ATC Architecture and folding

I have been playing all day!!!!!!!!!! Here is what I have to show for it - a folded ATC which unfolds into a little house!!!! It worked out so well!! I modified a photo of a house I took in Kingston Mills for the front and back, created sides and roof with my layout program and folded it up so it would lay flat and fit in an ATC sleeve!! I added the words before I printed it, washed it with a bit of colour and added a red heart!! It will satisfy my Architecture and accordion folded ATC for a swap and Anything but a Card for another group!!

I will be working on my Domino book next and I have a few Christmas card challenges I would like to get to as well.

Have a great weekend!

Therese

PS I have had several requests for the template for this cool little house. Over night it occurred to me that these would be great for Christmas!! Flat to mail and a 3D card/ornament all in one!! If you would like a little house (undecorated and mailed flat with instructions) I am willing to trade one for something you have!!!!!!!! Click my profile and send me an email and we can get a trade happening!! I would take cardstock, decorative paper, flat embellishments, stickers, printed collage images, unmounted rubber stamps, etc - anything flat that is inexpensive to mail.

Cardmaking - September - flourished

I read somewhere that there are no mistakes in creating only opportunities for creativity!! The decorative paper on this card was just that. I started with gloss paper and alcohol inks like I always do and thought to myself as I got started "this paper is really glossy" but undaunted I pressed ahead and made up a couple dozen quarter sheets. As they sat to dry they changed up a bit and started being a little spotty. They didn't dry quickly which was weird so I let them sit until the next morning!! No better in the morning and in testing for "doneness" I saw that the ink was not dry!! So what to do!! I was actually able to wipe off all the ink but that simply seemed to be a waste of ink so I decided to see if I could seal in the colour using a coat of clear spray. Sure enough it worked but in the process the colours dulled quite a bit so I needed to punch up the look somehow. I decided to stamp them with my new flourish stamp from Impression Obession which I bought in Montreal at Scrapbook Central when we were on our way to PEI!! I used black StazOn and it worked perfectly!! It is a large square stamp so I laid it flat, inked it and then laid the cardstock on it!! Just a bit of layering, a colour printed greeting and we were done!! The right side of the cards was impressed using my Big Shot and a texture plate - Fiskars - I think!!

So all sorts of new techniques and tools employed in getting card kits ready for this month. It is fun to use new tools or to use older ones differently!! As well, always consider what you can do with a project before you throw in the towel. That is how things are invented!!!

Thanks for dropping by!!

Therese

Cardmaking - September - postage stamps!

These cards feature little postage stamps matted off like little works of art!! It was fun to rummage through my collection of used stamps and see what I had that coordinated with my backgrounds.

THRIFTY TIP: Save any interesting postage stamps that come in on your mail. They are free little works of art that can be used in your creations in so many places!!

I created the backgrounds using the double embossed technique!! On several I added a bit colour with a stamp pad after the first sanding just to add some depth to the background. I recommend that you use a simple all over design for the first embossing and something more bold or with a motif for the second embossing. Still have some experimenting to do with this technique!!

So, just mounted the postage stamp to a small rectangle (Nestibilities) and layered it with 3D foam tape to the other rectangle (Nesties). This element was mounted to the embossed layered card front using more 3D foam tape. I like the look of these little double matted pieces of art!!

Therese

Cardmaking - September - handmade paper

This card kit is very versatile!! I used my own handmade paper, added a strip of cardstock which I trimmed, embossed and pierced, some fiber and a 3D embellishment. Created cards for two very different occasions by changing the colours and the orientation!! For the brown one I tied the fiber to the spine with a double knot and added a leaf embellishment ($1). On the pink one I punched two holes, threaded the fiber through, tied it with a double knot on the front and added a layered silk flower embellishment.

THRIFTY TIP: I created a line embossing tool!! Cut two small strips of chipboard (1/2"x 6") and glued them about 1/16" apart on a chipboard base (2" x 6"). Used a stylus or bone folder to score the line. Now I can add an embossed line pretty much anywhere I want on my cards!!

In my tour of blog land this week I read some interesting tutorials on line about making your own embossing folders!! Will have to play with that and see what I can come up with!!

Therese

Cardmaking - September - sunflowers!

Sunflowers!!!!!!!!!!! I love the way these turned out!! After investigating several techniques for creating sunflowers with less than desired results I remembered my Poinsettia Nestibilities die!! Used it for my Christmas cards and thought that it might just work for sunflowers!! Beautiful!! Love it when I can find another way to use a tool!!! I cut two of the largest die from yellow cardstock, stippled their edges in brown, embossed the center line of each petal and then glued them to each other. I used a Scallop Circle Nestibilities die to cut the large center from brown cardstock and embossed it using the Bubbles embossing folder. I hand cut a stem and some leaves from green cardstock and glued them to the back of the flower where they fit best. I layered my sunflower over a piece of decorative scrapbook paper and used a couple of circle punchies (3/4" and 1/2") to create a ladybug - added spots with a black marker!!

