Sweet Havana

A few weeks ago I needed to make a sympathy card. I decided to use the Sweet Havana stamp set and the coordinating dies (Mama Elephant). It’s an older set that I haven’t used a lot, but I love the style of the flowers and the jug/vase. Using the Spa Collection - Zen Garden set of mini ink pads (Catherine Pooler), I stamped and then die cut a bunch of pieces and began assembling the bouquets.

The first two cards I made were both sympathy cards (I figured I might as well make more than one while I was at it). I created two simple bouquets in blue jugs and added a banner that said “sending love and hugs”to each. Using foam tape I adhered each bouquet to a die-cut stitched white oval.

For the card bases, I chose blue card stock to coordinate with the color of the jug. I embossed the front of each card base with an embossing folder and then added one of the completed focal layers. Inside each card I added a white panel stamped with a sympathy sentiment.

I had enough pieces left to make a couple more cards, so I created two more bouquets. For the first card (left) I used a white card base and embossed the front with a floral frame embossing folder. Inside the embossed frame I stamped “thinking of you.” I added a banner that said “and smiling just because” to the jug of one of the bouquets and then used foam tape to place it below the stamped sentiment.

For the second card (right) I used the same embossing folder, but this time with a light purple card base. I used liquid glue to adhere the bouquet near the top of the open area within the embossed frame. I found a die-cut “hello” in the tray on my desk that coordinated with the flower colors, and I glued that below the bouquet. I finished this card with a small linen thread bow on the handle of the jug.

Thanks for stopping by!

Alcohol ink cards, Part 2

As promised in my last post, I’m back with the second batch of cards I made with my alcohol ink backgrounds. These cards have a loose nature theme — plants, flowers, animals, etc. — but I still turned many of them into birthday cards to add to my stash. Again, I’m only including the photos, so if you have a question, please leave me a comment.

I think the first two cards are my favorite, but I really like the Christmas card, too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Multitudes of mushrooms

I am a sucker for mushrooms in crafts. I just think they’re adorable, and I love the forest and fairy themes that often accompany mushrooms. So earlier this summer I decided to make a card (or two) with each of my stamp and/or die sets that prominently feature mushrooms. It will take me a while to get through all of them (especially since I seem to keep collecting more), so today’s cards are the first installment.

I made these two cards using an old My Monthly Hero kit (Hero Arts). For the card on the left I used the stamps from the kit. I created the scene with masking paper (so some of the images look like they are behind others) and colored the images with colored pencils. I die cut the finished panel with a deckle rectangle die, inked the edges, and adhered it to a green card base. I finished the card with clear droplets and a bit of striped ribbon.

For the card on the right I used the dies from the kit to create a terrarium. It’s a shaped card, so I used the arched die to also cut the card base, leaving a small portion of the fold intact. The blue layer on the card front hides the flat fold. I also had to consider the bottom of the card because the piece for the base of the terrarium has little feet. In order to get the card to stand up correctly, I needed to die cut a base piece for the inside of the card as well as the front.

The most time-consuming part was creating the gravel layer at the bottom. I cut that piece out of dark brown for the dirt and two light colors for the stones. I glued the brown piece to the blue background and then pieced in the “stones,” trying to mixup the two colors. But I love how the card turned out, so I think the extra time was worth it.

Here is another terrarium-like card. Or maybe it’s a little fairy habitat. Either way, it’s cute.

I used two die sets to create the focal image: Cottage Terrarium and Mini Forest Plants (both from Poppystamps). I die cut the pieces in the mat from water color paper and then painted them. I used a white Posca paint pen to add the spots on the mushrooms and the lines on the left side of the jar. The lid of the jar is metallic card stock, and I used hemp twine to add a bow around the lid.

For the background I used the retired Tree Rings background stamp (Stampin’ Up!) and stamped it on a kraft card base. I think it’s the perfect background for this card.

This card and the next one were both made with the Nature Walk stamp and die combo (Ellen Hutson). To make this card I stamped the fronds and moth images on the card base for the background. I stamped the mushrooms and snail on white card stock and die cut them. I liked the idea behind this card, but I don’t love how it turned out. Something feels off with the background; I think maybe I should have stamped just one moth.

I decided to make this a belated birthday card, so I stamped “sorry I’m late …” on the front and “I took the scenic route” on the inside.

