My Art - Baby cards

Have been making baby cards!! My neighbour had a baby boy in early October and my friend's neice had a baby girl a few days later so I made up some cards to give as gifts!!

For the blue cards I made up some decorative paper with acrylic paint and added some pearly paint to give it some sheen. Cut it to fit on the top of an #8 card and added some white embossed cardstock (CB swiss dots) below that. Added a ribbon in blue with a piece of white tied in. Saw that recently on card and thought it was cool!! Added a rectangle which I cornered rounded and folded over the edge of the card embellished with a button and some pearly thread.

The pink cards are made up from some duplex colour printed cardstock I made up a while back. Added some embossed cardstock (CB swiss dot) below that with a strip of cardstock between the two. The embellishment is a punched scallop (SU) with the scallops pierced with a push pin. Added a layer of pink (1 3/8"), a stamped circle of dots punched with the 1 1/4" punch (SU) and a pink button tied with pearly thread in the middle of that!

My sister has been visiting and this was one of our crafty projects for a day!!

We also spent an evening refurbishing Christmas cards for our soldiers in Afghanistan. One of the girls here is collecting cards to send over so they can send them home to their families. We made them all appropriate for kids knowing that those might be in short supply!!

Therese

Technique - resizing large envlelopes

I have some large commercial card envelopes that I have acquired over the years that are often too large for the cards I am making. I finally decided to work out a way to use them for my A2 invitation sized cards.
I start out with a 8.25" x 5.75" envelope and cut out the middle section to fit my A2 card, cut off both ends from the scraps and glue them back on each side. You end up with a nice slim envelope with a nice triangular flap. Adding the two side pieces covers up your card and keeps the card from being damaged in transit.
If you have a stash of large envelopes consider modifying them so you can use them for your smaller cards.

I hope the info on the right is useful.

If you have a card shop close to you inquire about getting the envelopes when they change up their card displays. The envelopes are not returned to the company and you can often get them for free. I use them for my personal cards and for the cards I refurbish. I think it would be inappropriate for them to be used for cards made for sale.

Therese

My Art - Masculine card

Have a few male birthdays coming up so made a couple of these cards this weekend. My skeleton leaves were not quite the right colour so I just applied ink from my green Memories pad until they were the right colour. The background paper is one I received in a swap somewhere along the way as is the suede paper. Have never used suede paper before - wonderful texture. I stitched the leaf to the suede paper with embroidery floss and then glued that layer to the card. Worked out very well.

I am slowly learning to make more than one card at a time. Very little extra time but more cards to put in my stash!!

Therese

My Art - card for caregivers

A special card for a special person! I made this card for a special woman in our family who cares for another who is in the first stages of Alzheimers. Carolyn King is having a contest on her blog to encourage everyone to send cards to a caregiver of someone with Alzheimers. There are so many whose lives have been touched by this illness and the caregivers surely need support to continue day after day. There is an address on her blog where you can send a card if you have no person to send a card to.

This large card features watercoloured roses, scrapbooking paper, a hand embellished strip with ribbon and a stamped greeting.

It will wing its way in tomorrow's mail!!

I encourage you to check out Carolyn's blog and send a card!!

Therese

My Art - Tart tags

We are having a fundraiser garage/bake sale tomorrow at our church to raise funds for an orphanage in Mexico. I made a LOT of tarts - raspberry, almond, butter and chocolate!! Decided to spiff them up so packaged them nicely and added these cool little tags!! Punched scallop circles with the SU scallop punch, added a 1 3/8" coordinating layer and then the details which I printed on my computer and punched with the 1 1/4" punch. Stampin UP now makes a 1 3/4" punch which would add another layer! Have that one on my Wish list!!

I have begun to change up the way I eat so I will not be having any of the wonderful tarts I made. I am avoiding high glycemic foods because they cause an insulin response in the body and cause fat to be stored. Who knew!!! If you can keep your blood sugars low and avoid having an insulin response you can force your body to get the fuel it needs from your fat stores!! Excellent!! It does require that I do not combine carbohydrates (rice, bread, pasta) and proteins in the same meal but on average that has not been too difficult to manage. You can eat as many low glycemic vegetables as you want!! If you want more information check out Suzanne Sommer's books on the subject of low glycemic index foods and food combining for weight loss. I have taken several books out of the library that addresses this issue. I have lost a few pounds and feel much better. I would highly recommend this approach to eating to anyone who really wants to take off the extra weight without lots of rules and counting of calories.