The leaves are changing colour and the nights are cooler!! Back to the routines and hopefully a bit more time for crafting!!

Therese

Sea glass jewelery

This is a departure from the norm for me!! No paper!!!

We collected sea glass from the beaches in PEI when we were on vacation and having seen the beautiful jewelery that others had made I wanted to give it a try. Saw some wire wrapped pieces in PEI so I thought I would try that. I am happy with my first attempt. I did wrap several heart rocks as well. I always collect heart shaped rocks and we found quite a few. So I have made a few pendants for giving away to some special people and they will be delivered by my sister who went home on Saturday!! I gleaned some information from several tutorials I found on line by searching for wire wrapping.

Back to card in the next post!!

Therese

Star card - Circle of Friends

I love this paper!! It is almost all gone!! I punched the strip with a small star punch and trimmed the top edge with decorative scissors. Layered the small star over the large one and added a brad with a silver sequin to echo the silver in the paper!! When you have great decorative paper just a few elements are required to make a great card!!

Therese

Light house - Circle of Friends

This one is similar to these I made a while back. Handmade paper with seaweed from PEI featuring one of my light house photos printed in black and white. The strip was trimmed and pierced to add texture and attached with brads. I like the way the ribbon adds just a hint of colour!!

Therese

Multi layer flower card - Circle of Friends

This is a multi layered card which I have been wanting to try for a while. Two decorative papers from a coordinating pack - both layered onto white. Image stamped in dark brown. We added a metal spiral clip with ribbon. Some of the group coloured their flower and used a different layout for their rectangles for a very different look. That is one of the reasons I teach - I love the way that in any group of people some can come up with a totally different way to use the very same supplies!!

Therese

Butterlfy card - Circle of Friends

Made cards with a new group last night - some very enthusiastic newbies!! Circle of Friends was created to bring people together to celebrate every day life!! A great group!! They have weekly outings and monthly meetings.

We started off with a flower and butterfly card. Glued decorative paper with a wave on the bottom of the card and added flower punchies (SU) along the wavy edge. Chalked our butterflies (SU) and mounted them with 3D foam tape. Added body definition and antenna with a fine black marker as well as a flight path with little black dots. The last thing was to add iridescent glitter glue to the flower centers and set them aside until the glitter glue was dry.

A quick and easy card sketch!! Change up the colours and the punchies and you can make a card for any occasion!!

Therese

Flower card for contest!

Another card for the Class Acts contest. I am down to the wire - the deadline is tonight!! Their new website went live today so there are lots new images, specials, prizes and free shipping - check them out at www.classact.ca I am loving their new look - very fresh and elegant!!

Back to the card!! This card features a stamped resist background which I create a while back. Added a scallop border highlighted in white on the right hand side and a Chapel Road stamp - The Earth laughs in flowers - on white, artichoke and salmon scallops to coordinate with the background. Added a sheer ribbon with a little bow!! The image is stamped in Bella Rose - Palette stamp pad which I bought from Carol at Class Acts!!

They have a new contest that starts tomorrow with a deadline of September 26 - plenty of time to get your stamps and participate!!

Enjoy your long weekend and find some time to create!!

Therese

Masculine card!

I created this card for my submission to the Class Acts blog contest. The deadline is 11pm tonight!! I am hoping to make another card using one of my Chapel Road stamps so I have two entries in the contest. Check out their new website!! A totally new look, contests, free shipping and lots of new stamps!!

Pretty straight forward - used corrugated paper from a light bulb package which I painted with a brown acrylic paint wash and added a bit of gold from a pigment pad once it was dry. The car is stamped in brown, trimmed, layered and placed over the fiber tie. The bottom edge is ripped to allow the "Hello" greeting to show.

Almost finished my class prep!!

Have a great day!!

Therese

Flowers for a swap!

Flowers for a swap!!! I made these in February before my SU party with intentions of making a brooch for each person who came. I was not perfectly happy with them then and now that I have rediscovered them I am liking them much better. In the end, they are a bit time consuming and trying to get 20+ done before the party seemed like more than I could handle at the time.

These were created using fabric samples I acquired somewhere along the way. The reddish ones were made using polyester drapery fabric and cut with a flower Sizzix die which cuts three different flowers. Once the shapes were cut I used my heat gun to alter them so they would be wavy and interesting. There are five layers plus a brad. I put an altered circle below the brad, added a small and a large flower then two large daisies offset from each other a bit so they would show all the way around. They can easily be added to projects or made into brooches!!

