Masculine Birthday card

Love how this card worked out!  It is a birthday card for my Dad who is 80+.  I am grateful that he and Mom still live independantly in their own house and are still active.  My Dad was a wood worker/carpenter most of his life so I used a thin piece of veneer that my DH gave me earlier this year for the central element.  I backed the veneer with label before cutting it with the Hanging Sign die (SX TH) using just the sign part.  I stamped the greeting with dark brown ink and sponged the edges as well.  I cut the hanger part of this die using silver foil cardstock.  To give it the look of old metal, I sanded it, added dark brown permanent chalk ink and then dabbed on black sharpie which I rubbed in before it dried which resulted in giving it a bit of a coppery tinge.  I added the hanger to the card front using 3D foam tape and tied on the sign using cotton thread.  I added a piece of 3D foam tape to the back of the sign as well to keep it from flipping over when the card is opened.  I like the way the elements work with the decorative paper.
I like that the wood has a connection to several generations.  I am so fortunate because my DH, knowing that I use all sort of "stuff" in my art, often comes to me with items he thinks I might be able to use!!  As soon as he presented me with several of these thin pieces of wood he had leftover from his night light project I knew I would be using one of them to make a card for my Dad.  As they were born, DH has made wonderful night lights for all of our grandchildren with interchangeable front panels which have been scrolled with detailed scenes.
So I will be sending off my card this week with all the best wishes I can pack into it so it will arrive in time for for his special day!!  Be grateful if you live close enough to your family members to actually hug them on their special days!

Therese

Birthday Scrapbook Card

A friend of ours is turning forty and his family is having a  surprise party for him!!  I decided to make him a card that is also a bit of a scrapbook.
This was a fun project!! I created it using two pieces of cardstock - one 4.25" x 11" (folded at 2 7/8")  and the other 4.25" x 10.75"(folded at 4.5").  I set them into each other and bound them on the fold with cotton thread to make the book.  I colour printed 4" letters with a variety of textures and colours which I cut out and mounted to my pages - J on page one, O on page 3, H on page 5 and N on page 7.  I sponged the edges of all the pages, and added some stippling with a stamp as well.  I created and colour printed some 3D embellishments, added some doodling and a few details of the event leaving room for photos and journaling on several of the pages.  I added my greetings on the back!!  Also created a custom envelope using brown wrapping paper and some cool letter packing tape to house my card/scrapbook.
Looking forward to the celebration and wishing him the very best!!

Therese

Christmas cards - star embellishments

Gotta love finding cool embellishments for card making for a bargain!!  These stars were formally part of a Christmas garland which I cut apart to create individual elements for cards!!  Always worth keeping your eyes open and seeing the possibilities for the parts!!
I colour printed the greetings onto letter sized card stock, cut them into quarter sheet layers and embossed them.  I used a subtle embossing folder - Swiss Dots - to keep the greeting legible.  I added ribbon into a point of the star and attached both ends with double sided tape to the top of the embossed layer.  To finish off this layer I covered up the ends with a strip of decorative paper which was cut on the bottom edge with decorative scissors.  I added another strip to the bottom edge.

Therese

Christmas card - winter scenes

These cards feature different winter scenes which I colour printed from images off of a Vintage Holiday CD.  You could easily use old Christmas cards cut with a die or circle cutter instead.  They are layered onto a scalloped circle die cut (Nestibilities) which is embellished with a clear glitter gel pen called StarDust by Sakura.  Love being able to add just glitter with no colour!!  This element is layered over the card front which features a length of seam binding with a single knot bow, a colour printed background and a coordinating card.

Therese

Christmas cards - white on white

I love the elegance of white on white embossed cards!!!  For this card I embossed a swirly oval embossing folder onto shimmer paper and added a soft blue oval using a stencil, blue dye ink pad and a sponge.  Love the way it worked out!!  Added a length of white seam binding, a blue confetti snowflake with a white mini brad, an embossed little tree die cut (SX - movers and shapers) and a colour printed punchie greeting (punch - SU)!!
I hand cut the stencil I used here but have subsequently discovered that the largest oval Nestibilties die is the same size and does the work in no time!!  It is fun creating your own stencils for using with your stamps and embossing folders!!
Want some white on white inspiration??  Check out Sue's Nelson's gallery Heart Prints or search Splitcoast Stampers for white Christmas cards.