Therese

My Art - September Cardmaking #4

Another card that fits into my stash of #8 envelopes!! The stash is slowly dwindling and I am trying to decide if I will get another box of them when I run out! It has been fun to challenge myself to create in a different format.
To fit the #8 envelope I cut my cardstock to 3.5 "x 11" and folded at 1" and 7.25". Used a piece of decorative cardstock - double sided colour printed - to bridge the gap between the two edges. Added a punch with an eyelet. Found instructions online somewhere on how to set eyelets and am finding the process more consistent. I am using the Making Memories eyelet setter and a little hammer. When setting the eyelet just hammer the setter on the back of the eyelet until it starts to spread and then use the hammer directly on the back of the eyelet to firmly set it. Works much better than continuing to use the setter which I found often distorted the eyelet. Punched a slot (SU slot punch) and added a bit of a cord to wrap around the circle to keep the card closed.
The greeting is stamped in Memories Black which is permanent and allows it to be watercoloured. Layered it onto coordinating cardstock and then to the left of the card. Added a bit of overstamping on the brown one to add a bit of depth to the cardstock.
Therese

My Art - exchange card

Have been playing with my new embossing folders for the Cuttlebug! Love the Swiss Dot one which I used on the top of this card! It is my new favorite one after the D'vine Swirl. I do really like the bird one I used on the bottom of this card as well. I added a bit of colour with my pigment stamp pads but I expect you could use chalk, pastels and even watercolour instead. I cut the bookplate with my Sizzix die using my Cuttlebug and layered my greeting under it. Added a strip to cover the joint between the embossed layers, a ribbon and a flower accent. Really love the softness of this card!!
Stampin Up has a Big Shot in their new catalog!! I think I can use all of them in my Cuttlebug but would need to buy the long cutting plates to use the big dies for the little basket and the star!! I was over at my SU demo's open house and she was doing demonstrations!! It is a very cool machine and if I did not already have one I would be buying the Big Shot. My daughter has a Big Kick and so I did some comparing online and can find no huge difference between the Big Kick and the Big Shot.

Therese

My Art - Card making #1

With the fall comes the back to our regular life so I am back to my cardmaking sessions!! It has been fun to prepare for this class and it was great to be back to this great group of people!! I have added a morning class to the schedule so I had one person come on Wednesday morning!! It is so much fun to help people stretch their creative muscles.
I stamped the background of this card with my SU stipple stamp and some bleach. I made a stamp pad with a foam tray, a paper towel and a bit of bleach. Works great! Be sure to clean your stamps right after using them. We stippled a bit more colour on it at class using the large kids paint brushes you can buy at the dollar stores and a coordinating stamp pad. I also added a bit of colour to my silk flower with the stipple brush and my stamp pad. I buy light coloured silks so they are easily modified in this way. Trimmed the strip by tearing the edges (options - deco scissors), stippled the edges and stamped my greeting. Glued this to the card. Layered the skeleton leaf with a very light layer of glue on the back and attached the flower accent over the bottom of the leaf stem to permanently attach it to the card front. Quick and easy!!!
Therese

My Art - September Cardmaking #3

I challenged myself to come up with a card that used handmade paper!! For the fall I usually combine pressed leaves and handmade paper but decided I needed to change it up this year.
I used the Swiss Dot embossing folder for the background in white or ivory. Stamped the SU Always greeting and punched it out with the large SU oval punch. Layered it on coordinating cardstock and cut them out with decorative scissors. Added some fiber to the embossed layer then added the greeting with 3D foam tape which adds some dimesion to the card. The 3D foam tape also is very effective on the embossed paper and ensures the fiber will stay in place as well. I created the flower using incrementally larger pieces of coordinating handmade paper. Just ripped the first little round shape and then used it as a guideline as I ripped the other just a bit larger. I did add stippling to the third layer because the colours were pretty close to the same and they needed to contrast a little more. Love the texture of the handmade paper!! Ripped out a couple of leaves, glued the layers to each other and used hot glue to mount the flower to my card!!
I would highly recommend learning to make paper so you can use up your scraps!! It is easy and fun!!

Therese

My Art - September Cardmaking #2

Inspired by my exchange card I decided to play with fall colours and made up a few of these with the hydrangeas leftover from the bunches I bought for last year's Christmas card class. These had some orange in them so worked very well with the fall colours. The bookplates are gold on these ones which I die cut from some matte gold cardstock I bought on my last trip to Cleveland.
I did some of them up with more of a male theme using the distress lines and paisley embossing folders!! I like playing with different materials using the same card map. You could easily substitute decorative paper - your own or scrapbooking paper - instead of the embossed layers for a totally different look. Consider creating a different flower accent with punchies instead. So many possibilities!!
Therese

My Art - Make and Take for cardmaking

Created this little handout for promoting my cardmaking sessions at a community fair on Thursday afternoon!! They turned out pretty cute and give practical information such a nice twist! Handed out a few, though I had prepared over 30! Ever optimistic!!
I finished them up this morning and will use them to promote by classes by having them in my handbag to handout when I meet people around town.

These are 2.75" x 2.75" or so. I used a word processing program to print out the inside information - 6 to an 8.5"x11" sheet. I folded them, stamped them and then cut up some scrapbooking paper scraps and a few embellishments to fancy them up.

