Another sympathy card reusing a card front

Another card for the stash!  I reused a notecard front using it as a background on this card.  I love the colours - off white, green, gray and black!!  I trimmed the front to size and then punched a hole in near the bottom edge using the Modern Label punch (SU).  I added a length of vintage seam binding between the opening and the left hand side and tied another short piece to it to simulate a bow.  I layered this decorative piece to dark gray and then to a green card front.  I added a laser printed greeting punched with the Word Window punch (SU) into the opening using double sided tape.  Perfect for a sympathy card!!

Therese

The last of a set of monochromatic cards created with coordinating papers

These are the last two cards I created using the set of focal elements I created from a sheet of scrapbook paper by cutting out all the large floral elements on the sheet.  I layered the focal elements onto dark maroon cardstock. 
Check out the other two sets here and here. 
For my first card I started with a dark maroon card front and layered on strips of two of the other papers.  I added a length of wide coordinating gros grain ribbon adhering one end to the inside of the card using double sided tape and the other flagged end to the card front using double sided tape as well.  I applied glue stick to the area in between to get a smooth ribbon.  I created a little laser printed greeting which I trimmed with scalloped decorative scissors, pierced each scallop and sponged on a bit of colour.  I mounted it to the bottom edge of my large focal element before adhering it to the front of my card overlapping the ribbon using 3D foam tape. 

For the next card, I used two scraps of the original paper from which I trimmed the focal elements which I glued to my maroon card front at the top and bottom.  I trimmed a length of white cardstock using scallop decorative scissors, pierced each scallop and ran my tracing wheel along each length to create a line of piercing.  Love that little tool!!  I layered a length of maroon cardstock over it and then glued this element over the gap between the paper on the front of my card.  I added a length of coordinating gros grain ribbon on the right hand side of the card creating a slot on the spine in which I inserted the end of my ribbon and glued it in place with double sided tape.  I used double sided tape on the flagged end as well and some regular glue stick in between to get my ribbon nice and smooth.  I added a vellum laser printed greeting to my focal element by folding over the edges of the strip and adhering them to the back with regular tape.  I adhered this large element to the front of my card over the ribbon using 3D foam tape. 
I am happy to have made six cards with this challenge!!!  I have a few more sheets to go and we will have to see what comes of those.               Therese

DIY - Washi tape

I have a few rolls of washi tape that I have purchased over the years.  The ones purchased together coordinate but the groups do not coordinate very well so I am often left wanting to use the tapes but not finding what I need in the collection I have.  SO..... I decided more washi tape would be required before I could liquidate the supply I have.  Make any sense?? There is some logic to it but as you can see from the box that by the end of my Washi Tape making session I have pretty much tripled my selection!!  And so it is!  Those with clips have a carrier and those on the tube were made with the medical tape. 