Therese

Christmas cards - trees

I was invited to make cards with a new group of women last night. It is always fun to meet new people and share card making with them.  I did not know if any of them had card making experience so I prepped kits accordingly!!  Turns out that only a few had made cards before but all were up to the creative challenge of making cards so we had a fun night.
We started with this card which features these cool little Christmas trees which is a digital stamp from The Alley Way Stamps.  Check them out - they have cool images, a design team and challenges!!  I cut and pasted an extra one into this image to give the card better balance.  I laser printed the images which allows them to be coloured with any medium - watercolour which is what I used, colour pencils, chalk, markers, etc.   The image is layered onto coordinating cardstock and adhered to the card front using 3D foam tape.  For the card front, I added a length of seam binding to the decorative paper layer, tied an extra piece to the front to simulate a bow and glued this layer to the card.   We added a bit of glitter with glitter gel pens but we could easily have used glitter glue instead.
A versatile sketch which allows you to create different looks by simply changing up the decorative paper.  So you can make all your cards the same and not have them all look identical.  Perfect if you are looking to create lots of cards in a short amount of time!!
I have almost as many cards as I need now!  Even if you have not yet started, don't panic.  With this sketch all you need is some decorative paper, some coordinating cardstock and ribbon!!  Quick and easy!!

Therese

Double Dutch Fold card - Tropical Paradise

I created this card for a "Tropical Paradise" Double Dutch fancy fold card swap in one of my groups.  I really enjoyed the process of creating a single card because I took the time to cut the palm trees by hand and embellished them with watercolour, added multiple die cuts to the sky, stamped the sand with shells and added a layered embellished greeting!!  You can check out Splitcoast Stampers for the instructions for this fancy fold.
It was refreshing to be creating something other that Christmas cards and took the better part of an enjoyable afternoon.

It is off to my partner tomorrow!!

Therese

Credit card sleeves

Just created these cool credit card sleeves!!
I used heavy weight decorative paper for the main body, lined the insides with sticky backed foil duct tape and used a few more pieces on the outside edges to make them durable.  I used a round punch, half way over the edge, to make the little finger divot doing the sides one at a time before I taped the edges together.
These covers will protect my cards - debit and credit - that have a chip (RFID - radio frequency identification) in them from being scanned by accident.
You can see a documentary video here about how easily your information can be obtained without your knowledge.    Of course, there are companies out there selling protective card sleeves for this purpose but I thought it would be fun to make my own and make them personal!! Might consider adding some alcohol inks and/or permanent marker doodles to these as well.

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - Embossed

I love the elegance of these simply embossed cards!!  These 5" x 7" cards feature an embossed image layered onto coloured cardstock which is layered back onto a card the same colour as the embossed layer.  I added a layered ribbon/lace embellishment which I created by laying a small piece of lace or ribbon over a wider ribbon and tying them all together with a double knot of very thin ribbon right in the middle.  It simulates a bow without the bulk created by actually tying a knot in the wide ribbon.  This was done to keep the thickness of the card within the allowed measure for first class mail. Several of the girls were going to add rhinestones to their cards at home.  If you are wanting coloured rhinestones - like red ones for the berries on the holly card - I would suggest colouring clear ones with Sharpie markers.  I sponged the tree card just slightly with green ink to highlight the shape which gives a different look.
I borrowed these embossing folders from a friend.  It is great to be able to share tools!!  So many more possibilities and options!!  Thanks, Carol!!
A very successful class and an enjoyable morning!!  Even brought Christmas music to get us all in the right mood for creating Christmas cards!  We have yet to receive any of the "white stuff" which surely would have brought to mind how close Christmas really is!!

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - Santas

Vintage Santas!!  Had fun creating these cards that feature vintage Santas which I got off of a holiday CD which I bought at a garage sale years ago.
Several at class were asking about the images so I went looking for some.  I found quite a few vintage Santas at the Graphics Fairy under Christmas.  Click here, here, here and here for some great Santas.  If Santa is not your thing you will also find angels, children, birds, poinsettias, Madonna and Child, manger and nativities as well.  There are quite a few more of each there, as well as images of winter scenes, holly, animals, etc.  Check it out!!
I created the background for this card in Corel Draw by arranging some Christmas words and sayings nicely nestled into each other using different fonts. The fun part is that because they are all fonts - even the snowflakes - the colour can be easily changed and in this case printed at a percentage of transparency which gives a nice subtle background.  Just what I wanted!!  We sponged the edges of our backgrounds before we glued them to our card fronts.  The bracket was created using the Tim Hotlz (TH) (SX) Hanging Sign die.  I only wanted part of the die cut so I cut my pieces of cardstock with the right angle and rough cut the rest, positioned them carefully on my die and ran them through my Big Kick - a perfect bracket for my Santa image.  I added a ribbon hanger in the hole of the bracket and simulated a bow by tying on a short piece of ribbon using a single knot to the top layer of my ribbon hanger.  Layered the colour printed Santa image over coordinating cardstock and added him to the card front using 3D foam tape.