These were fun to make!!

Therese

Refurbished cards

I have been refurbishing some cards for donating to a local resource center! These cards are commercial cards that were donated to me by a member of the community. I have a box of commercial envelopes that were donated to me by one of the girls on one my stamping group which I rummaged through to house the refurbished cards. It is sometimes a challenge to get the cards to fit in the envelopes I have available but on average I can make it work.
I also refurbish all the handmade cards I get through exchanges and swaps to donate to this center. They really appreciate having nice thank you cards for sending to the different organizations and individuals that donate items, time or resources to their events and well as having some personal cards for their outreach programs.
I file the cards by seasons and donate them in season so they can use them appropriately. Just donated my fall ones on Thursday and will be working on Winter and Christmas ones next. There is a local person who will be sending Christmas cards to the soldiers in Afghanistan who is looking for cards so I will donate some to her cause as well.
I enjoy this process because requires less time and brain power than making cards from scratch, keeps a lot of paper from the landfill and gives them all a second life to bless someone else!

Consider refurbishing the commercial cards you receive and donating them to a worthy cause - a seniors home, a non profit organization or as small prizes for fundraising for a group to which you belong. Be creative!!

Therese

My Art - Fat book page

Created this page for a friend of mine. I usually take a few days after the WAF to stay and play at her house!! As always it was really great to be at her house. She has a wonderful space for creating and does awesome art. You can check out her blog. She is a teacher and was back to school this week! I hope the little package I sent will cheer her once she is back from school and the gym!!

I printed a full sheet of beauty images onto a transparency. Cut out this one and used photo corners to attach to the page. I had to trim the corners because the backs can be seen through the image. Used glossy and stamped with an antique looking fabric image in a coordinating colour and added a purple ribbon with a heart charm.

We worked on cards as well. She was finding it hard to get back into cards after having mostly created altered art projects so we played with the Cuttlebug and she was very quickly back into the flow of cardmaking. We discovered that you can use the Cuttlebug embossing folders in her pasta machine - been in the upper cupboard for a while!! Nicely repurposed into her stamping studio and one of the settings will easily shred paper for making hanmade paper!!

She created this wonderful Asian book in our creative days!! Check it out!! She is on the Altered Pages design team and I think her little Asian Love Book turned out great!!

Therese

My Art - Fat book page mingle

I created this beauty page for the Yalpha mingle! I cut all sorts of images from my printed collage images and glued them tastefully to this letter B. Added another layered flower embellishment and some typewriter letter punchies to the back!! I am really liking these large letters!!

I create them in Corel Draw - use any design program - and then print them out. Create them with a white fill or no fill so you just get the outline then cut them out and embellish away!! It was fun digging through the stash to find images that worked and were the right size!!

Therese

My Art - Card exchange

These are my September cards for the card exchange I participate in! Each person sends two cards per month and over six months you get a nice variety of cards in the mail on a regular basis! Nice to get mail!!

I used some junkmail decorative paper and a book page to create these two cards. I like the vintage feel of the papers so paired them with these very soft antiquy looking paper flowers! Added a large brad to the center to attach them to the card front. Used a white gel pen to write the greetings and then used a bit of watercolour to tone them down once they were dry. I am really happy with the way these cards worked out!!

Therese

My Art - card for god daughter

My god daughter will be eight next week and I made this cute little card for her!! I love that little bird and it seemed to go so well with this paper! I layered several flowers - some silk, some cardstock to create my flower embellishment!

I have discovered a new blog that has card maps called "A Sheet Load of Cards". Check them out! Great for anytime you are feeling lost of ideas and need to get some cards fast!!

Therese

My Art - Believe Mingle

This is my Yalpha mingle for August. We are featuring large letters in our mingles so I made one that was 4x4! I watercoloured it and stamped on some inspirational words. The little punched letters (typewriter letters and a half inch punch) were added with dimensionals so they pop!! I added in handwriting some quotes to the outside and inside of the letter. You can purchase a sheet of typewriter letters at my Mixed Media Market.

Always fun to make up these little pages. Starting to have quite a little collection myself which need to be bound!

Therese

MM - new product and WAF

I have been away from my blog for too long!! Time flies.

I made these products for the Women's Art Festival in Kingston and for the Merchants Mill.

At the top, a photo album/scrapbook. These albums hold 4x6 photos but will also take 4x6 index cards if you choose to use it as a scrapbook! I made several and thought they would be nice for a special event like an anniversary party or a shower. Would be perfect for a short trip or for someone to record there first time to summer camp. The covers were all hand decorated papers as were most of the spines! Each one has a little embellishment on the front.

On the right you can see the Scrabble tiles! I made necklaces with them by drilling a hole and inserting an eye screw and adding a waxed cording that was adjustable. I altered some of them with little images to make them more versatile.

