Little truck with birthday wishes flag!!

I have several of these little truck card kits from my January class so I made one up for my stash!!  I layered the blue decorative paper to the top of the black card to create a sky.  I took the torn strip of green decorative paper and stamped it with a little plant stamp to add texture and interest before gluing it below the sky leaving a strip of black which creates the road.  I added white lines to the black strip which helps made it a highway.  I embellished the truck with a clear glitter pen to simulate shine on the windshield, head light and door handle. I coloured in the wheels with a black Sharpie and added silver card punchies (1/4") to create the look of baby moon hubcaps!!  I added four balloon punchies which I sponged on their edges with coordinating ink to give them a bit more dimension and drew in strings to the truck bed.  The greeting is a flag clipart to which I added a font greeting and laser printed.  I fussy cut it out and mounted it just behind the cab.  A totally fun card!!! 

A card featuring handmade paper as a background and focal element

I found this card kit well buried on my desk!!!!  Not sure how long ago it was created but that matters not at all because it goes together just as quick!!   I stitched the rick rack cardstock die cut to the handmade paper background then stitch all the way around and then glued it to the white card front.  I glued the yellow handmade paper circle to the pink flower die cut and then added stitching all the way around.  I adhered the flower to the card front over the rick rack border and added the laser printed greeting using 3D foam tape!!    Quick and easy!
Therese

Another set of card using the same sketch!!

I have another set of card which I created using card kits from a previous class.  Card kits make card making quick and easy!! 
For these two I adhered the decorative paper to the card fronts.  The one on the left had the two piece of paper already taped to each other to be the right size!  I layered the laser printed greeting to the strip of cardstock and tied on the ribbon.  You can see that the birthday greeting has been embellished with the tracing wheel.  The greeting elements were glued to the card fronts and the 3D embellishments were added to finish off the cards.  For the left hand card, the embellishment is a punched butterfly which has been watercoloured and inked to coordinate with the card and has had metallic thread tied around its body leaving long ends which creates its antennae. The right hand card has layered stars with a sequin and bound with a gold brad.      I love the variety of card which can be made with one sketch by just changing up the paper, greetings and embellishments!!!            Therese

One sketch - two different cards!!

I am cleaning up my desk and have made up these card kits which I found from previous classes.  I did change up the greeting on the left hand card to an anniversary one I had in my stash instead of the Valentine's one.
I started with adhering the decorative paper to the card fronts.  I embellished the greeting on the rigth hand card using my tracing wheel!  Next, I layered the greetings with strips of coordinating cardstock and tied on the coordinating satin ribbon.  I adhered the greeting element to the card about one third down from the top and added the little 3D embellishment.  For the red card I used a little red heart punchie on which I doodled swirls with a clear glitter gel pen.  For the right hand card I layered two star dies and bound them with a gold brad. These were mounted to the card fronts using double sided tape/glue dots.  Two more cards for my stash!!            Therese

Christmas cards with washi tape, embossing and die cut greetings

I usually include a few kits for Christmas cards in my classes in case anyone in the group wants them and if not, they it guarantees that I have a few Christmas cards for my stash!!  These were as much fun as Christmas cards as they were for the all occasion ones I made!  There are quite a few if you check back on the blog.
I made colour washes on white cardstock for my backgrounds using my DIY foam stamp and some ink pads.  Once dry, I added my trimmed washi tapes - all of these were handmade using decorative tissue paper and double sided tape.  You can check out the tutorial here.  I used a hammer and an embossing folder to add texture to the outside edges of my background and then glued it to the card front.  Next, I watercoloured my greeting which I created using two fonts - a regular one for the words and an image font for the little images.  I laser printed them and then die cut them using the Deco Label Thinlit set (SU).  I did add some rhinestones to the snowflakes on the blue one.  I adhered the greeting with 3D foam tape to the front of my cards.  Just realized that I forgot to add sequins to these two!!  I will rectify that when I put them into my Christmas card box!!                    Therese

DIY washi tape, colour wash, embossing and die cut greetings

I am working on clearing my desk and have made up these two cards for putting into my stash.  Really loving these!!
I started with a little colour wash on white cardstock for the background using my little DIY foam stamp.  All four of the washi tapes on the pink card are ones I made using tissue paper and double sided tape or medical tape.  The blue and green are commercial ones and the other I made using stamped pattern tissue and double sided tape.  I used different embossing folders to manually emboss the edges of both backgrounds and them glued them to the coordinating card fronts from the kits.  I watercoloured the diecut greetings which I created using both regular and images fonts.  I mounted the greetings using #D foam tape and then embellished the cards with sequins which I adhered with double sided tape.   