Now this card I really like. I used the Nature Walk stamp set again for the images and the Organic Elements stamp set (Ellen Hutson) for the solid shapes in the background.

I stamped six shapes in a grid on a white card base using four colors. Then I stamped five images from the set on white card stock, using the “filler” stamps to add color to the moth, mushrooms, and snail. (The filler stamp I used for the snail was actually the one for the smallest mushroom. I think it’s works for the snail, too.) I kept the frond and the flowers white. I adhered the images over the shapes, using foam tape for the colored images. I added a sentiment strip in the bottom right corner over the sixth shape. I finished this card (and the previous one) with some gold confetti.

I hope you enjoyed this first batch of mushroom cards. I’m not sure when the next batch will be ready, but I have quite a few other cards to share in the meantime. Thanks for stopping by!

Kaleidoscope collection

A couple of weeks ago I needed to make a birthday card for a friend’s mom. She loves hummingbirds, and I thought of the perfect products — several items from the Kaleidoscope collection (49 and Market) that I’d purchased as a bundle, but never used. I have rub-ons, ephemera pieces, layered frames, and washi tape. And since I was making one card, I figured I’d make a couple extra. Here they are:

I think they turned out really pretty. It amazes me when I see other people do collage so (seemingly) effortlessly because I always struggle with this kind of layering. My brain wants to do it the “right” way. It’s helpful with a collection of products like this because everything coordinates, so at least I don’t have to second guess that part.

Everything on these cards is from the collection except the gray card bases, the linen thread used for the bows, and the word “birthday” on the pink card. That’s a stamp and the only stamping I did on the front of the cards.

For each card I started by using the rub-ons to add interest to the solid-color panel. Then I chose which ephemera pieces I wanted to use and played around with the arrangement. Before I glued them down, I added two or three washi tape “stamps” to the background. I finished each card with a linen thread bow to add a different texture.

I had a lot of fun making these cards, and I’m looking forward to creating more. I think these would make great card sets, too.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Doodled flowers

Today I have a short post to share a card that I made without any stamps, dies, or even stencils. Crazy, right? Instead, I created a couple of doodle-y flowers with a pen and paints.

When I started this little project I wasn’t thinking about making a card; I just wanted to try drawing something and painting it. So I used a Micron pen to doodle a couple of flowers on watercolor paper. I don’t consider myself an artist, and I certainly don’t do realistic drawing, but I think these flowers turned out pretty well. I’ve found that if I keep the pen on the paper and draw as much as I can in a continuous line —  redrawing over lines multiple times in a loose style — I’m usually happy with the results.

Once I was done with the drawing, I painted the flowers with Daniel Smith watercolors. You can’t really tell in the picture, but the blue I used for the background has just a little shimmer, which is fun. When the paint was dry, I added some details and shading with colored pencils. I also added a little white splatter using Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White.

I decided the finished panel would look good as a card, so I adhered it to a kraft card base and added a handful of clear droplets. For the finishing touch I wrapped hemp twine twice around the left side of the card front and tied it off in a bow.

I’m excited to try more little projects like this to improve my watercolor skills. Thanks for stopping by!

Cards to share

I’ve been getting back my crafting mojo little by little, but now I’m behind on my blog posts. I just can’t seem to get everything together. Oh, well. Today I’m going to share a bunch of cards I brought to work to share with my coworkers. I wanted to celebrate spring, so there are lots of flowers, and some rainbows and unicorns for good measure.

I used patterned paper for many of the cards to make the process a little faster (at least in theory; I still spent plenty of time deciding on just the right layout or paper combination). Then I just added a little embellishment — ribbon, twine, and/or sequins — and a stamped or die-cut sentiment.

I tried to use as much of each patterned paper as I could, so I made several cards with leftover strips or small shapes. Using packs of patterned paper makes it easy to coordinate colors and patterns.

This is a layout I’ve used before that I really like. It’s a great way to use different patterns and/or textures because the repeated shape ties everything together. You just want to use a shape that’s kind of “chunky” and not too detailed — hearts for Valentine’s Day, leaves for autumn, trees for Christmas. The colors on these cards are a little fall-ish, but they are still some of may favorite cards in the bunch.