Made the tile photo holders and magnets with the 2x2 marble tiles. They were really fun to make and I tried to make them all different. I also made more marble coasters with old fashioned cars, cardinals, sailboats and loons on them.
The Merchants Mill closed on Sunday of the Labour Day weekend and will reopen on October 24th which is the weekend of their village festival called Haunting in the Hamlet. A great day for both adults and kids with lots of activities planned. I will be working on product for Christmas to be ready for the reopening!!

Therese

My Art - ATCs for trading

These are the ATCs I made for trading at Stamp Fest on Saturday!! It was a great day and a carload of us went to Bancroft!! There were some terrific make and takes put on by the vendors - waterfall card by Stamp Barn, Positive-Negative card by Frogs Whiskers, glitter card by Stamplicity, watercolour card by Scrapbook Moment and more, tags by Stamp Cellar, angelina fiber by Class Acts, and several more that I cannot recall! The crowd was not as large a usual which made it great for shopping! We all got some goodies and then did another round before we headed home in early afternoon. There were not many who had ATCs for trading - thanks to Dyke, Marilyn and Susan. I got some neat ones in return. I had also took some of my ATCs from previous years in case the demand was high so a few of those were traded away as well.

So if anyone is interested in trading 1 for 1 ATCs please send me an email (under profile) and we can set up a swap!! Counting across then down #3 and #6 are no longer available.

It was fun making these. Started with a blue leather paper I created a while back (acrylic paint on cardstock, glue on tissue paper and then paint on more acrylic paint) onto which I layered paste paper dresses in yellow (one pink one). I colour printed heads from various copyright free images I have and layered those on the top. For some I layered fiber arms behind the dress, for others I just added arms on the sides. It was great fun!!

Here are the few extras I brought along for trading from past years. Counting across then down #2, & #4 are no longer available.




Therese

My Art - Mingle page

July's mingle page!! Used blue colour printed cardstock as a base and added a strip of sheet music, a large letter "b" printed on acetate and a little red heart with a black brad. I stamped the background with a music stamp then stamped "BLUES" with individual alphabet stamps from Fontwerks. I handwrote in white gel marker several blues that came to mind like blue skies, blue birds, etc on the back and added some blue stars. I glued the bottom edge when I assembled it so that I could add a tag. The recipient will be able to add their own favorite blues to the tag!! Really happy with the way this one worked out!

Therese

My Art - Heart card

This is the card I created for my husband for our anniversary!! I cut the heart with a Sizzix die in my Cuttlebug machine!! It was red cardstock and I glued on red with gold stars tissue paper and tucked all the edges to the back. Layered it onto sheet music that I ripped around the edges except for the right hand side. Added my handwritten greeting (gold gen pen on black handmade paper) below the heart.

A few days after I gave him the card he asked me if there was any significance to the fact that the music sheet was upside down!! There certainly wasn't any concious significance but who knows - it may have been well past my bedtime!!

Therese

MM - Brag book/ Photo albums - Mini scrapbooks

A few more of these cool little brag books which are made with name badges!! They make a cool gift for anyone who has children or grandchildren, had a special event like a birthday party or christening, taken a trip or vacation or even for a child who has been to camp or field trip!!

Have also made these mini scrapbooks using the same technique that have little pages that you can scrapbook on instead of the photo pages.





These are at the Merchants Mill!!

I will be there tomorrow, July 6th, doing a hanmdade paper demo as their featured artist for this week!
Therese

MM - Art on a string

I created a few more of these cool pendants for the Merchants Mill - a little boutique where I have some of my items for sale! I used paints instead of inks this time and like the look better. I also made the string piece so it would slide back and forth and afford the person who is wearing it the ability to adjust how long it would hang. Neat idea! Thanks, Alida for the suggestion!! The summer is just beginning and it will be open 6 days a week!! If you are in Central Ontario on holidays, come and check out this little gem of a place!! Great ice cream!!

Therese

These are metal washers that I have painted with arylic ink - used alcohol inks last time. The one on the right has decorative paper applied to it on both sides - in this case - polished stone.

My Art - Journal pages

My last set of journal pages for our Altered Journal project!! Ancient Architecture was the theme and I chose to do a page on ancient bridges in China! I used a new to me technique which I am not sure has a name. You paste down your image and then paint the edges to include them into your background. I stamped the blue cardstock with Chinese characters and then pasted down some pieces torn from a Chinese newspaper and watercoloured over them. After I pasted my colour printed images down I added more watercolour to the page to incorporate the images into the page. I expect that the transparency of the watercolour made it not the most effective medium but I liked the results! I added Chinese in die cut letters and Bridges was colour printed. I colour washed over it so it would blend with the page. It has been a fun project!! I have one more set of sheets to arrive before I can bind all of mine together into a journal.

Cardstock for sale!!

