Thinking of You

My brother’s recovery from a stroke he had about four months ago continues.  Maddeningly, it’s taking a lot longer than we all thought 

it would.  

So, encouragement cards along the way are certainly in order . . .

 

The focal image looked adrift on the formerly plain card front but when the textural layer was added, that changed everything.

For some odd reason, I glued down the text off center.  I often do that on purpose, but not this time, and it didn’t look right.  So I added the leaf spray to restore some balance.  As I’ve often and happily observed, there’s always a way out of boo boos in the rubber stamping world!

Cardstock:   Strathmore Ultimate White, Scrap Deep Yellow

Stamps:       All Night Media Flower Boy, Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             ColorBox Black

Waterclrs:    LuminArte assorted watercolors

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Glitz Abstract Net, Gina Marie Stitched Rounded Squares,

 Impression Obsession Foliage, TEMU Sentimental    

Shadow Words: Thinking of You               

Doo Dads:    USArt Quest Opal Essence Glitter

Mike & Becky

It was a total joy to make this card, mostly because it celebrates my beautiful niece’s wedding, but also because it was so much fun to put together . . .

While the die design looks intricate, the die cuts are easy to place.  When finished, the card stands up nicely for display.  Even though the design is quite dimensional, the card folds easily for mailing.  The stand-out oval panel can be used to showcase any event, so I think there are countless events I’ll be happily commemorating in future. 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pear, Leapfrog, Strathmore #140 Watercolor, 

Constellation Raster White

Colorants:    Zig Real Brush Sugared Almond Pink, Yellow

Dies:            TEMU Rectangular and Oval Shapes, Wedding,

Luxury Purple Red Stem, Scrapbook Bow Toppers, 

Cheery Lynn Tiny Flower Kit     

Emb Fldr:     Crafts-Too Sweet Flowers

Doo Dads:    Couture Creations Glitter Silver Shimmer         

New Home

My stepson has just bought his first house, so heartfelt congratulations are definitely in order . . .

I use this adorable little house on nearly every housewarming card I sent out.  I think it perfectly captures the delightfully cozy feeling every new homeowner hopes to achieve.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Bon Bon, Capri, Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth         

Stamps:       Stampin’ Up House

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Black, Gina K Whisper

Colorants:    Inktense Hooker’s Green, Burnt Orange, Saddle Brown

Waterclrs:    Zig Real Brush Light Blue, Mustard

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black, Hero White

Dies:            Impression Obsession All-in-One Frames: Squares, 

Karen Burniston Border Blends: Party    

BOO!

I took one look at this pair of crow dies and knew immediately that I would have them standing guard on a gatefold card . . .

 . . . both stately and spooky and lots of fun to put together!  Most gatefold cards stand up on their own, but the crows have so much cardstock removed that they were a little on the wobbly side.  So I attached another black card base to the back of the gatefold card. Perfect solution . . .

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Designer paper Purple Harlequin

Dies:            TEMU Halloween Crow, QuicKutz Bats            

Love

Here’s another collapsible bridge card in a different color scheme . . .

 

Both of the flowers in the middle are attached to wobble springs and these collapse nicely for mailing.  

Cardstock:   Strathmore #140 Watercolor        

Inks:             Distress Oxide Villainous Potion, Bundled Sage,

 Peeled Paint, Abandoned Coral, Carved Pumpkin

Dies:            Waffle Flower Poinsettia Frame, Memory Box Pinpoint

Leaf Plate, TEMU Rectangle Dotted Effect, DieNamics 

Stitched Oval Scalloped Edge Frame,  TKOnline 

Celebration Set: Love, Punch Bunch Flower Centers

Stencil:        Waffle Flower Poinsettia Frame

Doo Dads:    TEMU  Wobble Springs, Gelly Roll Clear Star   

Smile

Another fun idea with vellum that I borrowed from Jennifer McGuire . . .

 

 . . . after brayering the mesh background on the vellum panel, I heat embossed the white flower.  Then I turned the vellum over and colored from the back!  That kept the front looking neat and tidy.  When coloring vellum from the back, you need to use darker inks than you would normally because the vellum tones down the color quite a bit.  Experiment with a vellum scrap to make sure you’re getting the depth of color you want.

 

Liquid glues make vellum pucker so I always use double-sided tape.  Here’s a fun thing I discovered:  it’s virtually impossible to find a tape or glue that doesn’t show through vellum, but I found that if I cover the entire background with 4” wide double-sided tape, it doesn’t show through at all!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Admiral, Glama #40 Heavy Vellum        

Stamps:       Fiskars brayer Mesh, Impress Cherry Blossom Branch

Inks:             Distress Lost Shadow, ColorBox Frost White

Colorants:    Zig Clean Color: Peacock Blue, Deep Green

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:            TEMU Stitched Rectangular Frame, AlteNew Vertical

Greetings: Smile     

Doo Dads:    Waffle Flower Enamel Dots White

Love

Thanks to a recent tutorial from Jennifer McGuire featuring cards made from vellum, I decided to give it a try . . .

Vellum is too floppy to stand up on its own, but with the addition of regular cardstock pieces glued to the inside front, inside back, and outside back, it stands up beautifully, and is just as sturdy as regular cardstock.  Check out her blog for her excellent video on “Creative Uses of Vellum”.

I’m also excited about figuring out how to make word die cuts stand out against busy backgrounds when no shadow dies are included.  Basically, it’s just using the familiar technique of cutting the word die in a contrasting color and gluing it offset on the back of the original word.  But my idea is to make two die cuts in the contrasting color and gluing one of them offset on each side of the original word!

 

Yes, two layers are involved and you might think this differentiation would be visible and look clunky.  But it doesn’t – even a close-up look with my magnifying glass doesn’t reveal anything amiss.  I don’t think even a skilled stamper who received a card having this trick would be able to see how it was done.  Experiment with various colors and cardstock thicknesses to see if this would work for you!

 

Cardstock:   Glama #40 Vellum, Scraps Green, Strathmore 

#140 Watercolor

Inks:             Tsukineko Dauber Duos Pale Blue, Raspberry, Canary,

 Royal Blue

Dies:            AlteNew ZeroWaste Leaf Pattern, Memory Box butterflies:

Corden, Powell, Spellbinders Wonderful Wings,

 Papertrey Ink Super Succulents Set: Love   

Doo Dads:    Class Appeals Stickers Silver, Wink of Stella Clear