I focused on making cards for a variety of occasions/needs, so I used lots of different word dies and greeting stamps. I also made some cards with no sentiment on the front so they could be used for anything. (I might make more of those next time.) All of the cards are blank inside.

A rainbow die is an easy way to get focal images for multiple cards — just cut the shape out of multiple colors of card stock and then mix and match the pieces. (The die I used is from Taylored Expressions.) I combined the rainbows with fun patterned papers and several “colorful” sentiments. And I have some fun unicorn sentiments, so I had to include a few of those, too.

These are actually the cards that started this project for me. I had an old card kit that had been my mom’s, and when I was struggling to find some creativity I decided to work on the kit. I used the kit directions as a guide and changed up most of the designs at least a little, including using additional sentiments. I liked how the cards turned out, but they didn’t feel like they were quite my style, so instead I decided to share them at work.

Thanks for stopping by!

Friendship Stamp Along cards

Earlier this month I participated in the Friendship Stamp Along virtual event from Hero Arts. It was five live online cardmaking classes featuring different techniques. I had purchased the product bundle, so I had the main products for the projects, but I did substitute inks and some other basic dies. I didn't create all the cards during the event, thanks to a cat who was determined to lie in my craft space. But I did go back and finish them later (with a few changes here and there), and I’m excited to share them.

The first card we made has three panels. It’s typically called a trifold card, but that phrase has always bugged me because it has two folds, not three. (Just like bifold wallets and doors only have one fold. Who started this naming convention, anyway? I’d like to have a few words …). Anyway, this card is basically two A2 card bases facing opposite directions (one has the fold on the left, the other on the right) with the backs layered over each other and glued together. I hope that makes sense.

We used arch dies and acetate to create a window in the card front, and the floral panel on the inside flap is made with layering stencils and a coordinating cover plate die. We used the die to emboss the flowers instead of cutting them out.

For the second class, the new technique was splattering texture paste. We mixed a little water and paste and then used a paint brush to splatter it on the card base. I tried the technique, but I couldn't quite get it right — and then I dropped my paint brush and got paste on my pants and it turned into a whole thing — so I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White medium for the splatter instead. I love the bright spring colors on this card.

In the third class we actually made three cards. We started with a small piece (I think 2" x 4") of six colors of card stock then created a faux embossed look with stamping. We arranged several solid-style stamps on a stamp positioner and stamped them on one of the pieces of card stock using coordinating ink. Then we moved the card stock just slightly up and to the right and stamped the images again using white pigment ink. We followed the same steps with the rest of the card stock colors and then cut the panels into pieces to use on three cards.

For the fourth class we used an acetate card base and applied texture paste through a stencil to the front of the card. The back of the card has a panel of card stock on the inside and the outside (so the acetate is sandwiched between pieces of card stock).

The instructor pointed out that if you write  your message in the card with a black pen it would look cool peeking through the acetate. I agree — sort of like an extra script-style background. But if you don’t like that look you could write on the back of the card instead.

In the last class we created an ombre effect on solid stamps using a stamp positioner and a blending brush. Basically we stamped an image once then applied darker ink (or another layer of the same color) to part of the stamp, used the blending brush to tap the stamp and soften the edge of the darker ink, and stamped it again over the original image.

I haven't done a virtual stamping class or event in quite a while; in general, I don't love doing things virtually. But I really liked the product bundle for this event, and I'm very happy with how my cards turned out. Maybe best of all, it helped me get back some of my crafting mojo.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wild and precious life

Today I've got a quick post to share another card featuring Distress Oxide inks. In my last post I mentioned that I had made several panels using Distress Oxide inks, and I shared a couple of cards where I used the panels as backgrounds. This time I used the panels for the die-cut images on the card.

I love this quote from Mary Oliver, and I think it's perfect for a birthday card. I also like to pair it with images from nature, and this time I chose a dragonfly and leaves.

The pink/purple Distress Oxide panel seemed perfect for a dragonfly. This dragonfly is from a Tim Holtz die set, and it has three layers. Normally I would cut each layer from a different color, but in this instance I cut them all from the same panel. You do get some natural color variation, but the different layers don't stand out as much. For the leaves, which are also layered, I cut the outlines from a part of the panel that was slightly darker, and the backing layer is a little lighter.

