Birthday Silhouette
Posted: March 16, 2010 Filed under: Nature Silhouettes 3 CommentsThis is a quick post of a quick card I whipped up for a friend of my husband. We were going to the birthday party on Saturday night so I looked through the stash only to find that I had no “manly” cards. When I finished this one I asked my husband if it was manly enough and he gave me a hesitant yes. It was later in the evening that I began to wonder if we had given a card to the same person a couple of years ago made with the same stamp. He and his wife were quite impressed then to receive a handmade card. I wonder if they will be impressed this time when they see I’ve been using the same stamp for two years! It’s not as if I don’t own a few other stamps!
I embossed the tree in black and then sponged in yellow, apricot and blue to create the sunrise scene. I was going for the CAS look so I popped up the scene and stamped a greeting. Problem was I didn’t bother using the stampamajig for my words so they ended up crooked. To remedy that error I cut the picture off the white card I had attached it to leaving a narrow border of white around it. I then attached the two lavers to a new base and stamped the words again. So the picture is doubly popped up, which I don’t mind. The photo is a little strange as I took it on my craft table under the fluorescent light without the tripod. Time was of the essence.
Supplies:
Stamps: Nature Silhouettes, Teensy Tiny Wishes
Inks: Versamark, Bashful Blue, Yoyo Yellow, Apricot Appeal
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic White
Also: black e.p.
Apple square
Posted: March 13, 2010 Filed under: Tart and Tangy 2 CommentsWhile playing with the Tart and Tangy set last weekend I also came up with this card. I love the look of red, white and black together so a little red apple combined with black and white gingham was a happy combo for me.
I inked the apple in versamark and red so I could emboss in clear, but before the embossing I wiped off the stem and coloured directly on the stamp in green. I then used the punches and stamped a square of canvas background, which I matted in black. The ribbon is done with Leanne Pugliese’s clever “thread through the whole and tie technique”
Supplies:
Stamps: Thank You Kindly, Tart & Tangy
Inks: Real Red, Basic Black, Versamark
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic White, Real Red, Garden Green marker
Also: Clear embossing powder, Black gingham ribbon
Fruity
Posted: March 7, 2010 Filed under: Tart and Tangy 3 CommentsWell it’s about time!
I have decided that it is possible to forget how to stamp, how to make cards, how to put things together so they look ok! I made three CAS cards, and it took me hours. As Lateblossom has said before, “Clean and simple does not always mean quick and simple.” I stamped the citrus shapes four or five time before I settled on three colours in a row. I tried ribbon in many different arrangements before I decided on no ribbon at all. I tried a green card, white matte. White card, no matte. Green card, green matte. Just as well my daughter came home when she did and made the decision for me. Then there was the decision over the sentiment…
All the fruit were inked up with versamark first and then the classic ink before embossing with clear. The little sentiments are from my new set Teeny Tiny Wishes, a set I’d never noticed before. I stamped them on spare cardstock and then punched the piece out with a square punch. Despite the dilemmas I faced along the way it was nice to be stamping again after quite a break. I have actually been creating lately just using a different medium for a change.
Supplies:
Stamps: Teensy Tiny Wishes, Tart & Tangy
Inks: Real Red, Green Galore, Yoyo Yellow, So Saffron, Versamark
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic White, Real Red, Green Galore
Also: Clear embossing powder
My clever boy
Posted: February 13, 2010 Filed under: My Kid's cards 4 CommentsI don’t have any cards of my own to share but here are few winners from my boy. His cards continue to amaze me. Sometimes he uses my stamps but more often than not he creates his whole card by cutting and piecing images he has drawn himself. Here are some of his latest creations:
This one he made for a boy turning 13
Then he took a different approach for a penguin-loving girl turning 10
And then a hockey-loving boy turning 10
But my personal favourite is the hand drawn farewell card he made for his 19 year old cousin who stayed with us for a few weeks. He skated; he skied; he made snowmen; he tobogganed and then within a few days of leaving us he was on the coast of Australia, surfing.
I haven’t been doing any card making lately, but I have been pursuing a different artistic pursuit that I hope to share with you soon.