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Ornaments

These cards feature white core cardstock.  If you have never tried it you should - a really cool effect when sanded.  I embossed the swirly frame on the cardstock and we gently sanded the embossed areas to remove the colour and reveal the white core!  Love this effect!!  You can go here  to see how to make your own using white cardstock and acrylic paint!!  I cut the ornaments with a Sizzix (SX) die using a variety of decorative papers - many of which were not Christmas ones.  Both of these cards feature non Christmas papers but because of the small pattern, limited colour palette and a good colour combination for the card I managed to create great Christmas cards!!  So when creating Christmas cards, dig into your stash to see what you have that might work.  I added an oval punchie embellished with a fiber snowflake, a brad and some tiny dots added with a white gel pen.  Double layered the topper and added a double knotted piece of string to create a hanger which was folded to the back of the layer.  Finally, all of this was glued to a coordinating card front.
Some of the girls offset their snowflake and added swirls instead of dots! Love how each person makes their cards their own!  That is what it is all about!!

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - Snowflakes

Another wonderful morning making cards with a great bunch of ladies!!
This was our first card - lots of Christmas decorative paper and embossing!!!  I started by embossing the top of my card and then glued down the three strips of decorative paper to the bottom section.  Added a coordinating cardstock strip which I cut with decorative scissors, embossed, glued over the ends of the decorative paper and trimmed to the edge of the card.  Added a snowflake die cut embellished with a sequin as accent attaching it with a brad!!
This was a fun card and it would be a good design to make use of any scraps of Christmas paper you might have on hand.

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - little tree

O Christmas Tree!!
I used the little tree Movers and Shapers die (SX) in my Ornamental die (TH)which cut both shapes at the same time from a quarter sheet of cardstock with one pass through the Big Kick!  Gotta love that!!  At class everyone embossed their shapes with their favorite embossing folders, sponged the edges and surface as much as they wanted and glued them down onto a card front that has been layered with a rectangle of decorative paper.  Really makes that little tree pop!!  We added the little sequin stars with a glue dot and the little window punch (SU) colour printed greetings with a strip of 3D foam tape.  This was a good card to finish with as it provided some design choices but was still relatively simple to create!!
Great class today!!  I so enjoy the creativity everyone puts into their cards!!

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - Oval greetings

These worked out so well!
I embossed the card fronts with a scroll oval embossing folder to which we added an oval greeting that was layered to a coordinating cardstock oval.  The digital images are from Arthurs Clipart.  They were laser printed and cut with an oval Nestibilities die.  I cut the cardstock layer with the next largest die for a perfect layer.  We embellished our greeting ovals with a bit of sponging on the edges and coloured the little elements with glitter gel pens or added clear glitter over them after we coloured them with colour pencils.
Everyone was grateful for cards that were a little easier to put together!!

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas - warm wishes

These card were fun to create!!
I used a rectangle Nestibilities die to cut out the center section from the decorative paper which was then layered over coordinating cardstock and layered back over the opening!  A great layered look as well as an efficient use of paper and the added benefit of keeping the weight of your cards down.  It can be disheartening to find out you have to add extra postage to all your Christmas cards!!
I used glittered decorative paper for these cards.  To add some variety to my card kits I added glittery elements to several sheets of decorative paper using Versamark ink and glitter embossing powder.  The top example is one that I glittered.  Hard to see the difference on these scans.
So we layered a trimmed strip of vellum, colour printed with a greeting, over the small rectangle of decorative paper and glued the ends to the back.  Added the ribbon to the left by wrapping around the back and tying a double knot on the front.  Layered this over a rectangle of coordinating cardstock and layered that over the decorative paper that was glued to the card front.  Nestibilities makes this card a breeze!!  Cutting all of these by hand would be a lot of work and a challenge to make them all neat so you could reuse the cut out section.

 Here is how I set up a jig on my platform so I could cut all of my decorative layers exactly the same. I used the black design on the left and lower edges of the platform as a corner guide and taped the rectangle Nestibilities die to the platform using painters tape so it would be in the center of the space.  I made a mark on the left and lower edges to help center my decorative paper.  On the right you can see the Nestibilities in place, on the right I have placed the decorative paper and am ready to run it through the Big Kick.
Made these with a bunch of different glittery paper so had lots of different looking cards!!