Therese

A few more washi tape cards with fun greetings from card kits

I have really enjoyed making these washi tape cards!!  You can check out my wahsi tape tutorial here.
I started by creating a bit of a background wash using ink and water using my handmade foam stamp.  Next, I applied coordinating lengths of washi tape.  The green on the blue card is handmade with mylar tissue and double sided tape.  All three on the "Thanks" card are handmade with decorative tissue and double sided tape.  I embossed both of them manually with a hammer using different embossing folders before gluing them to the coordinating card front from the kits. I watercoloured the fun die cut (SX) greetings (image and regular fonts) and applied them to the front of the cards using 3D foam tape.  Lastly, I finished them off by adding coordinating sequins using double sided tape to adhere them to the cards.  Love the look of these!!  Card kits made these quick and easy cards.!!!                        Therese

Two more cards that feature embossed resists with watercolour - card kits

A couple more cards for my stash that feature white embossing as a resist on watercolour paper!!  The rooster (SU) was a bit too detailed to work really well for this technique.  I added several colours - red, blue, green and yellow but because the design is too intricate there is too much white.  I went with it anyway and added some green for the grass and brown below that for the ground.  I coloured the sky blue!!!  I added a length of green satin ribbon adhering both ends to the back with double sided tape and tied on a short length with a single knot to simulate a bow.  I trimmed a laser printed greeting with decorative scissors (Deckle), sponged the edge with a bit of green and adhered it to my artwork with double sided tape by just tucking it behind the ribbon.  The ribbon was a bit loose so I added a little piece of double sided tape between it and the greeting to keep everything in place.  

The card on the right was fun to make!!  It was hard to actually see what the design was so I just added red and orange watercolour until the design show up!!  I did add a bit of black with a fine tip Sharpie in the center of the flowers and used a yellow gel pen to highlight the outside edge of the flowers as well.  I fussy cut one of my laser printed chalk greetings and edged it with a black marker.  Once I punched the holes I threaded through a gold satin ribbon and adhered both ends to the back of the watercolour paper.  Once I positioned the greeting I added 3D foam tape to the back so it would stay in place.  I tied a short length of ribbon to the one on the front with a single knot to simulate a bow.  I layered this large element to orange cardstock and then to the black card front from the kit.  

Love this technique!!!        Therese

A Lego card for my oldest grandson!!

My oldest grandson is having a Lego party for his birthday so I thought I would make him a card using that theme.  I created a background with little Lego block and watercoloured them the basic colours.  Our kids played with Lego in these colours but these days Legos come in a lot more colours as themed Lego sets are created for every occasion and many that coordinate with movie characters, etc.  Our grandchildren have a better selection of colours in their Lego boxes!!  After watercolouring all the blocks I added just a bit of colour in between to give them a place to be sitting.  I added the layered laser printed greeting with a flagged end and the mounted my little Lego to the end.  This little piece was created using a little rectangle of red cardstock and eight little pieces of round red fun foam.  These were diecut and came with a fun foam ornament kit but I expect you could use a punch and get the same look!  I like the 3D look of this piece!!  It looks so much like a piece of Lego!!  I am sure he will enjoy his fun day with family and friends!!
Therese

A penguin card for my youngest grandson!!

The penguin on this card was created by an young girl who is very creative and also loves to make cards.  I attended a meeting with her mother at their home and afterwards she was wanting each of us to take home some of her art.  I picked the penguin especially for my grandson's card.  It is made with Perler beads and was a bit thick so placed it between two layers of parchment paper and pressed it with a very hot iron which melted the beads further and reduced its thickness by half.  He is so cute!!  I decided to make it a removable element on his birthday card so he can add it to his penguin collection though quite a few of the others are stuffies!!  I punched a hole at the top, added a black ribbon hanger and mounted it to a dark gray card using double sided tape.  I glued the hanger to the inside of the card using magic tape so it would be easily removable.  I added a layered greeting to the bottom portion of my card.  A laser printing font greeting, a black strip of paper over a larger piece that has been punched on both sides with a scallop border punch.  I pierced each scallop with a push pin and mounted it to my card front.  I added a small strip of yellow cardstock to the right hand side of my card front and then a little fun heart next to my greeting!!  I am sure he will love the little penguin!!                   Therese

Wonky tree to Lovely as a tree for these Christmas cards

In an effort to finally finish off all the card kits on my desk I worked on transforming these Wonky Tree kits into something else.  These worked out better than the last ones which ended up being a complete overhaul.  I returned the navy borders and the wonky tree parts to my stash and glued the blue backgrounds to my white card fronts.  I stamped and embossed the set of trees from Lovely As A Tree (SU) in silver onto my backgrounds and then used scraps of white cardstock to create snowbanks for the bottom edge.  I stamped the greeting on the snow banks embossing them in silver as well.  I glued the snowbanks below the trees and trimmed them to the edge of the cards.  I was really tempted to add a ribbon or something above the trees but in the end talked myself out of it.  I may be inspired later to add "something" - we shall see!!  So I am doing well, that is another two Christmas cards for my Christmas card stash so I have caught up to my January and February goal for this year!!                Therese