For the card base I used Crumb Cake card stock stamped with the Circular Grid Bold Prints stamp from Hero Arts. It reminds me of the rings of a tree. The leaves are glued directly to the card base, and the sentiment piece and dragonfly are adhered with foam tape. I finished the card with a few clear droplets.

I will have one more post featuring the Distress Oxide panels I created, so stay tuned (spoiler alert: there will be an underwater/beach theme). Thanks for stopping by!

Plants and Vases

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since my last blog post. It seems like I get on a roll for a little while but I can't quite stick with it. Oh, well. I'll just try to pick it back up again. Today I have a quick post to share a couple of cards made with the Plants and Vases stamp and die set from Altenew.

The stamps in the set include several different branches and sentiments, and the dies are two vases with embossed designs. For the first card I made with this set (the card on the right), I used the product packaging for inspiration. I stamped the branches in four different colors on a white panel. I added a strip of kraft card stock along the bottom to ground the vases, which I die cut from two different colors of card stock. I stamped "happy birthday" in the upper right corner, cut out the panel with a deckle-edge die, and added it to a dark brown card base. The finishing touch was a few sequins.

For the second card, I inked just one of the branches with a berry-colored ink. I stamped the image on a panel of white card stock and then stamped it a couple of more times -- once on either side of the first image -- without reinking the stamp. I added a kraft vase and matted the panel with kraft card stock. I used a berry card base to coordinate with the branches and added a piece of ribbon. Using foam tape, I adhered the panel a bit to the right of the center of the card base. I finished the card with a few enamel dots.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gel print collage cards

Sometime this summer I want to have another all-day gel printing session. I've been saving various household items to make interesting patterns, and I've got new stencils to try. But before I do that I'm trying to use more of the prints I've already made. So for a start, last weekend I made two gel print collage cards.

For the flower card, I cut circles out of three different gel prints and then went around each circle and snipped out triangles to create the petals. I added smaller circles for the flower centers and leaves behind the flowers. (I also added clear Wink of Stella glitter on the flower centers, but it doesn't show up in this picture.) I used a heavyweight white card base, added a white die-cut frame for a little texture, and glued on the flowers. I wanted to fill a little white space, so I added a couple of flying bugs and drew little dashed lines for their "flight paths." I stamped a birthday sentiment in the lower right corner to finish the card.

For the golf card, I started with a few online searches to get some inspiration. Once I had an idea, I used various gel prints to cut out the background, putting green, hole, pole, flag, and golf ball. The golf ball is supposed to look like it's sailing right into the hole; I thought about drawing a line to show the path, but I decided I liked it better without. I used white pigment ink and white embossing powder to add the sentiment and drew a border around the edges. Inside the card I wrote "Hope your day is a hole-in-one."

Neither one of these cards has any sequins or other embellishments. What?! I considered it, but with the colors and textures of the gel prints, I don't really think they needed anything else. Shocking, I know.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Secret Garden: Part I

In March I ordered a subscription box from A Cherry on Top that was packed full of spring-themed products, including several items from the Secret Garden collection by Carta Bella. There was the collection pack (which included twelve double-sided 12" x 12" textured papers and a sheet of card stock sticker elements), chipboard stickers, die-cut tags and frames, and a package of embellishments. I absolutely loved the prints and the texture of the papers, but I didn't want to hoard them. So I decided to use as much of the coordinating items as I could to make cards.

Over the course of several weeks I ended up making more than sixty cards. (I found coordinating card stock in my stash and also added in some different embellishments.) I had wanted to use some of the cards to send spring/Easter greetings to family and friends, but I missed that boat. So instead I created four card sets to give as gifts and forty individual cards that I brought in to work to share with the teachers and other school staff.

I didn't take pictures of all the cards, but I do have quite a few photos, so I'm sharing the card sets in this post and some of the individual cards in the next post. For the first group of photos each picture includes two cards with the same layout/papers but different focal images. These cards I split into two card sets (one card from each photo went in the first set, and the other card went in the second set).

These are obviously a pretty simple layout, but I really wanted the pretty papers to stand out. 

For the last photos, each picture is one card set. I used stamped quotes and gold die-cut foliage for the focal points on these cards, but again, the two sets use the same layout.

That's it for the first batch of Secret Garden cards. If you have questions about any details, please leave me a comment. I didn't want to include too much info and make the post even longer. And stay tuned for part two!

Thanks for stopping by!