I did a little bit of research on line looking for Washi Tape tutorials and found quite a few using several different techniques!!  I really like the translucent look of the ones made with tissue paper so I decided to give it a go!  I collected tissue paper, double sided tape, a pair of scissors and a scoring tool (AKA a bone folder).  For any tissue paper that was not smooth I gave it a bit of a press with my iron before getting started.  Once flat, I ran a length of double sided tape over the back side of the tissue paper and then carefully trimmed both sides with the scissors.  Next I burnished the whole length to ensure its adherence and smoothness.  It is best to work on a hard surface which reduces the amount of wrinkles introduced into the final washi tape.  I used clear double sided tape with a substrate as well as a carrier.  Having a carrier works the best when it comes to storing your newly created washi tape because you can just roll it up and it does not stick anywhere you don't want it too.  This washi tape is very sticky and therefore cannot be rolled onto itself like the commercial kind.  It does not tear easily because of the substrate but it has the translucent quality that the commercial ones have. 
For my second attempt I used a more opaque tissue which came wrapped around something and a wider different opaque double sided tape.  These two worked quite well together but the result is opaque and does not tear because of the plastic substrate as well.  It can easily be coloured with ink pads and stamped on to add some texture and designs which means it can be customized for any project.  Using wider tape allows you to cut it down in width and get twice as much washi tape for your effort. 
On my next attempt I used double sided tape from a local store which is very thin and has no substrate - just glue on a carrier!  This one works the best to make nice translucent tape that tears easily!!  You do have to be careful to use the clearest glue you can get.  Yellow glue will show through white tissue paper and affect the look of your washi tape.  Of course, if used on warm coloured tissue paper it matters much less.  Very close to the real thing though you cannot roll it onto itself because it is too sticky!!  I really liked this tape and it was fun to play in my supply of tissue papers!!  In the tutorials they suggested that the single coloured layer of paper napkins can be used in the same way.  Will try that next time!!
On my last attempt I used medical tape!! I laid out several strips on a the smooth back of a plastic place mat before applying colour with permanent ink pads.  I used tiny detailed stamps and coordinating permanent ink colours to add some texture and designs to these lengths of washi tape.  This tape does take colour reasonably well but is generally still quite translucent and when dry is the most like real washi tape as it can be rolled upon itself as it is not too sticky and tears very easily.  It is more difficult to get really bright and contrasting colours on this tape.  I have used watered down acrylics in the past and it works as well as the ink did. You can check out my Faux Washi Tape posting here!!   I will consider a coat of gesso on the tape when I try this next time.  It should give me a bit more opacity but also provide a better surface to which I can add paint or ink and get brighter colours.  This should allow a broader spectrum of ways to finish off the tape with colour, markers, stamping, etc which should provide a wide range of interesting washi tape that would more like the commercial ones. 
So I am very happy with my experiments with making my own washi tape!!  I most like the thin tearable double sided tape on the tissue paper and except for not being able to roll it onto itself it makes great washi tape.  It works for me because of the large variety of tissue papers I have. 
The medical tape works really well too and because it requires ink/paint and stamps it a good option for someone who had an abundance of those instead of a tissue paper supply. 
Be sure to create some coordinating washi tapes so you can combine them in your creative projects!!!!  Leave me a comment and include a link to your Washi Tape fun!!!

Therese

Sympathy card with a reused calendar page and some ribbon

A sympathy card for my stash.  I reused a calendar page which was donated to me a while back.  I love the softness of this winter scene.  I trimmed the page to 4" x 5.25", added a coordinating ribbon and adhered this large element to the front of a blue card.  I tied a short piece of the organza ribbon to the length on the card using one knot to simulate a bow.  I left the knot soft so the ends would not be too vertical.  I added a layered punchie greeting that consists of a laser printed font greeting (SU  Word Window) over a dark blue label (SU Modern Label) and adhered it with 3D foam tape.  Good to have a few of these on hand.            Therese

Thank you card sets using small envelopes

 I received a generous donation of cardmaking supplies which included some envelopes which are just a bit smaller than A2 so I have decided to use them to make Thank you card sets.  I love this paper!!!!!!!!  My daughter donated several scrapbooking kits to me a while back and this gorgeous paper was included in a fun paper pack.  The pattern is in the paper so I just trimmed it down to work with these cards and glued them to brown cards.

I watercoloured the laser printed digital greeting punchies and then layered them onto die cut scalloped circles before adhering them to my embellished card front.  They needed nothing more though I did try several times to include "more" to no avail so these came together fairly quickly due to their simplicity. 

Therese

Another set of Thank you cards

 I have made another set of Thank you cards!!!  The envelopes are just a bit smaller than A2.  I used brown cardstock for these and layered on some wonderful striped decorative paper. I watercoloured the greetings to coordinate with the paper and layered them onto decorative labels which I die cut with the smallest die in the SU Decorative Label thinlets set in coordinating colours.  I added ribbon to two of them, white fiber to the other one and just a strip of brown cardstock with flagged ends to the last one.

I am enjoying this process of making these cards!!  I only put single layer inserts in most of them but when I got to the two bottom ones I realized that in my enthusiasm I had fiber/ribbon on the inside of the card so those ones got full inserts instead. 

Therese

Thank you card sets in peach and orange

 In response to a generous donation of cardmaking supplies I have created several sets of cards for a wonderful person!!!  Some of the envelopes are 5.5" x 4 1/8" - just a bit smaller than the A2 sized envelopes so I decided to use these to make her a few cards. 
I started with some light peach cardstock and cut cards to fit in the envelopes (3.75" x 10.5) and found some paper that coordinated that I cut just slightly smaller to leave

a border all the way around.  I die cut scallops from the decorative paper, tied a ribbon or fiber between the opening and the edge and adhered these to the front of my cards.  On the one in the lower left hand corner I sponged colour onto the card front before gluing the decorative paper in place.  I watercoloured and sponged the my laser printed circle greetings to add a bit of colour and then adhered them in the openings.  I changed up the ribbon/fiber and the orientation to give them each a bit of a different look. 

