My art - christmas card and tag exchange

Here is the Christmas card I created for the girls from Card Club!! It features a Paper Artsy angel black embossed on taupe with a distressed and watercoloured border. It is layered over colour washed sheet music and a black card which has silver embossed greeting and snowflakes!! I added a snowflake embellishment - a black snowflake punchie (MS) over a silver fabric snowflake attached with a brad!!
I am so happy with the way this card turned out!!
Not a traditional Christmas card but that suits me fine!! We had a tag exchange this month instead of exchanging cards. I used adhesive cardstock and glitter to create my ornament. I cut the ornament with my CB using the Sizzix die and then peeled off the hanger and middle section and added silver glitter. Peeled off the top and bottom section and added black glitter. Mounted it to the tag with 3D foam tape and attached them together at the top with fiber!!
Got some really great tags in exchange - a cute little Christmas couple with gifts, large scallop circle with glittered ornaments, a glittered snowman star, a nicely layered and coloured winter tree with snowman, a glittery snowflake, a top note with evergreen trees and 3D snowflake punchies!! At least one yet to come!! We had a wonderful evening - good food and good friends always makes good memories!! I was in charge of the shoe box so I prepped some supplies for making little "magazine racks" for storing cards. I modified the design a little bit from from last time to make it more sturdy. I will see about uploading that later.

I am looking forward to Christmas and a bit of a break! I have been in cardmaking heaven for the last month and it has been very fun but I am looking forward slowing the pace of life and taking some time to "fill the cup"!!

Therese

My Art - Dec cardmaking - vellum butterfly

This card features several layers of vellum and a vellum butterfly!! The butterfly is stamped and embossed. I cut it out along the embossing and slightly folded each wing up so that it is dimensional on the card!! Added it to the card with a SMALL piece of double sided tape placed beneath its body. I used coloured vellum closest to the cardstock and added a cardstock strip below the decorative vellum which helps create another level of contrast. A greeting can be stamped on the strip or on the card front. The two vellum layers and the strip are attached to the card front with brads.

Decorative vellum: I stippled and stamped white vellum to create the decorative vellum I needed for the yellow card. I used a Memories Chalk pad and a long UM (SU). Not all inks dry on vellum. The chalk ink dried reasonably quickly and could be encouraged to hasten its pace with a little heat. Always be careful when using a heat gun on vellum - it can warp and wrinkle with too much heat.

Therese

My Art - Dec cardmaking - punchie flower

This card features a folded flower punchie which gives a really different look!! I used double sided colour printed cardstock to give dimension to the flower. You need to offset the fold so all the petals are visible. Score from the top of the bottom petal on the right to the bottom of the top petal on the left. The center is a 1/2" punchie which I distressed and coloured to help it look more part of the flower. I cut a stem and leaves from a scrap of green cardstock and glued them all to the white rectangle to which I had given a watercolour wash and distress to its edges. The band on the left hand side was punched with a border punch - scallop (SU) and eyelet (MS).
One of the girls did not glue her flower in half - she left it just folded and it adds a lot of dimension to the card because half the petals are a bit 3D on the front of the card. I thought it looked really nice.
Therese

My Art - Dec cardmaking - shimmer again!

Yet, more shimmer paper!!! The central image - stamped and embossed on shimmer paper - is trimmed, layered and mounted to the top part of the card. I punched the holes to the top layer and added the fiber before I glued it to the card front so that the filber does not show on the inside.
There is enough room on this card to add a greeting below the fiber which allows you to use this one for any occasion!!

Therese

My Art - Dec cardmaking - Thanks

I like to make thank you cards in early December so they are ready to go when I need them over the Christmas season.
This card features a computer generated THANKS - font Comet Negative - which I printed in light grey so it would not overwhelm the colours of the decorative paper I used in the background. I used watercolour to colour my letters but you could use any medium you like - chalks, pencil crayons, markers, etc. Once coloured I cut them apart leaving a white margin all the way around which acts as a frame and makes them stand out a bit. Some at class did not leave a border and it makes quite a visual difference. I mounted them with 3D foam tape to the strip which I trimmed with decorative scissors and embellished with pin pricks.
I made a variety of colours and it is always fun to play with the elements to make it your own.
Pay attention to the blessings you receive over the holidays - gifts, special events, experiences, sharing, fun, etc and be sure to let those who have touched your life know that they are appreciated!!!