I have returned from Ohio with some new cardstock!! I have it listed on my spare blog so you can check it out here:

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

Several colours are already gone but there is some Vintage Christmas, Autumn, Spring and Summer left along with a few other collections!! Click on the links on the right hand side for quick access to the scans!

To email me click on my profile!!

Have a great day!!

Therese

My Art - Cardmaking - window

This card features a window on the front that highlights part of the inside image!! It takes a bit of figuring out and working in a certain order to get everything lined up but effective once you are done.
This is a card that fits in the #8 envelopes. The front flap is white cardstock layered with colour printed decorative paper which has the window. Once you lift this flap you see the coloured flower image which is glued to the bottom flap. Once your flip open the bottom flap you see the insert on the inside! A bit complicated!! I started by gluing the white flap to the top of the coloured card. Next coloured the stamped image and glued it to the bottom flap ensuring it did not show once the front flap was folded down. It sticks up beyond the edge of the bottom flap. With the front flap folded into place sneak it up a bit and see where you want to cut your window to see the little flower on your coloured image. I used a 1" punch to make the window but you could just cut it out. If you glue your decorative paper in place before you cut your window you will not have a white frame around it. To get a white frame on your window cut your white cardstock first and then trace the window onto the back of your decorative paper and trim it just a bit larger. Either way works well. Then you just need to add your single sheet insert to the inside!

It is good to try out new things - a card design, ethnic food, etc!! Makes life interesting!!

Have a great day!

Therese

My Art - Cardmaking - Pop up

Pop up cards!! Have never made one of these before though have wanted to for quite a while!! They are fairly easy!! The card front has a layer of decorative paper (colour printed), a ribbon through a slot with shorter ones tied on and an accent on the lower right corner. I made several different ones and the accents are different on all of them. The pop up insert is made of cardstock cut just a little smaller than the card. To create the little pop up step make two cuts into the spine of the insert about 3/4" deep and 3/4" apart in the middle of the insert. Push the popup to the inside of the insert and fold gently to get the edges of the pop up folded. Your insert should look like the lower right hand image. Once you have created your pop up just glue your layered greeting to the front of it and then fold the card shut. This ensures that the card will fold properly with your greeting in place. For those of you with kits, you will have a piece of cardstock in your kit with a small P on it. That is the pop up you would use if the inside of your card is not messy with ribbon and so on!! You can make a pop up step with just a small strip of cardstock and glue that to the inside of your card and add your pop up element. It works best with light coloured cardstock where you can write on the inside of the card. You could have more than one pop up on the inside and so on!! The pop up greeting adds a nice touch to the card! You can put anything in the pop up just make sure you test it before you glue to make sure it does not stick outside the card!!

My Art - Cardmaking - roses tissue

I love the colours of this card!! Here I stamped the leaf stamp on white in black Memories and then watercoloured it. I trimmed off one of the end images so it would fit on the pink layer which I distressed. Layered that on the green which I also distressed.
The background it created similar to the faux silk technique - crumple the tissue and open up. After sort of fitting it on the card front apply glue and layer your tissue paper over it leaving some wrinkles and texture! Trim off any that overlaps the edges. I have a box of tissue paper and I do not want to tell you how long I have been carrying this one around!!!!! I glued the accent to the card front,added the window punchie with a brad and simply folded the other end to the inside of the card. I added a bit of green stippling to the edges with my stipple stamp and a green ink. This card design could be changed up using different supplies for just about any occasion.

My Art - Cardmaking - sunflower

A quick and simple card featuring a new sunflower stamp!! I used the SU Sanded background stamp with navy ink on the yellow cardstock. Reminds me of the Basic Gray papers!! The sunflower is coloured with watercolours and then mounted to a rectangle of navy which has been distressed. This is mounted over the fiber using 3D foam tape! The greeting is stamped in navy ink on the left hand corner.

Therese

My Art - Cardmaking - slider

Just had my last cardmaking session for the next few months!! It would seem that I chose some more complicated cards! I was just trying to do something different!
This card hides its colour!! When you pull the fiber (it should have been on the right hand side to make the pulling easier but that's what happens when you are talking instead of paying attention!!) the tag is removed to reveal the colour beneath!!
The main element of the card consists of a frame which has stitching around the opening, an acetate with an image stamped on it and then a layer of coloured paper. These are taped to each other in order and the tag with the fiber fits between the acetate and the decorative paper. This whole accent is then attached to the card front with four brads. I used glossy paper, a spectrum pad and a brayer to create the decorative paper so it would simulate a nice landscape. Used a punch to create a little recess for the fiber on the tag. Really like the way this one turned out. The tag could also reveal a greeting!!