Christmas cards with a Bethlehem die and O Holy Night greeting

I am working on getting a backlog of card kits off of my desk!!  These started their lives in the process of finishing off some Wonky Tree Christmas cards. Needless to say, that by the time I was finished I had changed all the elements and those of the wonky tree kits has been relegated to my stashes!!  Funny how the process works sometimes!!  Anyway, I am happy with the cards I got made so it is all good!!

I made these one at a time but in the end I chose the same blue cardstock for all of them because it was the best match for the decorative paper (MF) I had chosen.  The decorative paper was already cut and in my stash - a laser printed background from Morgue Files. I love how beautifully it simulates a sky!!  The little Bethlehem die cut ( Taylored Expressions) in black was mounted to a larger piece in each case and a piece of ribbon was mounted to cover the joint.  On the lower right hand one I tied on another short length of ribbon using a single knot to simulate a bow.    I glued the background on first and then added the focal element over it.  On the lower left hand card I mounted yellow cardstock behind some of the window openings which worked quite well.  On the other three I filled them in once they were on the card using a clear stardust gel pen which was much faster with almost the same effect. On the top two, I embossed the greeting - one in white and the other in silver.  On the bottom two I stamped in black Versafine on the decorative paper.  

I bought the Bethlehem die cut last year after pining after the SU set for quite a while.  The SU set had many more elements than I really wanted so I started looking for a single Bethlehem die which was what I wanted and reduced the cost of the investment.  In the end, I did buy the Nativity one as well and combined my order with my sister to cut shipping costs.  Very happy with my investment and love the look!!!  Well worth the money I spent and I look forward to using it for years to come.  

So a few more cards for my Christmas card stash which will go well to getting me caught up with my January and February cards.  

Therese

White embossing resist with watercolour on these handmade cards from card kits

I have been rediscovering my desk and found some card kits from past classes so I decided to make them up and add them to my stash!!  These cards are from this class.  With the embossing already done I simply applied watercolour, layered them and added greetings to finish them off!!  Card kits make card making quick and easy!!

I watercoloured the feather in blue and green and did the script background in blue.  After the watercolour was dry I added shimmery paint in blue and green to give the feather more glitz.  I layered this element onto green cardstock and then onto the black card from the kit.  I chose to change the greeting to this laser printed one which I fussy cut and then painted with blue shimmery paint to coordinate with the feather.  I adhered the ends of the greeting with double sided tape and added a small piece of 3D foam tape in the center to give it a bit of dimension.  Very happy with how this one worked out!!!

For the other card I was careful in my application of colour to make the images really stand out!!  I started with yellow for the squares (Magenta), then green for the leaves, and finally blue for the background.  Lastly, I used several colours to finish the flowers.  Once dry, I was careful to wipe the surface of the embossing with a paper towel to remove any colour that had dried there.  It makes the white pop!!  I added a simple laser printed vellum greeting on the upper right by folding the end to the back and securing with tape and a tiny bit of double sided below the H in Happy to keep the flagged end in place.  I glued this layer to purple cardstock and then to the black card from the kit.  It was fun to change up these kits a bit.  I do have a difficult time making exact multiples of cards!!

Therese

A joyful Christmas card!!

I have been working on clearing the back log of card kits I have on my desk from past classes.  This kit was a Valentine's one so I dug through my greeting stash and found this perfect greeting which was gold embossed.  I trimmed it a bit, layered it onto red and added some gold embroidery thread in loops on the back.  A technique which I have seen on Splitcoast Stampers lately!! I used regular tape to secure the thread on the back of the greeting.  I glued decorative paper to the front of the red card, added the gold strip then layered on the large greeting I had created!!
It is one more Christmas card for my stash!!  I have been remiss in getting my Christmas cards made for January and February so this is a start!!

Therese

Card kits available for this weekend

Knowing the praticality of card kits I have decided to put a few together for an event this coming weekend.  I know several are enthusiastic card makers and this would be a way for them to have fun making cards without buying supplies and tools!!  I simply packaged card kits that I created for this class in a cellophane sleeve, added a display tag and the instructions too.  They are all occasion cards with the papers and greetings visible with one on each side.  So we shall see!!