Therese

My Art - Christmas cards - winter village

Another CuttleBug embossing folder!! I love this little village!! In this case, I laser printed the cardstock before I embossed the cardstock. It took a few tries in a layout program to get the words in the right place but it was quick and easy once the fronts were printed!! I added a snowflake with a brad and mounted this layer to the card front!! I touched the rooftops and the hill with the edge of my glue stick and then added glitter!! I liked it both ways - with and without glitter!!

This is certainly a quick and easy card if you are needing to make a batch of cards in an afternoon!!

I have my handmade paper cards to finish up before I can post them!! I do have several activities this week so maybe I can get to that by the end of the week.

Therese

My Art - Christmas - whimsical gifts

It took me quite a while to come up with this design to really perfectly highlight this whimsical gift image!! Persistance usually pays off!! In this case, the gifts have been gold embossed and watercoloured!! I also gold embossed the greeting on the card front. Added a rectangle of decorative paper on the left hand side and mounted the coloured image to a rectangle of coordinating cardstock. Added scallops to the one edge with the border punch (SU) and then added two holes and created an INNIE-OUTIE bow!! Punch two holes a little less than a half inch apart and using 3-4" of ribbon put one end through each hole and cross over the back and pull each end through to the front in the opposite hole!! Trim the ends for a neat looking bow!! If you are not into making bows you could just knot your ribbon and secure with a glue dot! I mounted this layer with 3D foam tape!! I made these in several different colours - blues and green, browns and golds, etc. The little gifties look great coloured in a wide variety of colours!!

Therese

My Art - Christmas cards - angel

An angel on shimmer paper!! Not noticeable on the scan but great in real life!! The angel is gold embossed and could certainly be enhanced with chalks or watercolour to add another level of interest to this card!! The card front was embossed with a holly embossing folder that my friend lent me! New for this season!! This is a large embossing folder (CB) about 5"x7" which does the whole front without any margins!!
I added an oval and short piece of ribbon which is attached to the card front with a brad. The part of the oval that hangs off the card is simply folded to the inside and secured with a glue dot which has the benefit of also covering the tangs of the brad!!
The image is layered onto a coordinating layer and glued over the other edge of the ribbon which I secured with double sided tape because the embossed surface has so little surface to hold glue.

Therese

My Art - Christmas cards - poinsettia

This one features the more traditional colours of Christmas - green and red!! The background paper is a foil gift wrap I purchased last year and was able to find cardstock that matched perfectly!! The vellum with its nicely torn edges is secured beneath the top strip with a short piece of double sided tape. The strip has a scalloped edge (SU border punch) which I highlighted with gold gel pen. The poinsettia is created using several elements - a gold brad, yellow glittery sequin, a yellow flower punchie, a light red 5 petal punchie (SU), a darker red 5 petal punchie and a green one which has been cut up into individual leaves. I assembled the poinsettia with the brad and mounted the leaves on the back of the dark layer. Using two different hues of red gives the poinsettia more dimension as does using a push pin at a very low angle to simply score a line from the center of the punchie to the point of each petal. The petals can then be folded a bit which makes them look more real. I did the same to the leaves. The completed poinsettia is attached through all the layers of the card front with the brad, nicely centered on the vellum.
The vellum nicely captures the light reflected by the gold sections of this shiny foil paper!! It was nice to create a card with a more traditional Christmas feeling to it. A greeting could easily be added to the front!!
Check out the stores while you are out shopping this season for a roll of good quality gift wrap you can use when creating your Christmas cards for next year!! Better yet make up your cards over the holidays when you are surrounded by the sights, sounds and scents of the season!! There is inspiration absolutely everywhere once the tree is up, the lights are on and the house and neighbourhood have taken on the mantel of the season.
You might even want to take a few photographs to use in your art in the future!! A beautiful nativity, a snow angel or a great snowman!!