Thanks for stopping by after things have been quiet here so long,
Snow laden branches
Posted: January 7, 2010 Filed under: All That Glitters, Thoughts and Prayers 12 Comments
I continued on the same theme as the other day with masked boxes and sponged backgrounds. ( Thank you for all the nice comments left here, I was thrilled to read them.) Sorry there is no tutorial yet but I did read the requests and would love to do one if I can find some time soon. I used exactly the same technique to do these cards as I did the snowscape cards last week. First I masked the image area with post it notes. I then inked the branch in versamark and handsome hunter and stamped it several times before embossing in clear. To create the snow on the branches I used an embossing pen and to cover the areas where I wanted the snowy look. I covered this with white embossing powder and a few sprinkles of iridescent ice powder as well. Unfortunately as I embossed a second time the cardstock buckled a bit, I’m not sure how to avoid this. To complete the image I sponged the sky in Bashful Blue. The lower one has a masked snow hill done with a torn post-it note.
In the card above I wrote my own sentiment again in order to have a small delicate one. The card below suffered some smudging and denting during the embossing and sponging process so it had to go under the cutter in order to be fit to used. I matted it in Handsome Hunter and stamped the sentiment from Thoughts & Prayers. The branches of the pine tree outside my front door look ver like these ones.
Supplies:
Stamps: All that Glitters, Thoughts and Prayers
Inks: Handsome Hunter, Bashful Blue, Versamark
Cardstock: Handsome Hunter, Flourishes Classic white cardstock
Also: Clear, white & iridescent ice embossing powder
Snowscape thank you cards
Posted: January 2, 2010 Filed under: Branch Out, CAS, Lovely as a Tree, Stamped Landscapes 15 Comments
It isn’t a new year resolution but I have been thinking for a while that this cardmaker should send a few more cards! Last night I sat down and chose a few thank you cards out of my stash to write to the very kind and hospitable friends whose homes we were welcomed into over Christmas.
During the day I had been sorting through drawers and shelves of school and craft supplies trying to make some room. I found some old Christmas cards which inspired me straight away to get creating again. I would like to give credit to the artist who inspired the card above but the Hallmark card doesn’t give any information.
To make both cards I masked off the picture area with post it notes and then inked up my tree with versamark and added a bit of black to the base of the tree. After placing another mask where the base of the tree would be I stamped the main tree and the smaller trees, then embossed in clear. To create the sky I positioned a hill mask and sponged in the blues and red (listed below). Creating the shadows was trial and error. For the top card I sponged the shadow between two ripped pieces of post it note. For the shadow below I drew it with marker for the large tree and stamped it for the small trees. I also used a marker to add more black to the tree below. Finally I removed the hill mask and did a little sponging to give the snow definition.
The sentiment is written in my own handwriting because I wanted something small and delicate but didn’t have a ‘thank you” in that style. I particularly wanted to make these one layer cards so was pleased that I managed to get to the end without smudging any of the white area. The photo once again is not great, I’m not quite sure what the problem is, probably the photographer not the camera!
Supplies:
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Branch Out, two little tree stamps I was given
Inks: Versamark, Basic Black, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Rose Red
Cardstock: Flourishes Classic White
Also: Clear e.p.
Christmas Wreath
Posted: December 30, 2009 Filed under: Christmas Music, Christmas Wreath 2 Comments
When I first saw the wreath stamp from Flourishes, expertly coloured by Leslie Miller, I was inspired. The stamp lay unused for weeks after I got it waiting for me to have some spare time to play. Finally I unpacked the set and began making some Christmas themed thank you cards for the teachers at the violin school my daughters attend. After colouring for 20 minutes or so I realised that I would not be doing the same cards for all the teachers so made something different. Unfortunately those cards didn’t get photographed but my first effort with the wreath did.
Before I started colouring I had no idea how many different types of foliage were in this wreath! I tried sticking with one green per type of leaf but lost track with some of the leaves. I used a blender pen dipped into the ink residue on the lids of the SU classic pads and added a few highlights with SU markers. The background is the Christmas Music stamp also from Flourishes.
That is the last of my Christmas cards (as you would expect!) I hope to be back with some thankyous over the next few days. I hope you are having a relaxing break.
