Card set #2 using collage washi tape backgrounds and 3D embellishments

I am working through the backgrounds I created using decorative paper and washi tape to make sets of cards for gift giving.  You can check out the first set I made here.  For these cards I used a off white and green decorative scrapbook paper that has a somewhat watercolour/tie dyed look.  I trimmed the paper to fit on my off white cards (just a bit smaller than A2), glued all my backgrounds to my cards before getting started on my embellishments.
For my first card, I took inspiration from my other set and created a layered heart embellishment.  I used a serendipity heart die cut which I found in my stash, layered on a tiny red heart die cut and then machine stitched them together using yellow thread gluing the thread ends to the back with regular tape.  I dug through my stash and found a green die cut scalloped circle which was sponged around the edges which coordinated nicely.  I manually embossed some texture using an element from one of my floral embossing folders and then mounted my heart element to it with double sided tape.  I mounted my heart focal element to my card front using 3D foam tape.
For my second card, I die cut part of this bare tree (TH) from brown cardstock and mounted it to my layered card front.  I punched the bird (SU) from blue cardstock, coloured in the beak and added a tiny black brad to create the eye.  I punched the wing from shiny silver card and manually embossed it with a round element before mounting it to my bird using double sided tape.  I mounted the bird just touching the branch using 3D foam tape.

For my third card, I thought I would give a nod to Christmas and created a little tree embellishment.  I dug the green tree from my stash (a die cut shared by a friend) added a triangle of red in behind which shows through all the opening and added the gold sequin star using a tiny gold brad.  It still needed a bit of something so I used a clear glitter gel pen and highlighted all the scallops and added dots all over the tree.  Once finished I mounted my little tree embellishment to my card front using 3D foam tape.  

For my fourth card I created a star embellishment by layering a silver sequin over, a yellow star die cut, over a clear star die cut over a manually embossed light green star die cut and holding them all together with a tiny black brad.  I layered my star onto a red circle punchie and then paper pierced around the edge with a push pin before mounting this focal element to my layered card front.  

This process has been very enjoyable!!  Looking forward to working on the other sets!!

Therese

Woven paper strips to create a background!!

This is the last kit to be made up from the bunch I found on my desk a while back!!!!!!!!!!  This one featured strips of paper, a greeting and embellishment which were laid out differently for this card.   I wove the strips together and then laid this large element over the ivory cardstock background and glued all the ends into place before trimming them off to the edge.  I mounted this background to my peach card, inserted and trimmed my greeting and mounted the 3D embellishment  ( punchie/sequin) to one end of it.  As an after thought I decided to use my tracing wheel on my greeting.  It worked out pretty well but is much more difficult to do once the greeting is already mounted to the card.  I love how this one turned out and it exemplifies the versatility of card kits!!  You don't have to follow the original instructions  - you can just do your own thing!!!!            Therese

Colour blocked background with a new greeting and some leaf die cuts

One of the last kits to be finished off from my desk.   I used this colour blocked background and relegated the chalk board greeting to my stash.  I added the embossed background to a green card front and went looking for a greeting.  I found this laser printed one (Beccy's Place) which I have found difficult to include in my cards for some reason but it worked perfectly for this card.  I trimmed the greeting and flagged both ends, layered it onto yellow and flagged both ends again before watercolouring the flower and leaves.  I mounted this greeting with a bit of 3D foam tape in the middle and double sided taper on both ends which gives just the right amount of dimension and allowed me to tuck in my leaf die cuts.  I die cut the leaves (SU) from white cardstock and tuck a full one above the greeting and trimmed off the leader from the other and tucked it below the greeting.  I glued them in place with white glue applied with my fine tip applicator.  I love how it turned out!!!!!              Therese

Cards with fun collaged washi tape backgrounds embellished with 3D layered elements

 I have decided to make several sets of cards to give as gifts and was really pondering what I should use as my backgrounds and if I should include any greetings.  Cards without greetings are always more versatile in that they will be appropriate for more occasions but they need good sketches to work.  Because I had washi tape sitting on my desk I decided to play a little and see if I could make up a few backgrounds.  In an effort to reduce the size of my paper stash I wondered if it would work to use decorative scrapbook paper for my backgrounds.  I went looking through my stash and found a few sheets that I thought might work as they were somewhat subtle in pattern and intensity of colour.