Therese

Butterfly die cuts, some ribbon and some bling for a fun birthday card

I am working on my card stash and decided to use this beautiful purple background paper.  I cut it to size, added a silvery satin ribbon gluing the ends to the back of the layer.  I adhered this layer to the front of a purple card.  I chose two coordinating purple cardstocks and die cut the butterfly.  This die has the solid back which I cut out of the darker colour and the two wings which I cut out of the lighter colour. I cut the body out of a dark gray.  I adhered the body to the center of the solid layer and then added the wings gluing them only at the center.  It gives the wings a bit of depth.  I added rhinestones to the back so they would show through the center of the flowers on the wings.  I adhered this large element using double sided tape overlapping the ribbon.  I punched a laser printed greeting with the Word Window punch (SU) doing one end at a time because the paper as short.  I layered it onto a dark purple Modern Label punchie (SU)  and had room to add two little rhinestones as well.  Happy to have used this butterfly for this card as it has been languishing on the shelf!!  Therese

Baby card with washi tape, sequins and a bit of watercolour

Another washi tape card!!  I sure am loving this design!!  I needed a card for a baptism today so I made up with baby one!!  I added green and blue distress ink my DIY foam stamp and stamped it onto my white cardstock which I had spritzed with a bit of water.  Quick and easy background!!  I added three strips of washi tape - the one on the left is commercial and the other two are handmade using coloured tissue/gift wrap and double sided tape.   I put the background in an embossing folder and manually embossed the edges using a hammer.  I watercoloured the laser printed die cut greeting (image font and regular font) and mounted it over the background using 3D foam tape.  I added sequins using double sided tape - five this time instead of the usual three.  I mounted this large element to a green card front. 
The congregation and the extended family were all invited to a potluck meal after mass and it was a wonderful time for everyone!! 

Therese

For a special guy on this special day!!

I chose to make another of these washi tape cards for my DH for Valentine's!!  I used a light linen distress ink and a yellow Oxide ink to make the background with my new DIY foam stamp.  I added three strips of handmade washi tape created using double sided tape and tissue paper.  You can check out the tutorial here.  The left hand one is red tissue paper stamped with black Versafine ink, the middle one is printed decorative tissue paper and the right hand one is medical tape stamped with a small heart stamp in black Versafine ink.  I really like the combination of these for this card.  After adding the three lengths of washi tape I manually embossed hearts all the way around with a hammer and then glued this large layer to a red card front.  I found some coordinating sequins in green, gold and red and added them using double sided tape.  I watercoloured the laser printed die cut greeting (SU) and mounted it to my card using 3D foam tape.  I added clear dimensional paint to the little heart greeting (image font) and while I was at it I decided to add some "drops" as well which look pretty cool now that they were dry!! 
We never go out for dinner on Valentine's Day though we usually cook a meal together at home to celebrate.  It has been a very busy weekend and the day is upon us so we will be making plans to celebrate in the next few days instead.  Our celebrations always include good food!!

Therese

Fun background paper, ribbon and some die cuts!!

For these two cards I worked with a similar sketch.  I used a chevron punch on the left hand card, flipped over the punchies and glued them back into the openings using regular tape.  I love this beautiful double sided gift wrap which I bought years ago in London!!  I layered a laser printed greeting on a black strip of cardstock and added a short length of gros grain ribbon to which I tied another short piece using one knot to simulate a bow.  I glued this whole element to a pink card front.    The right hand card has two pieces of decorative paper with a layered laser printed greeting with the same ribbon treatment over where they join.  I added a butterfly die cut (QK) with its small body and antennae die cut!!  This will work with quite a few of my butterfly punchies!!!  I added it with a little strip of double sided tape in the center to leave the wings free!!  

Nice to have a few more cards in my stash!

Therese

Two sympathy cards from card kits

I made these two cards up from card kits which I made up for last week's class.  Check out the others here and here.  I used subtle colours on the left hand card because it is a sympathy card.  I did a light blue wash on the background, added three strips of washi tape (tissue paper and double sided tape) and did some manual embossing around the edges with a hammer and a soft flourish embossing folder.  I watercoloured my die cut greeting and mounted it to the front of the card using 3D foam tape.  The butterfly is a digital stamp (SU).  

The right hand card features a quarter sheet of decorative paper trimmed to leave a bit of a border on a dark brown A2 card.  I layered the laser printed greeting over a red strip of cardstock and added the short length of ribbon on the left hand side and tied another short piece to it to simulate a bow.  The butterfly is a punchie (SU) which I embellished with a bit of stamping and then added a body from a QK die which features antennae as well.  That will die will come in handy.  Have not used that one a lot but I can see that it works very well with this punchie and probably will as well with several others I have.  I mounted the butterfly using a small piece of double sided tape in the center leaving the wings free!!  

Therese