Supplies:
Stamps: Christmas Wreath, Christmas Music (Flourishes)
Inks: Real Red, Handsome Hunter, Basic Black, Garden Green, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Bravo Burgandy
Cardstock: Real Red, Handsome Hunter, Garden Green, Confetti Cream, Very Vanilla
CAS Christmas Set
Posted: December 5, 2009 Filed under: All That Glitters 4 Comments
I finally stamped last weekend. I had a deadline to meet: a set of cards for a silent auction at my daughters’ violin ensemble fundraiser. It took me a while to get going, as I seem to be out of practice! I pulled out my new Flourishes set “All that Glitters” and made one card using gold embossing powder before deciding that I needed to move faster so embossing and cutting around the Christmas ornaments wasn’t a good idea.
After making one card with a single framed ornament and sentiment the next four designs fell into place easily. I made two of each card, stamped matching envelopes and made a matching box using Stampin Up’s Merry Moments designer paper. All the cards were made with ivory cardstock teamed up with a different feature colour. I took my photos with the featured colour as backdrop as I’ve seen Susan Raihala do so effectively. Sadly my photos are nowhere near as clear as hers. I had trouble photographing these cards; it is not obvious that they are all ivory with an accent colour, not white.
Supplies:
Stamps: All that Glitters, Many Merry Messages, Home for Christmas,Hugs and Wishes, Best Yet, Snow Swirled
Inks: Real Red, Handsome Hunter, Night of Navy, Not quite Navy, Bravo Burgandy
Cardstock: Real Red, Handsome Hunter, Night of Navy, Not quite Navy, Bravo Burgandy, Flourishes Classic Ivory cardstock
Red and white Christmas
Posted: November 14, 2009 Filed under: Holiday Sampler 6 Comments
This is a nice quick card using stamps that I usually pull out for tags. The set is an old SU set which has been used and used by my family and at Christmas workshops every year since I bought it. I stamped the three images, added a bow to the ornament and punched them out with a 1¼” square punch. I popped them up on stampin’ dimensionals then lined them up on the Merry Moments designer paper. It was tricky to get that sentiment positioned correctly so I pulled out the stamp-a-ma-jig.
Even though I did this a while ago I noticed it fits the CAS challenge on Splitcoast this week which is to use one colour with white. Well technically it doesn’t fit, because I used vanilla not white! Anyway there are some great cards in the CAS40 gallery this week that don’t bend the rules.
Supplies:
Stamps: Holiday Sampler, Fundamental Phrases
Inks: Real Red
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Merry Moments Designer paper, Real Red
Also: Stampin’ Dimensionals
The Pine line
Posted: November 7, 2009 Filed under: Best Yet, Gifts of Christmas, Patterned Pines 4 Comments
This is the third card out of the four I designed for the workshop. For some reason, rather than just stamping the three tree stamp in the centre of the white panel, I felt the need to run the image off both the sides of the panel so I stamped half the stamp on one side and then re-inked and stamped again on the other side. My friend who was demonstrating this one for me at the next table always started her demonstration by telling the ladies they could do it my way or the simpler way! I don’t blame her, it also looked just fine stamped in the centre!
Not much more to say really, I’m looking forward to doing a bit more with this set, maybe cutting out the trees, stamping them in different colours and spreading them around a bit.
Supplies:
Stamps: Patterned Pines, Best Yet
Inks: Real Red, Handsome Hunter
Cardstock: Real Red, Handsome Hunter, Whisper White
The fourth card is a little different again. I wasn’t sure I liked it at first, but several friends assured me that it appealed to them so I went ahead.
I cut along the stripes of the Dejardin designer paper for my decorative strip and then just matted my image once and stuck a knotted piece of ribbon on with a glue dot. All the cards for the workshop were fairly simple but that meant that four cards were easily completed by the women and girls who came, some of whom are not stampers. And there was plenty of time for chatting too. I really enjoyed the night as I have done for the last few years. I hope to do another similar night at the church in the new year making a selection of cards.
Thanks so much for dropping in.
Supplies:
Stamps: Gifts of Christmas
Inks: Always Artichoke
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Le Jardin Designer paper, Almost Artichoke, River Rock
Also: Artichoke grosgrain ribbon
Heather Telford 