Therese

Thrifty tips - custom die cuts & maximizing paper

I cut the labels for the previous card using my Sizzix die - Frame back, Ornate #3.  I trimmed my cardstock to 2 5/8" wide and placed it on the center of the die to create a slim label die cut with ornate ends at the top and bottom. I placed my trimmed cardstock right in the center of the die aligning it between the two cutting edges at the top and the bottom. If you click on the photo you will see that with my cardstock centered in the middle section I avoid cutting the outer rounded section of this die.  One die - two labels!  I could have cut the whole die and cut off the rounded sections which would have worked reasonably well for one or two die cuts but I had to cut LOTS of these and this method was a more efficient use of cardstock.  So, see if there are ways you can use your dies to create custom die cuts by cutting your paper differently!!

To maximize my decorative paper for this card I cut my 12x12 into 2 3/8" strips and cut half circles instead of full circles. As you can see I marked my scallop die with painter's tape so I could easily line up the edge of my decorative paper with the half way mark.  I cut the first half circles at the very top of the paper, flipped it over and carefully lined up the next cut very close to the last one.  Flipped the paper again and cut one more half circle out of the last section. Being careful yielded 15 half circles - trees - from each sheet of decorative paper - a very efficient use of paper!!
So a couple of ways of using your dies differently to get some custom shapes and to make the best use of your paper!!

Therese

Cards, Cards, Cards - Christmas folded tree

Made Christmas cards with a great bunch of ladies this morning!!!
We started with this folded Christmas tree card which had a bit of a learning curve but we eventually got all the trees folded!!  I originally found this concept on Splitcoast Stampers but had to find a combination of steps that worked best for this scalloped circle (SU) and was slim enough to fit in the label die cut (SX) I had created. The shape of the tree changes depending on where on the center line you fold to.   It took me a "forest" of paper trees before I hit on a winning combination so I would recommend making your trees first and then working up a sketch that works with it.
The tree is folded from a half circle of paper - this scallop die cuts a 4.5" circle.  I used the following formula - on the center line mark 1" below the dip of the top and fold from that mark to the dip of the second scallop to make the top of the tree.  At the other end, fold from the dip of the fourth scallop to the 1" mark to form the bottom of the tree.  The other two folds pretty much line up with the sides of the tree.  Once you have all your creases, ensure that the tree is accordion folded which leaves your main pattern showing at the top, middle and the bottom.  Here is a tutorial where you can download a template for folding this tree:  http://inkspiredtreasures.com/cards/stamping-411-folded-christmas-tree/
With our trees made, we embossed our labels, added the red layers below each end, cut a stem from brown cardstock for our tree and glued all the pieces to the label.  Finally we added a little star punchie using 3D foam tape. The ribbon was glued to the back of the card with double sided tape and trimmed long enough to be glued to the inside front of the card.  We glued our tree element over the ribbon and tied the left over ribbon to the ribbon on the front just to the right of the element, using a single knot to simulate a bow.
I created the glitter paper we used for our trees..  I stamped "bubble wrap" in red on the back of my 12x12 sheets and embossed an overall swirly design in a red/green glitter mixture of embossing powder on the green fronts.
So consider adding some glittery embossing to a plain looking paper to step it up a bit!!  These trees work best with double sided paper which is the reason I stamped the back of my paper with an overall design.  This lighter weight paper was much better for the folding necessary to create the trees.
Check out my next post to see how I maximized my glitter paper and created a custom label die cut using the label die I had on hand.
Have you started on your Christmas cards??  If not, consider joining a few challenges and making a few cards every weekend in November to get yourself ready for the season!!  My sister has a monthly Christmas card challenge so check out her blog and see if you find any inspiration!!

Therese

Happy Halloween!!

Carved my Jack O' Lantern!!  Seeds are soaking for roasting later!!

Looking forward to all the Trick and Treaters who will be visiting tonight.   I am handing out

packages of hot chocolate!!  They love it and are always so excited!! 

We have had up to 250 but the last couple of years has been closer to 150.  

We have a wonderful bunch who visit our house - always polite - even the larger than average ones!!

Have a spooky Hallowe'en!!

Therese

Little boy birthday!!

How does it happen that babies turn so quickly into little boys???    
Our second youngest grandson will be a year old very soon.  He is learning to walk and loves playing and eating!!
I made him this card with balloons and an embellished little tag house!!  I reverse embossed - debossed  - the white core card front and sanded it to give it a bit of texture and interest.  Added stitching to all the elements, added fiber to the tag house and strings to the balloons, then glued them into place!!  I love the colours and am sure he will be have a wonderful birthday!!

