More Christmas Cards!

Here are some more Christmas cards I made and I must say I really had alot of fun making them. The first two cards are using the same elements and shows how it changes the look of the card by putting the elements on an angle. I embossed the red mittens though it may be hard to see in these pictures.

Actually I used the ice blue brads on this second card and not on the first card.

As you can tell I was really into using my embossing inks. I like the simplicity of this white embossed tree card. I was a bit disappointed that the white embossing ink isn't more pronounced, maybe it's because I used clear instead of white powder to emboss with?

To make the white flower on the lower right hand side of the tree, I stamped the tree in red ink on white cs and cut it out. I applied it with a glue dot since it had to adhere to the white embossed ink. I used white half pearl for the center of the flower and the smaller half pearls around each ticket punched corner. To put the bow at the tree trunk I used an x-acto knife to cut two slits, one on either side so the white ribbon slides right through to tie it. I did practice this before I did it on this card, I wanted to make sure it would work like I thought.

I like cards that are simple to make, you can make quite a few in a short amount of time. I love this mitten background paper, it's so colorful.

This is one of my favorite cards from this batch I made and it's very easy too. Using olive green ink I used the French Script stamp on vanilla cs and then stamped the tree using mahogany ink. I put a clear brad at the top of the tree and inked the edges with the mahogany ink.
I've had the mitten stamp for a year or so and have always wanted to use embossing ink and powder for a card. I used the small and large tag punches and a silver eyelet at the top of the tag punch so I could put ribbon through it.

Here is a closer picture of the mitten tags, hopefully you can see the embossing better.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Owl Christmas Cards

I've started making Christmas cards now so I wanted to share the first few I've made. My Aunt Carol has always loved owls so I wanted to start off making my Christmas cards for her. I got this Christmas Owls stamp set from My Favorite Things http://www.mftstamps.com/ in their Bubble Bin, which are products at a discount. Not only do I love the main owl stamp but the two sentiments are cute too, Owl be home for Christmas and Hope your holidays are a hoot!

I stamped the owls and ornaments with black ink and hand painted the owls, hats and ornaments in various color combinations. Since I hand painted these cards I decided to use a sealer so the colors don't fade over time. I used Krylon Workable Fixatif which is good when using paints, pencil, pastels, charcoal, etc.

For the first card I used blue, red and white cs. I stamped the blue cs with a snowflake using Versamark. This product is what gives the background of the card a watermark feel. I have a small star punch which I decided to use around the sentiment of the card. I think it ties together nicely with the star ornaments.

With all the white parts of the owl hats on these cards I used a 2 Way Glue Pen. To the parts I wanted sparkly I used the glue pen, then sprinkled the glitter on top and tapped it off. You say see the glitter hats better on this close up picture.

For this next card I used red yellow, blue and white cs. I used a frame punch on the four corners of the yellow cs. I also used the photo corner punch on the red and yellow cs. The red photo corner is at the bottom right of the white owl cs and the yellow one is at the bottom right of the sentiment. I must admit that when I first saw this punch in various classes I took I didn't think it would be one that I would use. But I like using it because it gives just a hint of a different color where ever it's used.

Here is the third card I made using pink (one of my favorite colors), grass green and white cs. I used a crimper to get the ripple effect on the pink cs. These are non-traditional Christmas colors but I like the color combinations.

I'll be making more cards in the next day or two and will be trying new techniques too so stop by again soon.

Pat Me on the Back

I was looking at other peoples crafting projects on their blogs and have seen some with slideshows of their craft projects. I like that feature because it shows the various cards and other projects I've made over the last year or two. Since I've only been blogging since February of this year the slideshow gives visitors a chance to see more projects I've made, other than what I've blogged about.

I attempted and succeed (Yeah!!) to add a slideshow of my cards to my blog. I was getting a bit frustrated in the beginning because the width of the slideshow widget was too wide for my blog column so I needed to figure out how to get the appropriate size. With a little research and alot of patience I found the information I needed and voila, I did it!!

I am not a techee so it tends to take me a little longer to figure things out but I did, so pat me on the back!!

Itty Bitty Accordion Card

When I have extra time in Fresno I enjoy going to Borders to browse the craft magazines to see what's new and get ideas. A few months ago I picked up the Stampers' Sampler Take Ten, Summer 2009 magazine and saw a feature about Itty Bitty Accordion cards and have wanted to make one ever since. My girlfriend Divina's 40th birthday is in November and so I decided to take on the challenge and make one for her. I'll definitely be making more of them!

I am pretty happy with the finished product pictured below and learned alot during the whole process.