Therese

My Art - Christmas cards - embossed tree

More Christmas cards!! It has been fun to come up with yet more Christmas cards! These are from today's class!!
This is an embossed Christmas tree created with one of the latest CB embossing folders which is on many's want list this season!!
I cut the card stock to size - it leaves most of the base off - before I embossed the images. It made it easier to center the image on the cardstock. I added the ribbon to the embossed layer by folding the edges to the back and securing with double sided tape. Glued the decorative paper to the card front and glued the embossed layer over that. I chalked the edges of the oval just a little to highlight it nicely and have it stand off a bit from the very white background. The greeting is embossed with pearl embossing powder to give it a soft look and I mounted the oval with 3D foam tape to give the card a bit of dimension!!
If you were making only a few of these you could consider chalking some of the elements on the tree or adding some bling with little crystals.
I kept the design simple for a quick and easy card.

Therese

My Art - Dad's card

My Dad's 80th birthday card!! I count myself very fortunate that he is doing well considering the health challenges he faces and that he is still living with my Mom independantly in their own home. He knows he has limits but still finds ways of doing the things he most loves to do which I think goes a long way to extending life.
I added a thin layer of cherry wood to the top part. My Dad was a carpenter most of his life and wood has been an important part of his life. This particular piece is from a night light my husband is buidling for our newest grandchild.
I stamped the covered bridge (SU) onto shimmer paper I made - so fun!! Layered it on cardstock and added a ribbon and embossed greeting!! Really like the way it turned out!!!
Thrifty Tip: Make your own shimmer paper!! Add some mica enhanced product to rubbing alcohol in a mister bottle and spray away!! I have sprayed it on black, red and white! You can spray it on any colour!!
I used regular drug store rubbing alcohol. Mica enhanced product includes the following - shimmer acrylic paint (SU) does an awesome job. My SU demo recommends the white frost or the champagne mist. I used white mica powder that I bought a LONG time ago for highlighting friendly plastic. Others have used shimmery metallic acrylic paint, Pearl Ex, Perfect Pearls, etc. with good success. Be sure to spray from about a foot away and give it several light layers of shimmer. I used about 1/2" teaspoon of mica powder to 4-5 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol. Your level of shimmer will be more or less depending on how much mica product you use so experiment until you find a level that suits you.

Have fun and if you have not yet finished your Christmas cards - add some shimmer!! You can spray your cards once they are finished to add just a bit of shimmer but be really careful if you have any unprotected stamping on the fronts. Too much shimmery alcohol may make the inks bleed!!

Therese

My Art - All Occasion - embossed birthday

This set of cards featured an embossed birthday greeting that was easily coloured using watercolours, pencil crayons or chalks! Works great for a class where there are different skill levels. We layered decorative paper at the top and an embossed layer over it at the bottom. The top edge of the bottom layer was trimmed with decorative scissor and I added a line of pierced holes as well. The coloured greeting was layered onto a coordinating layer and we punched the corner and added a ribbon accent. Quick and easy! Always good for the last card in a large cardmaking session!!
It was a great class and everyone had a good time. It is always good to spend time with friends being creative!! The bonus is that you have some unique gifts to give!!

Therese

My Art - All Occasion - quotes

This set of cards featured quotes - there are so many great quote stamps out there now!! The quotes were stamped in brown on white and we embellished them with decorative scissors, push pins and chalk!! The bottom of the card is embossed with an embossing folder I created. I wanted the embossing to go all the way across the bottom of the card. To create the embossing folder I cut wavy lines in a piece of cardboard that was wider than the 5.5" I needed for the bottom of the card. I created a cardboard folder to hold my embossing layer and glued every second strip to one side and all the other ones to the other side. It worked very well but cardboard does not hold up to a lot of use as does the plastic ones that are commercially available. I am very happy with the results and expect I will probably create more as I want a look that is not yet commercially available!!
Decorative paper and silk flowers complete the look of this card!!

Therese

My Art - All Occasions - acetate

I created the top card for the class because it required less time to finish. The bottom card was my first try at this design. It has the advantage of a colourful image but does not have the contrast of coloured cardstock which adds appeal to the second card.
I sandwiched the acetate between the flap on the left hand side and the layer I added on the inside to hide the double sided tape which also adds some interest because it shows through the acetate!! Layering the white embossed image on the acetate layer can be tricky. I started with the white layer which I glued to the inside of the card front. Lay it, properly centered, on the inside of the card with double sided tape well to the center facing up and close the front over it. Perfectly positioned!! Now just add double sided tape to the back of the image and position it on the front of the card evenly centered on the white layer. I added a decorative fiber tie on the right hand side to add some dimension to this card.