If you are close to your grandchildren - count your blessings!!

Therese

Fall card!!

I hosted the girls last night and it was a wonderful time as we all caught up with each other about our summers and our activities since the kids have headed back to school!!
This is the card I made as the make and take in our Shoe Box.  I made the background paper using brown paper, acrylic paints and ink!! The brown paper was given to me by my SU demonstrator - Catherine.  They receive all of their product packed with this paper so they have it around all the time.  It is strong and thin - love it!!  I started by adding large brown dots using brown acrylic paint brushed onto bubble wrap and stamped on the paper!!  COOL!!  Next, I added smaller orange dots using a smaller bubble wrap and orange acrylic paint.  Afterwards, I added leaves using a foam leaf die cut (TH Tattered Leaves die) which I painted with acrylic paint and stamped in an all over pattern.  I used a mixture of gold, copper and brown paint.  It still needed a bit of something so I added script using a stamp and Old Olive (SU) ink.  To help connect all the design elements I just used a foam brush with clear water and painted the whole surface which caused the green ink to run just a little and it did the trick - a nice cohesive collage!!  Cut it up into quarter sheets and paired it with brown or green cardstock.  The focal element is a digital stamp I downloaded from Meljens Designs and printed on white cardstock with my laser printer.  I watercoloured the images, layered them on coordinating cardstock and adhered them over the fiber I tied to the card front.  I provided a variety of different greetings but several of the girls decided not to a greeting.  They will add an appropriate one when they use the card!!
We have been enjoying the fall colours but with the rain and cooler weather last week they are duller and starting to fall!!  Still seems like a pile of treasure when I walk through them!!

Therese

Little packets of fun!

Here are the little packets I will be stuffing into the pockets in my Advent Calendar for the recipient to open each day of December until Christmas Day!!  I am keeping the contents a surprise until after Christmas!!  I will be updating my Advent Calendar posts to include that information when all the little surprises have been revealed!!
I have wrapped each one in hand decorated paper!!  Once opened the paper can be used for creating with - as background paper or in collages, etc.
I love making everything useful!!

Therese

Mixed Media advent calendar

I have been working on a Mixed Media Advent Calendar for a swap on AFTCM for the better part of a week now - off and on between cleaning up and sorting my stuff!!
I am so happy with how it worked out!!!!!!!!!!
I used heavy weight cardstock - the backs I ripped off of commercial cards before I refurbished them for donating. Check out the cards here and here.

 Check out the process I used for decorating both sides of these papers before I created the little houses.  For the backs - the glossy ones have alcohol ink backgrounds and the matte ones have collage.  All the fronts were decorated with a multiple step paper decorating process that used a handmade stamp, acrylic paint and plastic wrap.  Fun!!

To keep all the houses looking like they belonged in the same neighborhood I decided they would all have black roofs, A's down their sides, a door and windows.  Each also has a number which doubles as a house number.  After all, we need to know how many sleeps before the big day!!
So there are little houses, big houses, skinny houses and everything  in between. Even a few duplexes!!

 Some with chimneys, some with dormers, some with hedges and a wide variety of roof styles.  The scored flaps are folded to the back and tied on the sides with fiber to create a little pocket which holds the surprise of the day as we count down.  The letters on the roofs and down the sides were created with decorative packing tape I bought at Michaels last year!!

 Worked so well - added texture and a funky style to the whole lot!!  It was fun to design doors and windows for each house and hand draw the details.  They were all layered and watercoloured to give them a bit of dimension.  None of the houses are exactly the same.

 So click on the photos and check out the fun little details I added.  A little bit of something below the roof line, something above or around the door, etc.  I used brads and eyelets for the door handles.

They have numbers on the backs as well.  These were die cut from foil lids!!  The little pockets are waiting to be filled!!
It has been a super fun project.  It can be used to count down to any occasion and left up year round should the recipient be so inclined!!
A wonderful little neighborhood!!


I have a few leftover card backs which I hope to use to make another little village.  Maybe I will use different architectural guidelines for the next one!!!  What fun!!  They can stand on a shelf or mantle or maybe could be tied together to stand independantly.
Consider making yourself a fun little advent calendar that you can reuse every year to count down to Christmas and, if you make it fun enough, it will decorate your house or studio all year long!!  A new tradition!!
Would love to see what you have created!  Leave a comment and include a link!!

Therese

Paper decorating!!