Since the article didn't give any instructions, besides the various sizes of the panels of the cards shown, I had to figure out how to configure and attach the panels to make the accordion and how to close the accordion to make the card presentable.

I knew I wanted the word "birthday" inside so I needed 8 panels for the letters, 1 panel for the front and 1 panel at the back of the card to write a birthday sentiment. I needed a total of 10 panels and the size I chose for each panel is 2 3/4" (Now I know why they didn't include instructions, this is proving very difficult to explain!). I made a total of 3 segments, scored at 2 3/4" and bent the appropriate way to form the accordion.

Since it was my first time making this card I found it helpful to draw out my concept of the panels. I am a visual person and it helped me formulate what I wanted my card to look like. I then started decorating the 8 panels using the french script stamp, green embossing ink, clear powder and the embossing heat tool. Embossing is what gives the french words the shine you can see. I put a post it on the first and last panels to remind myself not to emboss them, I'll be decorating them later.

Each "birthday" letter was stamped in Rose Red, alternating Pretty in Pink and Rose Red solid cs. I then used the french swirl and postmarks stamps with green ink and stamped around the letter. I attached the solid cs to the patterned paper. I used the ticket corner punch on both the the solid and pattered paper before adhering them together.

The picture the below is a close-up of the end of the card with the last panel left blank for the birthday sentiment.

Here are the 3 segments after I decorated them (the picture quality isn't too great).

Next I decorated the front panel, first stamping the background with green ink and the french swirl and postmark stamps. The 4 and 0, exclamation point, crown and hearts are all Tim Holtz Grungeboard products "painted" with his Distress Crackle Paints. I added the silver heart charm to the crown attaching it with a silver jump ring. I closed the itty bitty accordion card using a clip and to make it more feminine I tied white and rose red ribbons on the clip.

Here is what it looks like laid out as the accordion card. Unfortunately I don't have a nice mantel or bookshelf to display it on but I worked with what I had using my craft table. It turned out pretty good for my first try!

Thanks for taking a look. It's great to be crafting and blogging again!

I'm back...

I haven't quite been myself these past few months. I've been going through some personal stuff and wasn't doing things I enjoyed such as reading, blogging, crafting, etc. I've come through the experiences with a better understanding of myself and am ready, once again, to start participating and enjoying life.

Today I actually started to make a mini accordion card for a girlfriends 40th birthday. I saw a few examples of one in a magazine a few months ago and have wanted to make one ever since. It's my first time making this type of card so it took a while for me to get started. I'll share my experience and pictures when I'm finished with the project, probably sometime in the next few days.

It feels good to be back.

I've Moved Cards

I made five of these moving cards and am sending them only to a few people, even though I sent out an e-mail with my new mailing address information. I've never used this stamp set before and I really like it. I enjoyed using my paint brushes, water and the different ink colors on the chair stamp and the items on and surrounding the chair. Below is a picture of all the components I used. I got the idea of using the housing rental want ads from another moving card I saw, it's such a clever idea I had to use it.

Below is a close-up of the stamp using three different ink colors which I then matched with the corresponding cs. Since I couldn't find an I've Moved stamp (they all said We've Moved) I printed them from the computer. I used regular printing paper but you can also put cs through the printer. I used the large and small tag punches and an eyelet and you have your tags. They're very quick and easy to make.

Here is the card assembled. I like the blue card the best but then I'm partial to blue.

Masculine Cards

Here are some masculine looking cards I made with a great stamp set from Stampin' Up called Sense of Time. The set includes the clock,clock gears and two great sayings which I'll use inside the cards. I used Tim Holtz products which I like because it brings a different level of creativity to my projects and really challenges me to think outside the box. He is so creative and his products bring a vintage look to cards, tags and other craft projects. He has alot of YouTube video's where he talks about how to use his products and techniques to use too.

For these cards I used Distress Embossing Ink (which is clear) with the 2 Distress Embossing Powders (I'd like to get more!). Since I'd never used the Embossing Powders before, I used a small stamp for the first few tries until I got the hang of it. The neat thing about using the Distress Embossing Powders is that it gives a texture of fine sand paper to your project. It's fun to play with. I also experimented with various Distress Inks to see which color combinations I liked.

I made this card for my dad for Fathers Day. I challenged myself to use colors that weren't too dark and yet keep it masculine. For the clock face I used the Distress Embossing Ink and the Walnut Stain Embossing Powder. The edge and clock face I used Vintage Phot Distress Ink. For the second hand I used an antique brass brad in the center. The Love key is a Tim Holtz product which added a nice antique embellishment to the card. The brown button is tied with neutral twine. I really like how it turned out and I think my dad will like it to.