Therese

My Art - fat book mingle page

Here is the fat book mingle page I made for June!! Started with another scrap of that great watercolour paper!! Added a transparency with a large C on it using gold photo corners leaving a margin on the left for binding. I added "olour" with Letraset rub on letters from many moons ago!! I added the words "Why does ...sing?" with a fine tip marker right on the watercolour paper. On the back of the page I added a layer of "Caught in crystal" which uses a piece of acetate covered with ink or paint onto which you lay some tissue paper. In this case I used acrylic paints for good effect. I used a fine Sharpie to add the verse and then my info!! I am enjoying the alpha mingle and am trying to work in art supplies I have on hand.

Therese

My Art - tip in pages for journal

Finally got this one off the camera! The theme for these 9x12 pages was nature. I usally do nature themes in greens and browns so decided to think outside the box and worked with pink and blue this time. Worked out well. I started by choosing the vellum quotes and collaged papers all around them. I added some layered calendar pages for more visual interest and a few 3D items for more texture. I did do a bit of stenciling on the right hand page as well. It was fun to dig through my collection of collage "stuff" to find pieces that worked with the colour and nature theme.
Thanks for checking out my art!!

Therese

My Art - journal tip in

This is my tip in pages for a journal project I am involved in on another group. The theme was nursery rhymes and fairy tales so I decided to do The Ugly Duckling. I downloaded the images off the internet. The one on the right is colour printed and the one on the left was laser printed and I watercoloured it.
The background is watercolour paper with liquid watercolour randomly applied with a foam brush. It was an offcut from my Christmas card project I did a couple of years ago. I sewed four pockets into each page to hold tags. The tags have letters on the ends and spell " IT'S" "ONLY" "SKIN" "DEEP". You can only see the two middle words on the front. The tags have quotes on them such as " Is different, ugly?", "This too shall pass", "Is it true? Can you be really sure it is true?", etc. The quotes I made up in reference to the story of the duckling coming to see himself as he really is!! Don't we all need to ask ourselves such questions to come to recognize the beauty of our true selves! Added some fibers to the edges of the pages where the sewing ends. Really like that this piece works on several different levels.
I have last months pages to upload yet! Still on the camera! My time flies!!

Therese

STAMP FEST

Hey! If you are a stamper in central Ontario I would like to recommend that you check out Stampfest!! It is a little stamping event that is hosted by Verna Wallace in Bancroft, ON! This year it is on July 12th! Coming up fast!! There are some great vendors and some make and takes through out the day! Several trade ATCs and there is also a card contest! I have ordered some new Cuttle Bug embossing folders and will be picking them up at Stamp Fest!!

So check out the site!!

Therese

My Art - cards, cards, cards - mini collages

These cards feature mini collages from a sheet of scrapbook paper I picked up a couple of years ago at Michaels. I cut them out and trimmed their edges with my Fiskars postage stamp decorative scissors! Works so well!! Keep your eye out for paper - scrapbooking or gift wrap - that has some individual elements that can be used in your cardmaking. Great for making coordinating cards for gifts!!
These are layered onto altered drywall tape. I simply laid the drywall tape down on a piece of bond paper - it stays in place because it has adhesive on the back - and used my ink pads to add colour. Have also used acrylic paints in the past to add colour. I expect you could also used pigment ink and embossing powder to change it up quite dramatically!! You can purchase drywall tape at a hardware store in large rolls or possibly at a $$ store in a small roll. Check the garage or workshop - you may already have some in the house!!
This is layered onto cardstock that has been distressed on the edges. I use a little SU tool (page 184 of the current catalog) that does a wonderful job. It is designed like a thread cutter used for sewing or quilting. Some have mentioned that this little tool is available in sewing notions departments as a thread cutter so check it out next time you are at your local fabric store.
I gave them the option of adding greetings using SU round greeting set layered on a round punchie or just stamping a greeting with coordinating ink.
I embellished the card fronts with a bit of script in a very light colour - in some cases I stamped off once to get the ink light enough - just to add a bit of interest to these cards.
It was a totally fun morning!! One of the girls was new to cardmaking. She enjoyed adding her own spin to her cards and thinking outside the box!! That is the name of the game!!
Therese

My Art - cards, cards, cards - CB embossed

These cards feature white cardstock embossed with the Cuttle Bug D'vine swirl embossing folder!! I love that design and like to incorporate it into simply elegant cards!! The right hand one with the Always tag and ribbon is great as an anniversary or wedding card.
The left hand one has a scallop baby accent created with the SU scallop punch and a stamp from one of this past year's hostess sets. The stamps and punch work so well together to make quick and easy accents for your cards!!
The bottom one uses one of the SU circle greeting sets with the 1 1/4" punch, 1 3/8" punch and the scallop punch to create the accent. I simply added a coloured sequin with a brad!! I cut the CB embossed layer into a nice curvy line and used the cut off part on the inside bottom of the card. Trim the card front to show off the inside.
So when you are looking for simply elegant consider embossing!! The CB embossing folders make it quick and easy!!