I started on a new project last week and decided to use the backs torn off of old commercial cards as a base because they were good heavyweight cardstock.  I picked the largest ones because those  worked best for the final result.
Are you asking yourself what I did with the card fronts?? You can see the cards I have refurbished and donated here and here.

For my project all of these needed to be scored at 2.5" so I used my "new to me" Martha Stewart scoring tool - Thanks Carol.  That was easy!!

For my project both sides of the cardstock needed to be decorated so I decided to use alcohol inks on the glossy ones!  Worked really well!!

 For the matte ones, I decided to create small collages using decorative papers.  I just dug through my stash of papers and picked pieces that seemed to work well together and glued them down.

So that took care of all the backs of these pieces of cardstock.  Now,  on to the fronts!!

Here is my set up for doing the fronts.  I started with this cool looking piece of packaging that I found as I  was going through my "stuff".  I coated the edges of the open weave with gesso to seal it before I started using it as a stamp.  I sponged acrylic paint onto the edges with a foam brush and stamped it on the cardstock.  Repeated 3 or 4 more times until the whole surface was covered, not worrying too much about how well it stamped because it was just going to be texture in the final project.

   Once they were dry I started adding colour using watered down acrylic paints.  Just painted them on pretty willy nilly and covered them with wrinkled plastic wrap to help create interesting patterns. I waited only a few minutes before removing the plastic wrap and discovered that the stamping was resisting the washes better than I expected, so combined with the random pattern of the plastic wrap, some of the backgrounds turned out pretty cool.
I have taken digital photos of all of them so I can use them in my art later on!!

Decorating paper is so much fun!! I love the randomness of it all and it is fun passing the day just mucking with paint and paper.  In this case, it is even better because I started with cardstock that was headed to the recycling bin!!  Now, that is upcycling!!

Therese

Steampunk fat book page

I have been crafting in my new room!!!  It is wonderful.
Here is the project I was working on today - a Steam punk fat book page.  I created this for a swap on AFTCM.  I created a steam punk wind screen using items that I picked up on my walk the other day and a few add ons.  What did I pick up??  The base - a clear plastic with holes in it and the rusty washer.  I added the central piece (inside of a foam brush) from my desk, the little washers and the electronic bits were discovered during a raid of DH garage and the butterfly charm, the rhinestone and the copper piece are from my stash.  I wired all of them into place using wire which I had pulled out from ribbon a while back.  Thinking about it - most of these elements have been upcycled!!  I ended up painting the back of the clear piece after I had started wiring elements into place so I used a variety of mediums until I got the look I needed. On hindsight, it would have been better to sand and paint it beforehand but it sort of evolved so I had to make it up as I went along.  I really like the way it looks!!  Once the windscreen was finished I started looking for a fall scene, a flying machine and a pilot.  The pilot and the windmill I found at Graphics Fairy and the fall scene I downloaded off the internet.  I love how it all came together.  I had to add some details to the pilot and also created the outside of his flying machine.  The back of the page has the fall scene with some verse I wrote about the colours and flying!!  I added some coordinating fiber on the right hand side and my page was done!!

The colours of fall are so awesome here.  I grew up in the west where fall colours go from green to yellow and if we were lucky brown but more often than not, we would get a hard frost in September and all the leaves would fall regardless of what colour they were!!  Bare trees for Halloween and very often snow suits too!!

PS - If you have been waiting for more photos of my craft room - I have uploaded them into the original post - here!!

Therese

Wooden socks!!

For my desk no less!!
After crafting at my desk for a few days in a row I would end up with pain in my shoulders from bending over ever so slightly while I was creating.  So, my DH made a set of wooden socks for my desk!!!  It raised it about three inches.  Works so much better!!  He custom fit them to the legs and they simply slide on the bottom of the leg like a sock.  Pretty cool!!

Therese

More refurbished cards to donate!

 I have been busy cleaning up "stuff" from my craft room and in the process I have taken the time to make up some more refurbished cards to donate.
It has been fun to see how I can incorporate an image from a commercial card and add some handmade techniques and elements to create new cards.  I have added punched greetings, ribbon, embossing, punched borders, etc.
For some cards I used both the inside and outside to create a cards front - works perfectly because they already match and have the same look.
For some it was sufficient to trim the front and glue it to a new card front because they were beautiful as they were.  My previous batch can be seen here.

In Canada, we are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend.  I am grateful for the great weather and the time to do what needs doing.  Great walks and a bit of cleaning up in the garden that gives me some exercise and fresh air.  There was heavy frost this morning so the rest of the flower beds can be cleaned up - have a hard time pulling blooming flowers - for winter.
I have a couple of swaps to work on and will continue with the cleaning and sorting of my "stuff" into my craft room.
Check this updated post with pictures of the current state of my room!!