The others were made using sheer drapery fabric which I shrunk with a heat gun to about half the size before I cut out the circles. Shrinking it with the heat gun really made it bumpy and interesting though you had to be really careful not to burn holes in it. For one set, I cut the medium circles in half and gathered the straight side which made "petals". I layered seven on a large circle leaving a bit of space in the middle, covered them with 5 that met in the middle and then added a decorative brad. These were the ones I was most happy with but they were the most time consuming. The others had medium circles that were folded into a pie shape and glued to the large circle leaving a space in the middle to which I added a flower, a circle and a decorative brad. I used hot glue to glue these together.

I cannot point you to any one website for instructions because I must have perused at least a half dozen websites with tutorials on how to make fabric flowers and used what I liked from each one.

So I am sending these off to new homes where others will include them in their art!! Looking forward to seeing what I get in return and how I can use them in my art.

Therese

Altered tin!

I have been playing!! I do have a to do list of things that need to be done but instead I played with these little tins. My friend, Linda, was going to toss a bunch of these when I was at her house last month so instead, I took them home because I thought they had huge potential for altering!! I will be dropping by tomorrow to pick up my altered book which I forgot there when I was over for our play date. I'm in town picking up my sister - another play date in the works. So tonight I thought I would see what I could come up with using one of these little Making Memories tins that used to hold eyelets!!! I am sure you all have some hanging around your house too!!

We returned from PEI last week and I have some little treasures I collected on the beach while we were there so I decided to make a little treasure box for Linda with a few of my PEI treasures!!

I am so happy!! It turned out great!!!

First off I drilled a small hole in both sides of the cover that line up just above the dip in the tray when it is closed. I will be using them to seal up the treasure box when I am done altering and filling it.

I took the tin apart - just a little pressure will release the tray from the cover. I slowly rubbed paint thinner on the letters on the front cover using only my fingernail to gently scrub until they all lifted off!! Wiped that off and cleaned up the paint thinner with some dish soap - the cover was almost as good as new!! I added "friends" with rub ons and sealed them with acrylic sealer. They went really clear!! Yeah!! I added some yellow, green and blue transparent acrylic paint (homemade) which I used for this project on the outside of the bottom of the tray. It is a bit recessed so the paint, once dry, is perfectly protected from rubbing off or otherwise getting damaged. I put the tray back in the cover once everything was dry. It looks like the sea and sky!! I added a little sand dollar, a little white stone, a piece of white shell, a piece of blue mussel shell, some tiny bits of green, brown and clear sea glass - my PEI treasures - to the tray. To round out the mix I added a little red confetti heart, some multi coloured rhinestones and a few very small pearl white seed beads. I had experimented with sand and tiny holeless beads before altering the tin - they simply drained out of the tray when I suspended it. With the tray closed I added a wire hanger that runs through the little holes I drilled and keeps the treasure box nicely closed. I added curlicues to the ends of the wires!! I am sure there is a much better and prettier option but being very low on jewelery making skills I have decided that it will do the job for this project!!!

I am loving it!! These little boxes have so many surfaces that can be altered - inside and outside of the top and bottom cover - inside and outside of the tray - and are so transparent they would make wonderful little shrines, ornaments, jewelry, magnets, etc!! Alcohol ink and transparencies would be great on them!!

So, I challenge you to dig one out and see what you can do with it!!!! Load your creation to your blog and leave me a comment with the link!! I would so love to see what you created!!!! I think I will bring Linda back one or two so she can play too!!

Have a great weekend!! I am just starting a play date with my sister so I am sure we will have some creative projects to post over the next couple of weeks!!

Therese

Black, brown and cream card!

I have joined a new group - Art for the Creative Mind - and have jumped right in with a swap!! The challenge was to use black, brown and cream to create a card for our partner!!

I started with a brown card base, embossed it with a Tim Holtz embossing folder then added the cream top (punched with a SU border punch) to make it large enough for my envelope. I added some printed text at the top and a black and gold double sided ribbon. The text talks about driving in the early days and was taken from an old typing book. The original was too wide to fit the card so I scanned it, reduced in size a bit and printed it on cream paper - perfect!! The image is one I downloaded from the internet, printed on transparency, sanded the back and applied a colour wash of brown acrylic paint - gives it a vintage feel. I layered the acetate over a stippled cream base using discreetly placed pieces of double sided tape and added a soft knot of the same ribbon using a glue dot. I find that the altered acetate hides tape much more easily than the unaltered version. The laser printed punchie letters are also stippled and added to the card front using 3D foam tape.