So I cut up this sheet of paper - a checkered background with quite a few different colours finely spattered over it.  Next, I checked out my washi tape supply and found a few that worked reasonably well with the paper.  I simply cut or tore the washi tape into strips and applied them to my trimmed pieces of decorative paper.   While, I was at it I made four sets of backgrounds using four sheets of decorative paper.  I put those to press and started dreaming up some embellishments that would be substantial enough to balance the backgrounds I had created, large enough that they would not need greetings and versatile enough in subject matter that they would be appropriate for more than one occasion.  I started by digging out any dies I had that fit the bill as to size and subject matter - hearts, flowers, butterflies, birds, etc.
For my first, card I layered three different sized hearts. The large one is a die cut (CB), the middle one is an embossed heart die cut (SU) and the final one is die cut (SX) cut from white solid core cardstock which I embossed and sanded.  I put just a bit of glue between them to hold them in place and machine stitched them to each other adhering the thread ends to the back with regular tape.  I glued my background to an off white card (a bit smaller than A2) and then adhered my 3D embellishment to the card front using 3D foam tape.  That worked pretty well!!  Now the challenge was to see if I could come up with a few more embellishments that worked as well.
For my second card, I cut a maroon flower (SX), manually embossed it with the Swiss Dot embossing folder (CB) using a hammer, added a manually embossed circle in the center then two leaf punchies which were also manually embossed and mounted this focal element to my card front to which I had already mounted my washi tape background.
For my third card, I mounted my washi tape background to my off white card and then worked on my embellishment. I cut this paisley pattern (SX) from both dark pink and yellow.  I swapped the pieces to create a yellow paisley with a dark pink heart and a small yellow heart and secured them with tape on the back.  The holes were too hard to situate so I simply cut a dark pink shape that was just smaller than the whole and glued it to the back and shows in all the holes.  Decided that it looked a bit like a cute bird with a heart wing and added a tiny black brad for an eye, a tiny brown triangle for the beak, swirly wire tail feathers and mounted it to my card front using 3D foam tape.  Finished it off by adding two legs with a black permanent marker!!
For the fourth card in this set, I die cut a butterfly (SX) from yellow cardstock and overlaid a paper butterfly that I had in my stash and to finish it off added a body and antennae that I die cut (QK) from a butterfly die set.  I glued them together just in the middle so the wings would be free to flutter.  Added it to my layered card front using 3D foam tape and used a black permanent marker to add a dotted flight path.
I am pretty happy with how this set of cards turned out!!  So I will continue to work on my other card sets and will share them here as I finish them up!!

Therese

A bright and colorful baby card using an ink and photo paper background

I am finishing off the last of the card kits I found on my desk.  This was a quick and easy card which was made faster because it was a kit!!  I glued the colour inkjet printed (black) digital image (Melonheadz) of a little clothesline onto the laser printed greeting layer and then mounted this large focal element to the front of a stamped pink card. The heart background (SU) was stamped in a darker pink.  I did highlight some parts of the printed image with a bit of pink watercolour.   The colourful background was created using colour inkjet cartridges and glossy photo paper.             Therese

A light hearted St. Patricks' Day card featuring an inked background

A fun and light hearted St. Patrick's Day card.  I often have to work on getting out of my comfort zone in my card making so I went with a fun inked background which I created with used ink cartridges from our inkjet printer and glossy photo paper.  It was a blast to make these papers!  You can check out the fun here.
I toned down the brightness a bit by stamping over it using a darker green ink and a flourished leaf background stamp.   I added a length of bright green organza ribbon to the background before adhering it to a green card front.  I tied on a short length of the same ribbon using a single knot which simulates a bow.  The greeting is a digital one I created last year using Corel Draw, laser printed and punched out.  I layered it onto a dark green label (SU) and then mounted it to my card front using 3D foam tape overlapping the ribbon.  As a finishing touch I added a clear rhinestone to the center of my shamrock.   Happy with my creation!!                   Therese

Cards from kits that feature a tag, seam binding and watercolour!

In a effort to finish all the card kits I found on my desk I made these two up which use the same sketch.  I watercoloured both laser printed images of flowers in a vase (Anne's Cards) and sponged the edges of the tag.  I trimmed the bottom edge of the greetings and sponged those as well before gluing them to the back of the tag.  I added the seam binding using double sided tape.  I mounted the decorative papers to the front of my coordinating cards and added the embossed cardstock strips over where they join.  I adhered the tags I had prepared onto my card fronts using 3D foam tape to get them a bit of dimension.  I trimmed the ends of the seam binding after they were mounted to the card to ensure they fit within the boundaries of my cards.  Always love how these turn out!!!                Therese

Hearts create a shamrock for St. Patrick's Day card

St. Patrick's Day is coming up next month and I thought I would get a few ready! I made a few of these last year which feature layered hearts which create a shamrock.  I punched the large hearts (SU) and sponged their edges.  I die cut the smaller hearts (CB), layered them and stitched them together.  I created a layered background using several strips of green decorative paper and adhered it to a green card front.  I positioned the hearts to create the shamrock and then hand cut a stem which I also sponged.  After I was happy with the placement I adhered them all to the front of my card and added a little clear rhinestone in the center.  I trimmed the laser printed greeting from my stash, sponged its edges and adhered it to the front of my card just below the focal element.  I added two little rhinestones to the greeting as well.  Love these heart shamrocks!!

Therese

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