Therese

Cards to donate!

I have been working in my craft room refurbishing commercial cards for donating to a local organization where I have been teaching cardmaking.  It has been fun to create cards with the images from these cards and make a layout that works.  I usually try to add a bit of texture - ribbon, etc to make the cards have more of a handmade look.  I will be dropping those off today.  It is a small step in getting "stuff" out of my room!!
I have a lot of handmade cards I have received in swaps and exchanges that I will be refurbishing as well and donating later on.
I would encourage everyone to consider reusing any cards they receive - either commercial or handmade - by refurbishing them and donating them to a local organization.  Nursing homes and charities are always grateful for something they can use to cheer up the many people that they come in contact with everyday!!

Therese

New craft space!!!

My new craft room - left & right!!!  I have been away for a month - visited with my sister for her vacation, visited with my daughter and her family - lots of time with my grandchildren and got a chance to spend some time with my son as well.  While I was away my DH has been working hard creating my new craft room from scratch!!  There's a only a few things left to be done so I took some time this morning to restructure my Gracious Living storage carts so they would all be the same height.  While I was at it I nipped the stops a bit on the bottom of the large drawers so they can be easily removed which allows access to the whole drawer!!  Been meaning to do that for a long time. We moved the whole bank of carts to under the window this afternoon and zipped them together with cable ties to make the whole thing very sturdy.  We hope to get the large shelving unit in there tomorrow morning which will leave the dresser and the file cabinet for the afternoon!!
The left hand side of my room will be used for storage but that does mean that I have to start sorting and culling before anything gets brought into my new space!!
I am blessed!!  I am hoping to be creating in there by the weekend!!

UPDATED - October 8, 2012
I have been crafting in my craft room - refurbishing cards for donating!  You can see them here and here!  It is soooo nice!!!  I took this photo this morning after clearning up my desk from the last few days.  You can see my bookcase on the left which needs to be filled, my bank of plastic carts, my wooden shelving and my file cabinet lined up against the outside walls.  My desk and the dresser are in the middle of the room and create a island.  I love having everything so handy!!  I am finding it so much easier to just put tools and supplies back in their homes!!
Needless to say the other side of the room is still suffering from clutter so I will have to update that later.
Therese

Thank you cards

I made up these cards to send off to the two great places we stayed at for our vacation this summer.  I folded a 4" x 12" piece of cardstock at 4" and 8" and then folded the two ends diagonally so the folds would meet over the center section.  I added triangles of decorative paper on both front flaps, layered a ribbon over the middle and captured it with the 3D foam tape I used to attach the focal element which is only glued to the triangle on the left hand side.  I watercoloured the stamped image (Magenta) and layered it to a square of coordinating cardstock. Just a square paper insert for writing on.
We had a wonderful vacation this summer in PEI.  We stayed at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast in Edmundston, NB on our way down called the Au NIDaigle run by Norma Daigle.  Large, bright, very well appointed rooms with private baths, lots of common areas, great grounds, great food and a very friendly and helpful hostess.  Check out her website!!
In Prince Edward Island we rented a wonderful little cottage only a short drive to a GREAT beach and situated on a lot next to the owner's house at St. Peters Lake, near Lakeside, PEI.  Ferne MacEwen is the owner of this little gem and she is wonderful to deal with. The two bedroom cottage has vintage decor and is neat and clean and very quiet.  She rents by the week from June to October but we would recommend going in August when the ocean is at its warmest. We checked out LOTS of beaches on the island and the best are facing the St. Lawrence on the Atlantic side - beautiful sand in long stretches that will take you hours to explore punctuated with red rocks and cliffs which are distinctive to PEI.  Check out this link for Ferne's  contact info or check out the 2012 PEI Visitors Guide on Page 181 for more information.  In the future, you can check the current edition under The Points East Coastal Drive, Cottages, Lakeside for her listing.  Most beaches in PEI have some beach glass - beautiful little nuggets of glass that have been worn by the motion of the sea and sand  - but we found the beach at Souris to be the most prolific. Be sure to go at when the tide is going out (low tide) which leaves the shore and sand bars exposed for exploring!!
Needless to say, I would highly recommend a vacation in PEI to everyone!!  It is a special part of Canada!!

Therese

Yet more acetate cards!

