Thank You Cards

 I've had to make a few 'Thank You' cards for people with a range of interests.

An image (digital) I coloured and die cut ages ago. I've got a folder on my desktop where I put things like that if I've got no immediate plans for something but like the result. The image was colorured with pencils and the die used was from Spellbinders. The paper is some I've had in my stash for, I suspect, ten years or more, and the butterfly embellishment is even older. 

The one 'male' card I had to make, and it's for someone I don't know well, so that's even more awkward. I started with a background I made using a Clarity media plate. It's another refugee from my 'not needed now' folder. I've added some matting and layering along with a stamped sentiment (stamp and scrollwork are from Creative Stamping Magazine) and I finished it with a die cut bit of scrollwork cut with what I think is a Joanna Sheen die.

These two cards were made for a couple of ladies with an interest in patchwork. The die I used is from Spellbinders. These dies are particularly suitable for batch cardmaking as you can mix and match the patterned paper.

Another image I created a while ago, trying out a different way of using a stained-glass style card. The background in this instance was coloured using Promarkers, and it was definitely easier than 'paper piecing' as that particular die has always been a pain to cut well.

And finally, one for a lady with a keen interest in embroidery. I used some of a Spellbinders die set, along with a die which punces holes to make the swirls you see which I stitched with some metallic thread.

I really enjoyed making/finishing these cards - especially as they all have recipients already chosen. So often, I make cards because I'm trying a specific technique, and that's why I end up with unused bits in a folder!

International Art and Soul Challenge 127

 The challenge for this fortnight has been set by my team mate Hazel, and she wants things on the theme of Light and Dark.

There are a lot of potential ideas for this theme, but I went for one which seems obvious to me - a scene with light and dark within the picture.

I started with a rough area of shading - green shading to blue with some brighter sunshine/sunset colours in the middle, achieved with Distress Ink. I then added a Lavinia fairy - which I got by subscribing to a magazine many years ago - and continued with the overhead brances which use a much more recent Lavinia purchase. The lower vegetation is mainly (or perhaps all) Inkylicious. I must admit, both ranges have some very similar vegetation, and it can be hard to tell them apart. All stamping used Versafine Clair ink in black (for the fairy/toadstool) and green for the vegetation. I then added more depth to the background shading, darkening the edges to create a 'tunnel' effect. Then I added a little water sprinkle to the background sky, and some colour to the overhead berries with a paint pen and sparkle to the fairy with a glitter gel pen. I made the toadstool more opaque using Koh-i-Noor pencils in a variety of brown shades. Finally, I further darkened the outer areas using some Versafine Clair ink for its opacity.

I used similar techniques here, but started with a Brusho background printed from a gel plate. The result was very pale, but I added Distress Ink to define the edge colours. The stamps this time are Lavinia (fairy) and Printable Heaven (extra dandelion heads and fluff) as well as Inkylicious (flowers). As above, I finished the flowers with some paint pen, and added some sparkle to the fairy with glitter gel pen.

International Art and Soul Challenge 111

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by my team mate Jennie, and she wants creations on the theme of 'Holidays, here or abroad'.

This card took a surprising amount of time - especially since I only had two options that occurred to me. I finally decided to use a fabulous stamp from Creative Stamping magazine and went from there.

That's where my problems started. First, I thought I'd try a watercolour version, but didn't like the result. Then I decided to colour the image with pencils, and that worked well enough. The image is of three beach huts, so I've repeated the stamp giving a partial hut each side of the original three. I added a little distress ink to both the sky and sand to even out the tone and edged with some more.

I was playing with multi-coloured backgrounds made using distress oxide ink, and this was actually the third one I did. It's not that I didn't like the others - more that they just didn't work with the image for whatever reason. Finally, I did tis one and it seemed to work for me. I edged it with Versafine Clair ink, matted the image and put the whole package on to a 5 by 7 inch card.

I do hope you can join us this time.i

International Art and Soul Challenge 101

 This time at International Art and Soul, the theme of the challenge is Hearts. You can interpret that as you wish. I decided to make a card using a Gorjuss stamp I bought a few years ago.

I coloured the image with pencils - my newly-purchased Koh -i-Noor Polycolor pencils. I'm by no means an expert at colouring with any media, but I was reasonably happy with this effort. I envy those who can see where to shade darker and lighter and do it successfully, but I do struggle with that.

The bacground uses plain black card and a piece of embossed and Distress Oxide shaded card which was left over from a previous project. I do hope you can join us this time.