For this masculine birthday card I used the same procedure for the clock mentioned above. I used a silver brad for the second hand center and at the four corners of the card. I used the Weathered background stamp which helped give it an aged look. I stacked a brown and creme colored button together and adhered it with a glue dot. For the Best Wishes sentiment I used the Distress Embossing Ink with Fire Brick Embossing Powder. I really like how this card turned out, everything came together nicely.

Here is another birthday card I made using the blue instead of the brown on the Fathers Day card. It brings a totally different look to the card. This blue ribbon I wanted to use had two white stripes in the middle. I didn't like how it looked with the rest of the card so I put the narrow brown ribbon ontop of it and tied it into a knot. I think the blue and brown of the ribbon ties the whole card together.

Happy card making everyone!

A Few More Patriotic Cards

I made two more patriotic cards today I want to share. I used the photo corner punch on Real Red cs to offset the white stars and blue background on the flag. It adds just a touch of color so the flag stands out on the Brilliant Blue cs background. I used dimensional's on the flag to give it some depth. For the first time I used the Hero Arts Alphabet set that was given to me for Christmas. I really like the font and size of the letters, it's kind of playful. I also used dimensional's on the USA sentiment.

For this second card I used the weathered background stamp with black ink on Real Red cs. The top note is Brilliant Blue cs and I placed it vertically on the card. I used VersaMark on the star stamp from the Hero Arts Alphabet Letters set (a second set of letters given to me for Christmas) on Brilliant Blue cs. I Attached red and white ribbon around the top note, adhering it with silver brads. I attached the two patriotic sentiment stamps to the top note using dimensional's.

I really like the weathered stamp as a background and have other patriotic cards I want to use it for. Don't know if I'll get to it in the next few days, at some point I need to stop making cards and organize and price them for the craft booth in Coarsegold on Saturday.

This all has been very fun and I look forward to posting cards on a more regular basis. I think I found my crafting groove :o)

Happy Birthday Card

I made five of these cards Monday night and they're very easy to make. The ice cream scoops are made by using the scallop punch and you just choose which "flavors" you want. On the pink scoop I used the piercing tool and on the chocolate scoop I used faux pearl rhinestone stickers from Michael's. For the ice cream cone I painted it freehand making the diamond shapes.

The card looks crooked but it's just the way I took the picture.

Patriotic Cards

I made four patriotic cards, three using the Top Note die and the Big Shot (thank you again Ellen). This is my first time using it with my own projects, I've used it many times in craft class. I can see why everyone likes it so much. Below is a picture of the Top Note die.

Here is the first card I made with the die cut. I cut White, Real Red and Brilliant Blue cs into
4 1/4" x 11" strips to run through the Big Shot. As the cs base for the flag I used white, you can also use red or blue. With the red die cut I positioned it length wise and cut 3/8" strips and adhered every other one to the white cs base to get the red stripes. I then made the blue corner by cutting the blue die cut into four pieces. I used my star punch on white cs and put a red jewel brad in the center. I put the red ribbon top to bottom on the side and a card was born, not bad for the first one.

This next card was easy to make and uses the same cs colors as above, White, Real Red and Brilliant Blue. Instead of using the top note die itself I used the leftover part, which looks like a window after being run through the Big Shot. Following is a picture of what that looks like after I put the die through twice with one strip of cs.

Ever since I saw the frame (what I call it) I knew it could be used on some card project instead of throwing it away. It has endless possibilities with all kinds of stamps to frame. For the card below I used dimensional's on the flag stamp and blue eyelets on the right hand side of the card.

With this next card I used red as the base cs and white 3/8" strips as the flag stripes. I did this because I wanted to see if it made a difference using white or red as the cs base and to me it doesn't make a difference. I used a different star punch for this flag and added a USA paper clip for decoration. The background of the card is So Saffron cs using the Textured plate and the Big Shot. I adhered the red white and blue ribbon using the red star eyelets. I like the Saffron cs with the flag colors, don't know why but I just do :o)

This last card is my favorite of these four cards I made. I like old, rustic pictures, stamps, etc. and this one of the American flag is great. I inked the stamp with blue then red, breathed on it to give it moisture and then stamped it on white cs. I tore all four edges of the white cs to help give it a worn look. A few months ago I saw this red ribbon at Pocket Full of Treasures and got it because I knew I'd use it at some point. It gives texture and color to the card that I like. The sentiment was stamped on white cs using blue ink and framed in red. I used dimentional's on both the flag and the sentiment.