These are the final three of the acetates I discovered in my stash earlier. Here and here are the other cards I created with these.   I went in a different direction this time and backed them with restructructed paper which I created a while back.  I really like the look of the random colours behind the acetates so I kept the colour scheme monochromatic.  For a textured accent I pulled out my border punch (SU) and created some lacy strips using kraft cardstock and added some stitching with black thread.  I love it!!  So many possibilities for combining this punch with thread - my head is full of ideas!!  I layered the stitched strips to a black strip that was trimmed with decorative scissors, attached that to the acetate with double sided tape and then attached the acetate to the decorative paper using double sided tape behind the strips.  I used mini brads to attach the whole element to the card front!!  I can see using the little mini brads with the lacy strips as well for creating decorative elements for cards.

More acetate cards!

 I found these printed acetates in my stash and thought they would go well with the paper napkin I used to clean up my alcohol inks when I was creating my previous acetate card.  I used Sharpies,  rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab to colour the images on the back.  I simply applied a bit of blue on the petals with the marker and moved around the colour with a  swab dampened with alcohol. In the same manner, I added yellow to the centers and green to the leaves.  The colour coordinated very nicely with my background paper.

I applied white glue to the back of the acetates - same side as the colour - and placed them on the coloured paper napkin and left them to dry.  Once dry, it was easy to trim the napkin to the edge of the acetate.  I added a white layer below the acetate to help brighten the flowers because placing them directly on the cardstock dulled the colours too much.  I added a length of seam binding between the image and the greeting, gluing the ends to the back and tied on a short piece to simulate a bow.  I attached this element to my card front with four brads.  This was a stash buster!!  The background paper napkin didn't even make it to the stash as it was still on my work surface!!
I really love the watercolour look of the background!!  Save the paper towels or wipes you use to clean up to use as backgrounds for future projects!!

Therese

Acetate and sticker card

On AFTCM, I joined a swap that requires that I create an elegant acetate card that includes a sticker.    It took a bit of time to come up with the layers for this card to insure that no glue or brad tangs were showing but it finally came all together.  I started by cutting a piece of acetate that when folded in half fit in a large envelope.  I cut another piece of acetate for my focal element, applied my sticker - a vase of beautiful sunflowers - to the front.  I used alcohol inks on the back of this layer to create a soft watercolour look.  I lifted the vase part of the sticker and added a piece of yellow vintage seam binding over the acetate and glued the ends to the back.   I layered some decorative reflective foil to the back of this acetate and attached it using some double sided tape behind the sunflowers. I added this element to the card front using four brads through all the layers.  To cover up the brad tangs I added an embellished layer of green cardstock slightly larger than the element to the inside of the card front using four large glue dots on the brad tangs and a couple piece of double sided tape in the center area.  I had punched the one side of the green cardstock using a scallop border punch (SU) and pierced the scallops using a push pin.  To the inside back of the acetate card I added an embellished layer of white cardstock using large glue dots in the corners.  I had previously border punched one of the edges and added some dots and stitching using a coordinating blue gel pen.  To cover up the sight of my glue dots on the back of the card I added four small sunflower stickers.  To finish it off, I tied a small length of seam binding to the piece on the front with a single knot and tied on a sticker embellishment which I created using two round tag shaped clear stickers with a little sunflower sticker sandwiched in between.
Really love the dimension and interest created by that reflective foil I placed behind my acetate.  It has been in my stash for YEARS!!!!!!!!  Saved this foil wrapper from a KitKat bar when Lost World was the movie to see!!
Enjoy the last of the summer before the kids head back to school!!

Therese

Single Panel Thank you cards

I made a few more of these panel cards for my daughter to use as needed for her Stella & Dot
Trunk Show hostesses.  You can see some of the other ones I have made for her here and here.
I used several graphics from the Lattice Collection  from The Graphic Fairy's blog for backgrounds called The Background Fairy as the the main elements for the cards and just added Thanks in a flourished font.  I colour printed these cards - three to an 8.5" x 11" and simply cut them apart.  They are quick and easy!!
Therese

More little fabric quilts

Had the opportunity to make a few more of these little fabric quilts in the car on the way home from vacation.  You can see the first ones I made here and you can check out the link to the tutorial as well.  I expect I will do a few more before I start sewing them together to make a Teesha Moore style journal/book cover.  These are quite different colours and fabrics from the last ones.  With the other sides all different as well it does give me a few options when it comes to creating a cover.
We had a fabulous PEI vacation!!  If you have never visited this little island I would most highly recommend it - great beaches, great food and great people!!
I will have a few more creative posts later as I unpack from vacation and get my photos downloaded.

Thanks for dropping by!!

Therese