Reuse photo calendar pages to create cards

 I have reused photos from a 4" x 6" calendar created by my sister, Sylvia.  She creates several different ones every year for sale and I am fortunate to get one for Christmas!! I trimmed the white frame off the photos which left them at 3.75" x 3.75" so I created a backer for them using Corel Draw using several vintage labels (Graphics Fairy) to which I added font greetings in a coordinating colour.  After laser printing them on white cardstock I trimmed them to 4" x 5.25", adhered my photos and then glued these large elements to a coordinating cards. When the photos are beautiful there is very little else you have to do!! These definitely deserve a second life!!    Therese

Birthday card from a kit

My final kit from this class.  I trimmed my decorative paper but failed to remember that the cuts had to go from side to side to get the spacing in needed so I ended up with a few more cuts to get the spacing to work.  I glued the pieces to the green layer and then added a length of ribbon which ran through the intersection of the pieces gluing both ends to the back using double sided tape then tied a short piece onto it using a single knot to simulate a bow.  I adhered this large element to a blue card front and then added my layered laser printed greeting which I had embellished with watercolour over the ribbon using 3D foam tape.  The "bow" slides so you can put it anywhere you need it on the length  to which you have tied it.            Therese

Cards from kits - handmade paper and leaves

Another couple of card kits I made up!!  These are from quite a ways back and were discovered while I was looking for something else in a box which was packed during our move!!!  I used white glue to adhere the pressed leaves to the handmade paper which I made myself and then adhered this layer to a colourful card.  I added a distressed stamped greeting to the one on the right.  Loving card kits for cards that are ready in minutes!!

Therese

White embossing on watercolour paper - bright cheery cards!

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

More monochromatic cards using a coordinating set of papers - birthday and sympathy

I have been working on getting a few more of these cards made up. Check out the first set here. I cut up the first sheet of paper by cutting out all the large floral elements on the sheet.  I layered them all onto deep maroon cardstock to create my focal elements.
For the top card I used an oval focal element which was created using Nestibilities.  I added a single layer on the maroon card front and stamped a greeting. Unfortunately, it was the wrong colour and crooked so I trimmed off the bottom edge of the paper and replaced it with a piece from the original sheet and added a strip of maroon cardstock over the joint.  I added an organza ribbon with a simulate bow and then mounted my oval focal element over it using 3D foam tape.  I added a layered punchie greeting on the lower right hand corner.

For the second card I used the same background paper and added organza ribbon as well.  I punched a slot in the spine of the card so I could insert the end of my ribbon and glued the end to the inside front of my card with double sided tape.  Tied on a short piece to simulate a bow on this one as well.  Added my rectangular focal element over the ribbon using 3D foam tape and adhered the layered punchie greeting using double sided tape.
It has been a fun challenge to create cards with this set of papers. 
Therese       

Christmas cards with non traditional colours - red, black, green and gold

My first Christmas cards of the year!!  I made these for a friend of mine who had a small piece of this gorgeous green paper with gold trees on it that was wrapped around one of her Christmas gifts.  I offered to make her some Christmas cards for next year with it!!  The trees were different sizes hence the different size of ovals on these cards.  I used my oval Nestibilities to figure out which ones would be good for card avoiding any of the folded or rough spots that had been on the corners.  I traced around the die and then cut them out with scissors  giving each one enough edge so they could be glued behind the ovals.  These are a bit smaller than A2 so I had to be really diligent when cutting my pieces because they all had to be just a bit smaller.   I gold embossed my greetings (SU) on the black layer, die cut the ovals and then glued the trees to the back of the opening after lining them up.  Finally I glued these large elements to the front of cranberry cardstock cards.  They are quite striking and not typical Christmas cards.  I have yet to make any for myself but it is in the works!!  Therese

Embossed background with a cute digital image

I need a few cards so I am making up the few card kits I have sitting on my work surface from previous classes. 
This one is from this class which features four embossed rectangles adhered to a coloured card front.  These ones were all different which adds interest to the the background.  I watercoloured the laser printed digital image (Cre8tive Hands) of a cute little bunny, layered it onto dark brown and added four little pieces of ribbon/lace with flagged ends to the right hand side using double sided tape.  I adhered this focal element to the front of my card using 3D foam tape.            Therese