For some reason this flag stamp is difficult to get a usable image from. I had to use my rubber brayer a few times to get this image. It was well worth it to me. I've decided I'm going to make another one of these cards so I can keep this one.

Cards Using Daisie Flower Die

I've started making cards again, last night I made 3 cards. For the first two I used Ellen's Big Shot and Daisie die. The Daisie die is seen in the picture below.

The picture below shows the various cs and DS paper after the die has been run through the Big Shot.

Here are the two cards I made using the Daisie die. I used buttons for the flower center and the eyelet border punch to give both cards a feminine touch. I also used my butterfly punch and made a three dimensional butterfly for each card. I usually include a sentiment on the front of my cards but I decided not to because I like the simplicity of it. I think the butterfly and flower is enough, otherwise it may look too cramped.

The third card I made used the Manhattan Flower die mentioned in my May 5, 2009 post. I cut out the flowers and adhered it to Apricot cs. I stamped the Best Wishes sentiment in Regal Rose on white cs and used the scallop oval punch. I tied white ribbon (I got at Michael's) around the card and voila, another card.

I'll be making cards every day this week through Friday so I'll be posting my projects daily. Tomorrow I'll post patriotic cards.

Stationary Note Box and Cards

Here are some pictures of what we made in Tuesday nights craft class with the gals. We made a stationary box and a few cards to put in it. We used Parisian Breeze DSP and various inks, punches, embellishments, stamp sets and ribbon at our disposal.

As you can see from the picture below the stationary box is made in two pieces and then fitted together to form the box to put cards into.

Mother's Day Card

Here is the Mother's Day card I sent my mom today, I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. I like the color combination and the simplicity of it, that's my mom. It's the first card I've made using the glossy cs with the Manhattan Flower die. What I like about this card is that I challenged myself to use cs colors I've never crafted with before. Plus I found Regal Rose ribbon (say that fast 3 times!) I didn't realize I had, that's always a nice surprise.

Here is a list of the SU supplies:
Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red and Apricot Appeal
Cs: glossy white, Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose and White
Other: Manhattan Flower Die, Mother's Day Stamp, Background Texture Plate, Regal Rose Ribbon, Ticket Corner Punch and Dimensional's


As you can see from yesterday's post I have a few more cards to make with these roses but I need to get back to making baby announcements for Darcy and Gary. Their daughter Ruby was born about 2 weeks ago but I still want to get the announcements finished within the next week.

Roses for Mothers Day Card

I just finished inking these three different roses for my mother's day card. This is the first time I've done this technique and it's amazing how unique each one is, I really enjoyed experimenting with the different colors.

With glossy card stock I used the Manhattan Flower die run through the Big Shot. I used foam make-up wedges to apply the different inks. At first I applied only two colors to each rose but then added a third color and it really makes the roses pop!

The pic below left uses Perfect Plum, Pale Plum and Regal Rose inks.
The pic below right uses Regal Rose, Rose Red and Apricot Appeal inks.



The pic below uses So Saffron, Ruby Red and Cameo Coral inks.


I plan on cutting the outline of the roses and putting them on cs. Once I get the Mother's Day card complete I'll post a pic before I send it. Can't wait to make more of these using different color combinations.

Cards Made at Class

Ellen had a card making class last night and it was alot of fun, we had 4 different projects!! My favorite project is the stair step card below. The first is the card closed, as it would come out of the envelope. The second picture is of the card open, there are hidden decorative pieces that can only be seen when it's opened up. This card has endless possibilities and I can't wait to make more.



The second project is the daisy card using the die cuts and layering the different size petals. We used a yellow corduroy button, love those buttons it's a nice way to add texture to a card.


The third project is using the Manhattan Flower Texture Die with blue and peach cs. Use cs weight vellum, put it between the embossing folder, run it through the Big Shot and you get a raised image. Using small scissors cut away the top right side of the vellum where there is no flower. Use Dotto 1/4" to 1/2" from the left side to adhere the vellum to the cs. Cover the Dotto with ribbon. Stamp the sentiment on contrasting cs and cut it out with the scallop punch. Adhere the sentiment to the upper right hand corner.

Notice how different the card looks using the blue versus peach cs.


The fourth project is a Note Card Box which holds the mini cards and envelopes. These note cards measure 2 3/4" by 2 3/4" and come with matching envelopes. I stamped butterflies or ladybugs in red ink on my cards along with a sentiment in black ink and tied black and white checkered ribbon around each note.



Hope you enjoy looking at these projects as much as I enjoyed making them!!