage while you are watching TV or listening to your favorite music!! Should you also be enjoying some chocolate, incorporate the wrappers into your collage - no evidence!!

Therese

Cardmaking - April - corrugated cardboard

These cards feature corrugated cardboard from a box that was retrieved from the recycle bin!! Removing the top layer to expose the corrugations was a learning experience which I will delve into in a layer post.

The flower elements were created using corrugated cardboard punchies - SU flower punch - and layered cardstock buttons - two circle punchies, two holes and a double knotted thread. The leaf is also a punchie! The greeting is a digital stamp - SU Salebration CD - that I embellished with another word, placed in a square frame and laser printed. They were trimmed with decorative scissors.

I arranged all the elements onto the card front which had already been layered with am embossed layer. Once I was happy with my layout, I simply glued all the elements in place.

My previous post has more information about the earth friendly benefits of using digital stamps!!

Reusing items, in your crafting, that would normally be disposed of is also a way of reducing - less new supplies which costs you less and may even save on gas because it is one less trip to the retail outlet. It also introduces a new way of thinking and introduces more creativity which may give your art a new look!! Think about it and do one little thing today to reduce, reuse or recycle something in your art this week!!

Therese

Cardmaking - April - woven handmade paper

To honour Earth Day I have incorporated some aspect of the Three R's into my cards this week for cardmaking!

These cards feature woven handmade paper scraps!! I created the handmade paper by recycling paper scraps left over from my paper crafting - cardstock bits along with used bond paper and anything else I thought would make the paper interesting including grass, petals, fiber, threads, etc. Fun!!

For this card I needed strips to create the woven paper background. Most of my scraps were already strips which had been trimmed from larger sheets for previous projects so most of the work had already been done. I trimmed the strips to size - longer ones for going across and shorter ones for weaving in between. It is easier to weave in the short strips when one end of the long ones have been stabilized so I applied a piece of double sided tape to the short end (left hand side) of the card front and placed the ends of the long strips onto the tape. Then, it was just a matter of inserting the short pieces over and under each long piece and alternating the over and under process until I had woven a piece large enough for the card front. I gently lifted the weaving, applied glue to the card front, repositioned it and applied firm pressure to adhere them together. I love the soft subtle look of the woven handmade paper!!

The images are laser printed digital stamps from StampinUP!! I chose the CD of images that was offered during Saleabration as one of the freebies. It contains digital images of all of the Saleabration freebies - paper, buttons, ribbon, stamp sets, etc. Using Corel Draw I was able to import the digital stamps, resize and combine them to create what I wanted. I simply laser printed the images onto cardstock - voila! images for my cards!! A little watercolour and some 3D foam tape and I had beautiful accents to layer over my woven handmade paper!!

In the spirit of the Three R's, making handmade paper is a win win!! You recycle your paper scraps into wonderful paper which you can incorporate into your creations!! I am a fan of making your own paper but if you are not, please consider donating your paper scraps to a friend that is!!

Using digital stamps is very earth friendly!! No wood or clear mounts, no rubber, no foam, no storage problems and no packaging if you download them!! I use Adobe Photo Elements to change the colour of my digital stamps and you can certainly create full layouts there as well!! The digital stamps are far less expensive and many are available at no cost. I have used several in the last few days for creating this cupcake card and this masculine birthday card. Digital stamps do have some limitations. They require a computer, software and a means of printing what you create. And, you can not thermally emboss them on cardstock!! It is best to use chalk or pencil crayons if you use an ink jet printer. You can use watercolour and copic markers as well with laser printed images.

So consider investigating digital means for some of your cardmaking and scrapbooking!! I am enjoying the new digital stamps I have acquired. I have created folders on my computer for each company I download images from so I can find them when I want them. If you decide to start using digital images organize them right away - create the folder BEFORE you download the images!!

Therese