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!

Clarity Stamps and Stencils

 I recently took advantage of a 50% sale at Clarity Stamps and got myself a set of stamps and stencils I admired when I last looked. I've used one of the sets to make a card for a friend.

I stamped the central image and the separate butterfly in Versafine Clair (grey rather than black) and coloured using coloured pencils. The outer area uses Distress Ink in Tattered Rose and Victorian Velvet. I added some glitter pen over the two butterflies, and picked out the green stems in fine liner or glitter pen. The flowers were made from die cuts.

International Art and Soul Challenge 147

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by my team mate Maggie, and she wants us to post something with a Fancy Fold.

I spotted instructions for an Infinity card on Craftworld recently. I tried one of these years ago, and it was horribly difficult with having to separate out sections using a craft knife. I wasn't impressed. This version just uses four separate pieces of card, and was so much easier! You can see the instructions here.

Then, I saw somewhere, I think it was a Lavinia Facebook group, where someone had filled the various panels with different pictures and decided to try something similar. The basic card started with four pieces of card, each 8in by 4in, and the end result is 8 by 8in. This is what I came up with!

This is the front. I created the picture as a whole and then cut it to fit the panels. Anywhere there is an opening or a fold, I treated as a separate panel. The stamps here are a mix of Lavinia and Inkylicious, and the background inks are Distress while the stamping ink was Versafine Clair.

When you open as if the card is a gatefold, you get this:

Mainly Lavinia with one Inkylicious stamp as well as some Tapestry stamps in the lower, large image. When you open this along the line between the cat and the sprite, you get this:

The poppy images are the same as in the last photo - visible on two 'sides' of the card. Again Lavinia, Inkylicious and also some Clarity stamps along with stencils from a set I got at The Range. And finally, opening along the central vertical line, you get this:

Stamps this time are from Inkylicious, Artemio, Woodware, and Personal Impressions.. I left a panel without an image so I can add a message.

Throughout, I've added detail to the stamped images using Posca pens, and on this face, I added a little glitter. Opening this along the horizontal centre returns you to the front of the card.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 143

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by my team mate Jane who wants projects on the theme of Trees/Wood.

The focal image is stamped using stamps from Lavinia (tree trunks), Inkylicious (branches and ferns) and Clarity (leaves). I used an Inkylicious mask for the distant hills, and some die cut paper tomask the sun. The background was inked using Distress Ink. Most stamping was done in Versafine Clair, although the leaves are also stamped in Distress Ink. I coloured any clear parts of the trunks or leaves with coloured pencil.

The background was embossed with a Crafter's Companion folder, and I added some Versafine Clair ink to the raised areas with a brayer. I used an orange base card (from Tattered Lace) some card for matting, and some ribbon from my stash to complete the card.

International Art and Soul Challenge 130

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by my team mate Jane, and she wants us to Include a Circle.

While challenge themes are available for us team members online, I tend to write out a shortened version to keep where I craft, and I'd written 'circles' for this one. So, I ended up including lots of circles...

I started with a Clarity stamp - in this case, this large circular base. I bought a set of these a while ago, thinking they'd be useful, but have generally been disappointed. The don't take Distress Ink very well (when applied with a brayer). But, courtesy of applying ink directly from an ink pad and then using a brayer to even it out a bit, I finally got the background. I need to play with these some more.

Next, I stamped one of my favourite images - one of the Lillium stamps from Lavina using Versafine Clair. These stamps are gorgeous, and very, very versatile. I often add some detail to this image, but decided to leave well alone this time. I completed the background with another Lavinia stamp - the mini orb (see what I mean about lots of circles...)!

I edged the outside of the card with a Sharpie pen, and mounted the image on to a white card, and that's it. It's quite a simple card, and I may even add a sentiment when I use it, but it would also work as is.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 129

 My team mate Jennie has set the challenge for this fortnight, and she wants to see Easter Chicks or Rabbits.

I had to think about this one, as I don't have any stamps that would work well for this. And then I had a look at my digital stamps and found the perfect one! It's from Phindy, and I know I've had it for many years, and I suspect it was a freebie at the time, but I honestly can't remember.

Isn't it a sweet image? Anyway, I coloured the image with Promarkers, although I added fine detail with some fineliner pens. I added a little shading with pencil, and background colour using Distress Ink. The image and mat were cut using Tonic dies.

The background uses more Distress Ink and a Clarity Stamp stencil. Finally, I added a sentiment with a Woodware stamp and Versafine Clair ink.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 123

 The theme for the next four weeks, set by my team mate Maggie, is to use dies or punches. Other that, you can do whatever you want to do.

In April this year, I was very happy to take part in a workshop on spring flowers by Susan Tierney Cockburn. I've enjoyed using her dies for some years, and even have a copy of a book she wrote before there were any dies. There, she showed how to use punched shapes to make a variety of flowers which were remarkably realistic. So, for this challenge, I decided to make a floral arrangement using some of her dies old and new, along with a frame die.