Therese

My art - cards, cards, cards - handmade paper

These cards feature some of my handmade paper and pressed botanicals! In this particular case the handmade paper features cedar bits and pieces of pressed ferns. The others included pressed calendulas, maple leaves and queen anne's lace with clover "hearts". The three leaf clovers grow here most anywhere as weeds but I thought they would be great for St. Patrick's Day cards. When I took several of them from the phone books - great flower presses - I had a few come apart and then I notice that the individual leaves were hearts!! How cool!! So I may use some of them in male looking cards for Valentine's!!
It is really fun to recycle your paper scraps into your very own handmade paper!! Scrapbookers can also consider this option using their acid free scraps to make paper for use in their scrapbooks!!

My Art - cards, cards, cards - OSW

These cards feature a One Sheet Wonder accent. I used a half sheet (4.25"x 5.5") and stamped it with three different stamps in three coordinating colours and the cut it into 5 pieces. Works very well for this card design. One of them is a Christmas cards just to say that they had a start on their Christmas cards!! I think the green one would be very suitable as a sympathy card or a male birthday so I have not yet added a greeting.

One Sheet Wonder is great technique you can use to make cards sets for gifts. Make a few ahead and you will always have a last minute gift for almost any occasion!!

My Art - cards, cards, cards

It is raining in Ontario!! I had a great all occasions cardmaking session on Saturday morning where we made twenty cards each!! I tried to vary the colours in each group of cards and brought a variety of greeting stamps so each person could customize their cards to suit their needs.
This set of cards features a piece of Polished Stone that has been stamped with an image to create the accent for the card. I used SU Classic Dye pad reinkers and regular rubbing alcohol to create my Polished Stone pieces.
FUN!!
For some I cut my half sheet (4.25"x 5.5") into six and stamped only one image. The the others I cut the half sheet into 4, stamped the images randomly with coordinating ink and then cut them apart. I have made this design before and cut the piece into 4 even pieces. This time I thought I would change it up some and cut the piece into uneven pieces and/or used a curvy line. Some of the girls used decorative scissors to cut theirs apart and it that was very effective.
I really love the watercolour effect of Polished Stone and with deeper colours it can be very dramatic. I would recommend having a session of creating some pieces of PS and keeping a few on hand for when you need a quick card!! I wish I had brought my camera to record all the different cards that were created!!

Therese

My Art - grad card

This is a simple grad card idea I cased from Splitcoast Stampers!! I used an explosion insert for the card which I printed with inspiring words for the three neices and nephews we have graduating in our extended family this year. I also made one of these for my card exchange at with my cardmaking group as several of them have kids graduating this year!! It was a hit so I have been asked to send along instructions for the explosion insert. Here is a site that has good instructions.
http://us.geocities.com/mladys/exp.html

That is the last I have ready for today!! There is more art to create so there is more on the way and will likely be up by end of next week!! Have a great weekend!!

Therese

My Art - cardmaking - skeleton leaf

This card features a wonderful skeleton leaf!! The handmade paper is some I made myself with recyclable paper and natural additions like leaves and weeds. I really like the texture and interest of this handmade paper!! It is layered onto brown cardstock. I stamped the greeting - round greeting set by StampinUP in light green ink, punched it out with a 1" punch and layered it onto a brown ribbon slide (Cuttle Bug). I layered my green 1/4" ribbon over top of an ivory cardstock strip that just fit into the ribbon slide - approximately 3/8". I cut a slit on the spine to accomodate the ribbon and glued it to the inside. Folded the other end over the front of the card and glued it to the inside. This is another one that would be very suitable for Father's Day in any colour your Dad really likes!!

It was fun to shift the focus and concentrate on male themes and colours.

Therese

My Art - cardmaking - tree

My best option for a Father's Day card was this one!! I used green glossy cardstock which I altered a little to suit my tastes before I stamped the tree in black StazOn. To alter the green glossy I used scrunched up plastic wrap as a stamp with my Creole Spice Kaleidacolour stamp pad. I just stamped all over the sheet and found that the edges were just a bit too hard so I squirted water all over it and stamped with the plastic wrap some more. This softened the colour and the edges. Perfect! I layered the tree on corrugated card with hot glue which ensured that the image was in good contact with the corrugations. I ran out of kraft colour so painted the white sheets with walnut ink and some brown colour washes. Worked out well!! The bow is paper twist! Who doesn't have some of that tucked in a box for a crafty day!! It was the right colour so I cut it to length and then about 1" wide. It is tied in the middle with cotton crochet thread in ivory. The button is tied to the paper twist with the same thread. This embellishment is hot glued below the tree image on the corrugated paper. This whole unit is glued to the green card front!! A greeting tag could be added to the button or the crochet thread tie.

Therese

My Art - cardmaking - birdie!