Cards from kits - embossed backgrounds and with laser printed greetings

Another few cards made up from kits I have sitting on my desk from previous classes.  These are from this class and feature punchies glued to white cardstock embossed using an all over embossing folder (SU Lattice)!!  I changed up the kit a bit for the hearts card by adding a strip of vellum and a punchie greeting with rhinstones.  I folded the ends of the vellum over the sides of the background and glued to back with double sided tape.  I layered a laser printed punchie greeting (SU Word Window) over a label punchie (SU Modern Label) and adhered it over the vellum using double sided tape and then added two small clear rhintestones - one on each end.  I glued this large element to the front of a red card.  For the star card I had used only one coloured star punchie and all the others were white - nice textured look.  I added a chalkboard greeting which I fussy cut and then punched the holes on each side.  I threaded my ribbon through and glued each end to the back of the layer using double sided tape.  I tied a small piece of the same ribbon to the one on the front to simulate a bow and then decided to tie on a short piece of fun fiber in coordinating colours next to it.  Nice touch of colour!!  Card kits make getting card made up quick and easy!!            Therese

Pink and green Christmas thank you card

I used the other set of strips in this colour scheme for my other card.  I glued the strips to a white piece of cardstock and trimmed them all to the edges.  I tied on a length of coordinating hand dyed seam binding gluing the ends to the back before adhering this large element to a dark pink card front.  I added the large chalkboard greeting with 3D foam tape and then tied a short piece of seam binding to the one on the front of my card using a single knot to nicely simulate a bow!!  Love this very bright and cheery green and pink colour combination!!  Therese

Silver, red and green for a very festive thank you card

I am having fun creating cards from my Christmas paper stash!!  For this one I chose three pieces of commercial handmade paper which features red dots and silver glitter!!  I adhered them on the front of a red card front spacing them evenly and then added two little strips of silver ribbon in between them.  I tied the card front using some fine silver cording which I tied off on the left and then mounted a chalkboard greeting from my stash over the strands using 3D foam tape.  Love it!!

Therese

Tea themed photo birthday card

A card created using a photo from a tea related 4" x 6" photo calendar created by my sister, Sylvia.  This was from last year's calendar which I got for Christmas in 2016!!  Love this photo of a beautiful green heart shaped tea cup with a small pink peony on the saucer over a battenburg lace doily.  This is my favorite colour combo - pink and green!! 
I trimmed the photo to 3.75" x 3.75" and mounted it onto a green layer which I had stamped at the bottom with light green ink using a textured background and a leaf (SU).  I mounted this large element to the front of a dark pink card and added a laser printed birthday greeting (Birds Cards) punchie (SU) which I sponged with green ink all the way around and a bit of pink in the center using 3D foam tape.  Love how it turned out and relatively quick to put together!
If you are photographer/scrapbooker consider taking some photos that would work in your cardmaking and getting creative with them!!

Therese

Brown, orange and green with gold lettering for this card

I found these small pieces of decorative paper in my Christmas stash and thought I would use them for a thank you card.  I glued the strips to a rust coloured card front and added some metallic gold die cut letters - one per strip - to spell thanks.  I love the texture on these letters and the button too!!  I combined a green crochet thread with a length of thin brown wool and tied them to the top portion of my card above the letters using a couple of knots.  I added a gold metallic button to which I had tied a length of fiber which I dyed with a marker using two knots and adhered it to my card front over the knots I made in the threads using 3D foam tape.  Having some fun in my craft room!!

Therese

A fun thank you card in non traditional Christmas colours

Found another set of decorative papers in my Christmas paper stash that I used for this fun card!!  I glued the strips to a white piece of cardstock and trimmed them to the edge.  I die cut a scallop circle from the left hand side of this background, added a length of hand dyed seam binding between the opening and the side gluing the ends to the back before adhering this large element to a dark pink card front.  I watercoloured the circle punchie greeting and adhered it in the opening.   To finish off my card, I tied a short piece of seam binding to the one on the front using a single knot to simulate a bow.  A really fun and very festive card with green and pinks - my favorite colour combination!!           Therese