I started by colouring card for the frame. I used a range of blue Distress Oxide inks, and did another sheet for the back board. The frame pieces were cut using a die from box Elizabeth Craft. I bought it quite a long time ago, and have often considered buying another similar die which would allow me to make bigger frames than this die is designed to do - up to 8in end to end. But I've always thought it would be possible to extend the Elizabeth Craft die, so that's what I did here. The frame is 11in end to end, so that I could cut it from A4 card. It took me a few attempts to get it right, and I discovered I need to use a score board rather than my usual trimmer to score the extended fold lines, but in the end, it worked well enough.

The central part of the background was stamped (again in Distress Oxide ink) using a Clarity solid frame stamp. 

That done, I cut a range of pieces for various flowers and ended up using about half of them (as usual...) The orange flowers are Kerria Japonica which were included in the April workshop. The large white flower is a Gerbera Daisy, and the cream/yellow flowers are Forsythia and also uses a Susan's Garden branch die.

And another one - this time using a Tonic hexagonal frame in shades of green, and the flowers this time are Cattleya, again from Susan's Garden.

And that's it. I've no idea what I'm going to do with the results, but I'm fairly happy with it. I think I managed to stop myself adding too much - that's my usual problem.

I do hope you can join us for this, our last challenge of 2021!

International Art and Soul Challenge 121

 The challenge for this fortnight was chosen by my team mate Sall, and she wants projects on the theme of Remembrance. 

That's a very appropriate theme for this time of year, but I found it hard to come up with a project that I could actually use. It's not normal to send cards for Remembrance day, and while people wear poppies, making your own kind of defeats the purpose of poppies as a way of making money for the Royal British Legion. So, my project has poppies, but no specific mention of Remembrance, beyond the fact that sending someone a card is a sign that you're thinking about them.

I started with Claritystamp stamps. The image and text are from the beautiful Art Deco range, and have the added benefit (from my point of view) of being stained glass style, so they represent two of my favourite styles immediately.

I stamped the image with Versafine Clair, then coloured with Promarkers, although the very narrow borders were coloured with water-based fine liner pens. I simply cannot get Promarkers to behave in that sort of very narrow space. I know they used to supply fine tips for the pens and these were great, but quickly became clogged and unusuable. It's such a pity they couldn't make those work.

The background started with Distress Ink applied to white card. My thinking was a kind of 'out of focus' poppy field, but I'm not sure how well that worked out. I took the result and embossed it with an Embossalicious folder. Then, I used black Distress Ink to pick out the raised areas.

I matted the image on red and then black card, and the background on black, and that's it. I considered adding something (like some poppies) but decided it worked well enough without.

I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 236

For this fortnight's challenge we want to see anything but a card. Apart from that, it's 'anything goes'!

Years ago, I saw a tutorial on decorating a candle using an image stamped onto tissue paper. I always fancied having a go, but never did. (To be honest, I don't use many candles as my husband can't abide them!) Anyway, a craft group of which I'm a member was looking for some ideas for things they hadn't tried before, and I suggested candle decoration. But, never having tried it before, I found a tutorial and had a go in advance.

The video I found is this one from Lavinia Stamps.

And this was the result:

Not a Lavinia stamp, but one of the gorgeous set of Macintoshesque stamps from Clarity. I stamped the image onto tissue paper using Memento ink and coloured with Promarkers. Beware if trying this: like all alcohol markers, Promarkers have a tendency to leak through paper, but this is much more significant with tissue paper. Fortunately, I had some copy paper under my tissue paper. Once I'd trimmed around the image, I wrapped some wax paper around it and used my heat gun to gently melt the tissue paper into the candle. I was fairly impressed with the result!

But, a pretty candle needs a box, doesn't it? I checked, and the square Tonic Kaleidoscope box is just about the right size for this candle. (Its just s smidge small, but I managed to get it to work.)

 So, I stamped the same panel onto Crafter's Companion Neenah card and again, coloured with Promarkers. I assembled a box to fit - but I only have the two shortest sets of sides, so I had to fudge the side panels. I cut the longer of the two I had, leaving the end cut line over the edge of the cutting plate, and then continued the cuts with a trimmer, and extended the crease lines.

And here's the completed set.

I'm going to do the another one using the Snowdrops stamp from the same range so I've got a 'matching' set, but I'll wait and do that at the craft group.

I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 196

Our theme at Crafty Cardmakers is Autumn. My mind always goes to Autumn leaves, and this is what I came up with.

I stamped the tree using Clarity stamps and Memento ink. The background was sponged on using Pan Pastels with some cloud shapes used as templates cut using a Sizzix die. The result seemed rather misty to me, so the wording idea came from there. I think that's a CardCraft UK stamp, and I stamped it using Versafine ink as I wanted to make sure it would stamp clearly over the Pan Pastel. The matting is a wood-grained paper I've had just about forever. The background paper is from Papermania (again, very old) and the leaves were taken from my first (unsuccessful) attempt at an Autumn card and were cut using a Sheena Douglass die.

I hope you can join us with your Autumn creations!