Fun!! I am enjoying creating some one of a kind cards. Have been distracting myself from class prep so I need to get on that now!!

Therese

Christmas cards & challenges

Made these Christmas cards and satisfied several challenges along the way!! Sylvia's August challenge was winter, Karen's was tags and Year Round Christmas' was snowflakes. I started by spraying my cardstock with homemade shimmer spray. Once it was dry I stamped my little winter village (Stamp Barn) in brown at the top. I stamped off once before stamping on the card front so it would look snowy and not have too much contrast. I added decorative snowflake paper (Mind's Eye) on the lower section and layered on a brown border punched (SU) strip between the two. I punched a large snowflake (MS) from white shimmer paper, layered on a small blue one (MS) and attached them to the card front with a brown brad. I love this border punch because it leaves little half moon holes which are great to hang tags from. I made the little tag by colour printing the greeting surrounded by a circle large enough so that when I punched it out with my 3/4" punch (SU) I would have a halo of blue all the way around. I layered it onto a 1" punchie of blue and attached the tag with off white crochet thread.

The snowy village stamp has been in my collection for almost a year and just saw ink today!! Nice to have the time to play with new stamps!!

Therese

More trees!!

Needless to say there was a good little stack of "trees" in the baggie on my desk! I bought this top note looking stamp in the spring and decided it would work very nicely for this card. I stamped it on scrap cardstock and worked out where on the 4.25" x 3" rectangle I would need to colour print the words. It only took two tries to get it in the right place so I printed the words in a coordinating green, stamped the top note in red and cut it out. I layered the three trees on the right hand side and punched a hole below the greeting where I inserted the two long ends of the tied ribbon. I brought each end to the sides and glued them to the inside of the card front. The top note piece is attached to the card front with 3D foam tape. The card front is stamped to give it some texture. I used a small stamp for this card but substituted the large "sanded" background stamp (SU) for the others because it was much less time consuming. I made some of these into kits as well.

Therese

Cards with trees

More Christmas cards!! I was rummaging around on my desk and found the little stack of trees and scraps left over from these cards so I decided to create a few more along the same lines. The half triangles created from cutting my trees from a sheet of decorative paper I attached to each other using regular tape on the back. I love how interesting they are because they are made up of two different papers. I added to the mix some large single layer trees and made up these cards. All the same ingredients -the red ones have a red colour printed greeting on ivory on a portrait card and the green ones (artichoke) have theirs printed on white cardstock on a landscape card. I added a little embossed die cut heart and a star punchie!! The card front is embossed with the Swiss dots embossing folder.

I have made up a few kits as well. I will offer them to my group in the fall or will make them up when I am too busy to make Christmas cards - maybe November!!

Very happy with how these turned out!!

Therese

Birthday card

A birthday card for a special little girl!! She is growing up fast!!

I embossed the bottom of the card using a swirl embossing folder, added a rectangle of blue handmade paper from my stash and layered on a strip of embossed vellum that coordinated very nicely!! The greeting is printed, layered on pink and glued to the card front using 3D foam tape. It needed a bit of an accent so I created a flower using the SU five petal punchies - one in blue, one is olive - and embossed both of them. Added a pink punchie and attached it to the card using a clear crystal brad.

Perfect!!

Therese

OSW - a set of cards

One Sheet Wonder!! This technique allows you to create a set of cards that coordinate - great as gifts!! I taught this class to a group of women this week which were all beginner card makers. They enjoyed the class and some got quite creative with their supplies.

I designed this OSW to use a 4" x 12" inch piece of decorative paper - makes the best use of 12" x12" scrapbook paper. By adding 3 sheets of 8.5 x 11 cardstock - 1 neutral and two different colours that coordinate with your decorative paper you can create a set of four cards. These would be perfect packaged in this little card holder for gift giving any time of year.

I created the accents using SU scallop punch, 1 3/8" circle punch and daisy punch. I added some strips and 1/4" punchies cut from the leftover cardstock as well as

some paper piercing using a push pin and mouse pad.

Any decorative paper could be used for making these - gift wrap, all over stamped cardstock, etc. You could also use any manner of accents - either ones you assembled yourself or purchased ones or a small stamped image. So many options!!

The holiday season is coming up and everyone on your list can use handmade cards!! By changing up the colours of your cardstock you can even make sets that look quite different using the same decorative paper!!

So I encourage you to get creative and be ahead of the gift giving curve by making up a few sets of these this week. Challenge yourself to use what you have!!

Here is the cutting diagram you will need as well as the directions for assembling the cards!!

Consider creating some card kits for a friend or family member who has expressed some interest in cardmaking but has yet to take the leap! You might gain a cardmaking buddy!!

Therese