I love this little bird! There are quite a few on the market as of late. I really like this one because he is so open and you can mix and match the colouring to make it look like any bird or just any bird!! The edge of the bird image is distressed using scissors but the SU distressing tool makes light work of it and is less likely to give you a gash on your finger!! I added a small piece of ribbon to the corner which I stapled on! He is layered on a piece of gift wrap and then onto the card front.

Therese

My Art - Cardmaking - Buckle card

Got the inspiration for this card from Splitcoast Stampers. The paisley Cuttle Bug embossing folder I borrowed from my neighbor a while back. I have placed an order for some new CB embossing folders which are hard to find most anywhere and Pauline has them for me!! I will be picking up my order at Stamp Fest in July!!
I trimmed the embossed layer to the edge of the embossing and trimmed off 1.25". I glued the larger piece to the front of the card and trimmed the card front so it would be even all the way around. I glued the 1.25" to the back inside of the card! The folded buckle (1/2" or so) is glued between this little layer and the card. I was sure to stamp my greeting to the right so my buckle would tuck into my card front. I used the SU window punch to cut a hole in the card front to tuck the buckle into. If you don't have the punch you can punch two holes and cut out the space in between or just cut a slit. The flower is from a recently acquired SU set which I watercoloured to coordinate with the card.
These were supposed to be more male looking cards but I was having a really hard time finding any other image that would go with my paisleys!! It is not always inappropriate to have flowers on a guy card!!
Therese

My Art - Cardmaking - paint chip

Another successful cardmaking session last night!! So much fun to share that joy with others!!
Here I used large paint chips - Home Hardware, I think - and cut off the edges where there was writing and stamped images and greetings appropriate to the colour and theme of the chip. I punched little squares from the scraps to create some 3D embellishements which were just the right colour!! I mounted them with 3D foam tape to add dimension. The front panel goes beyond the front of the card and is even with the back so the card stands nicely! Another card created for the #8 envelopes.
It is great to use paint chips for colour inspiration in your card making! Often times there are colours used together that we would not even think of combining! So go along on the next trip to the hardware store and pick up a few paint chips to use as inspiration in your creative work!!

Therese

MM - Coasters

Love making these marble tile coasters!! I used some different stamps and created a bit of variety to add to my current inventory for Merchants Mill. I stamped with StazOn ink and embellished them with colour washes. Great as one of a kind for anyone's desk or mix and match to create a set for a house warming gift for anyone!!

Therese

MM - Mother's Day cards

The week before Mother's Day I had just enough time between naps (my grand daughter's) to make up a few cards for Mother's Day!! You will recognize the daisy tissue paper from a few post ago!! Love that paper!! I added a torn strip of cardstock and a tag!! Not sure how many sold on opening weekend but I will be able to refurbish these into ones for other occasions by cutting off the the tag and stamping on strip to simply adding another tag.
I need to be giving some thought to cards for Father's Day next! Just had my cardmaking session last night and featured male looking cards so maybe I can adapt one of those designs for Merchants Mill.

Therese

MM - Seed paper cards!

Merchants Mill is a unique gift shop in a little town near where I live. The owner has invited me to return again this year to sell my handmade items there. I have added these seed paper cards to my inventory this year!! The small handmade paper sheet contains wild flower seeds and will grow flowers if planted in soil and kept moist. You can truly send flowers by mail!! I have greeting/note cards, handmade paper, wire angels, photo holders, coasters, pins, papermaking kits and so on there. She has a wide variety of wonderful gift items as well as chocolates and ice cream so it is a great little place to visit for something unique for every occasion as well to treat yourself to a little something sweet!!

Therese

My Art - Wooden frame

My gift to this special friend!! I primed and painted white the wooden frame I bought at Michaels. I used Modge Podge to glue my papers down and hot glue to situate the ribbon where they overlap. "FRIENDS" letters are cut with my Sizzix Alpha Block dies and my Cuttlebug machine. I used a pointy glue stick to attach them to the front of the frame. I gave it a spray of clear acrylic before I put on the embellishment. The flower accent is multilayered with flowers I have in my collection of silks and held together with a large brad. I hot glued the large flower to the frame!!

Very happy with how this turned out and it made a fitting gift for my friend!!

Therese

My Art - accordion card

Here is the accordion card with all the tags! Each person from the group made a tag (I gave them the dimensions in advance) and they brought it along and placed it in the accordion card!! It looked so great and I am sure she will enjoy seeing it in her craft room!!
I used a piece of 18" cardstock and divided evenly into 8 sections so we could each have a little pocket for our tags. I colour printed the letters, punched them out, layered onto pink and then onto a white scallop shape. Once all glued together I attached them to the front of the card with a white eyelet set with my Crop a dile.
She has promised to come and visit once she has settled in. It is only 1.5 hours down the road so maybe we will even just pop in to see her!! We are blessed with angels in our lives!!

Therese