Love the clean lines of this card and it has a elegant look done in a colour and a neutral!!

Therese

My art - All Occasion cards - calendar pages

Calendar pages for cards!! These images were cut from calendar pages from a 365 day calendar. This is a great way to get a lot of images that are somewhat related for making cards for gifts!! Collect the pages as time goes by and choose a day a month to make cards! At the end of the year you have over 300 cards for giving as gifts!! The trimmed images were glued to the card front and a colour printed greeting was embellished with a black sharpie marker and added at the bottom.

Therese

My Art - All Occasion cards - flower & flourish

Christmas is coming!! A friend of mine and her coworkers and friends decided to make their gifts this year so they asked me to put together some all occasion cards to make as gifts!! They will be packaging them in card holders for a great presentation!!

This is the first card we made in class. Lots of embossing on this one - the background, the two nestie flowers and the center!! I usually made them different just to change up the design a bit.

The flower embellishment is created using two nestibilities diecuts. I snipped each of the dips on the scallop to create petals for my flower. Added an embossed center to really give it the look of a flower. I die cut the flourish and mounted it to the back of the flower. The background was trimmed to the embossed edge and glued to the front of the card and the ribbon was added. I saved on ribbon by tying both ends in a double (square) knot and then cutting the ribbon. Glued the ends to the inside of the card with double sided tape. The flower embellishment was mounted to the card front using 3D foam tape. I made the kits different colours to provide a bit of variety in the cards.

Consider giving handmade cards to those hard to buy for people on your list and are always a good choice for teachers and other service providers in your life. Handmade cards bless lots of people - you when you make them, others when you give them as gifts and yet others who will receive them on their special day!!

Therese

Card Holder instructions!

The little card holders have been very popular and if you are looking for the instructions please follow the link below OR check the right hand side of my blog under TUTORIALS where you will find a permanent link to the instructions under CARD HOLDER INSTRUCTIONS!!

http://tmalakart.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-art-card-holder.html

If you have any further questions please send an email or give me a call!!

Enjoy!!

Therese

My Art - Cardmaking - snowman

I so loved this handmade paper when I made it!! Looks like large fluffy snowflakes coming down from the sky!! I knew I wanted to use it with a snowman!! I used an acrylic ornament to create a papercast of this great little snowman just the size I needed for this card!! I attached my handmade paper to my card front and used hot glue to attach the snowman paper cast. Added some white fiber on the left hand side with a snowflake punchie and a white snowflake brad. Added another snowflake punchie to the lower right hand side with a regular white brad.

I love the handmade look of this card and the soft white of the papercast!! I will be making more handmade paper with confetti to create this look of falling snow!!

Therese

My Art - Cardmaking - glittered snowflake

This snowflake looks so great in real life - so sparkly!! I used the hole from die cutting a Sizzix snowflake!! It worked out so well!! I did a few experiments before I settled on using label on the back of the hole to hold the glitter. Works really well for getting a nice coverage of glitter. I used the large label sheets (8.5" x 11") and cut a piece the size I needed to cover the snowflake and placed it on the back!! Added two long skinny pieces to the top and bottom then a large bling to the center and covered it with glitter. I gently rubbed the glitter into the adhesive to ensure good covereage. The excess shakes off quite easily and I used a little brush to get off any of the extra. I mounted this to the front of the card and added my layered greeting using 3D foam tape.

THRIFTY TIP: Consider using the hole created with you die cut a shape!! It gives you two pieces to craft with instead of one!!

These cards will surely bring good cheer to someone on my Christmas list!!
Therese

My Art - Cardmaking - snowflakes!

Had fun designing these cards! Have seen similar ones on Splitcoast a while back and thought I would give it a try. The base of the card is 3.5"x 4.25". I attached some decorative paper to the front, added a snowflake embossed strip and a multi layered circle greeting to the lower part and a layered embellishment to the top part. The circle embellishment was created using nestabilities scallop circle die cuts and plastic snowflakes!! They fit nicely in the A2 sized envelopes!!

Therese