I colored up a couple of cards designed to be sent to children. These are non-specific greetings rather than for a birthday or other holiday. Sometimes a kid just needs a 'shout-out' to remind them somebody is thinking of them. Both are from the stamp catalog and colored with watercolor markers. Both alsofeature the scallop punch.

I used a craft knift to trim around the clown and used bright green and red to make it festive. I thought the scalloped edge could remind one of the big-top tent and mounted the clown off the top edge for interest. The greeting block is stamped.

On the giraffe pull-toy I worked more on shading to make it look 3-dimensional. After trimming with the craft knife I used some of the scraps from the grid/border paper and stamped a greeting sideways along one edge. The scallops go on the edge this time over a blue card base.

After everything was assembled I drew in a towing string for the toy across several layers.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

You guessed it - three baby cards. One for a boy, one for a girl, and one to be used for either. All are cut from the stamp catalog and colored with watercolor markers.

Fot the Boy card I colored up a little buggy in blue and yellow, working especially on shading. I cut it out square and rounded the corners, then combined three separate stamps to print the greeting. After layering on yellow and blue I added the little bunny - from the stamp catalog.

The baby girl card combines two images from the catalog. I colored them to match and mounted directly onto a muted rose cardstock over a yellow card base. The greeting was combined words from three stamp sets and the clothesline is drawn in with marker.

The bassinet image seemed to float in the grey area of cardstock so I added a horizontal line, which helps. I used a repeating word stamp from a See-D's set and stamped repeatedly to fill the upper right corner. After mounting on a pale yellow card base I added the other bunny from the stamp catalog.

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

These three cards were made with images received in a swap. I colored them all with watercolor markers.

First up is a package and a stamped greeting (which came to me that way). I did add lines under the present to anchor it. The bow is actually from the stamp catalog as the present originally came with a flower (!) on top. I layered with a range of pink cardstocks.

Then we have a range of sweet cake temptations. This also came with the sentiment so I just cut it in a block, rounded the corners and layered with matching pink and blue.

Of the three, I like this one best. These cakes came stamped one beside the other - boring spacing, no focus. I used a square punch to liberate them from their neighbors and a corner punch to relax them a bit. They were intentionally punched off center for interest. A band of green shimer anchors them to the blue cardstock. A greeting was stamped onto the folded card base.

In the end, they are still three cakes lined up in a row, but now they have a little party goin' on.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I had a couple of items from the stamp catalog that were HUGE. Though totally different from one another I am featuring them together today - based on size (well there has to be SOME reason to combine projects)... oh yeah, they're both colored with watercolor markers, too.

The first is an elegant arch twined with roses. I pulled some of the color into the background so it would not appear to be 'floating' quite so much. The scallop punch makes another appearance and I used a scropture stamp in the white space.

The next card actually has two items from the stamp catalog on it. The rose background is a background print without a true focal point. I used a script background stamp to stamp over the top of the colored image which softened the look but it still didn't have focus.  So I colored up a floral frame and stamped in the center of it with a scripture. This is popped up on foam tape for some dimension.

After mounting on a folded white card base I used a fine line black marker to run doodle lines at the top and bottom.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Opening day at the fair yesterday and I came away with awards on 13 of the 15 items I entered! The only two things I did not place with were a pen and ink drawing and my newest quilt. Considering that I have been quilting less than a year I am not surprised on that front.

I did get a second place in the wall hangings division and that was quilted.

I got a first place on my beaded bracelet.

The remainder of these are in the rubber stamping division.

This birthday card got a first place.

My Christmas card got a third place ribbon.

I also got a third place on this embossed stamping.

This embellished card took fifth place.

Also a fifth place on this general 'greeting card' (ignore the neighbor's red ribbon laying on top of it).

The card I made with my hand carved stamps (along with the stamps themselves) won a first place.

This 3D card won a first place.

Also a first place for this watercolored card.

Another first place for this stamping with string art.

And, finally, a fourth place for this card in the 'other' category (doesn't meet the definition for any of the other categories).

WOW! I feel like I won the lottery! This was so much fun I will definitely enter again.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I got some awesome printed cardstock in a pack that was printed with bold graphic flowers in sparkly paint AND the background was a grid. Oooooh, I DO like me some grid! There was a fun border printed along one edge which was also patrially in sparkles.

Since these were 12 x 12 I was able to get several card full fronts from each sheet and have some lovely scraps to play with later. Using the pieces with the bold flowers, I stamped them with a variety of scripture stamps (Stampin' Up)and backed them with bright green, white, or dull blue. So simple.

This was the best part of the cardstock pad - which I got on steep discount as the cover of the pad was damaged. SCORE!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Updated: Tuesday, 16 August 2011 7:15 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

The other day I showed a couple of cards that I didn't particularly like and indicated I would try to do something else with them. So here they are.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

This didn't actually require much. I realized that the biggest fault with it was the contrast. I used a foam applicator and applied distress ink to the tickets and all the corners of the card to bring the tones into a common color pallette. NOW I like it.

Here is the other card...

BEFORE:

Are you ready for this? AFTER:

Well, THAT'S certainly a change! I used Glossy Accents to seal three Tim Holtz Fragments to the image then cut around them. I changed to a green folded card base and used glue dots to adhere the fragments. The scripture is a Stampin' Up stamp.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

This card could have actually be tagged with several different 'topics' but I had to choose - so I went with stamping. It could have also been scrap recovery or die cuts.

The outer lace is an image from the stamp catalog. I used three cool grey copic markers to add shading and the cut out all the holes with the craft knife. Looks just like Battenburg lace. The bamboo was stamped with a clear stamp in solid black. Then I touched on a bit of green Stickles glitter and sealed it with a touch of Glossy Accents.

I used a Nestability die to cut out and emboss the image into this scalloped oval. Then I used distress ink in 'peeled paint' to distress the edges. And finally, I stamped the text scripture with a Stampin' Up stamp.

A moss green folded card base is the backdrop for the whole arrangement.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I realize that I am always refering to 'table scraps' as the source of contents for some (a lot of) of my cards. I thought I'd define that a little for you today.

As I am making cards and cut larger pieces of scrapbook paper, printed cardstock, and colored cardstock I end up with lots of scraps - large, medium and small. I sort them into plain and printed and tuck them into a clear standing box.  Here's a look at what is currently in that box:

When I work on cards I will take out a focal image and then first shuffle through the table scraps box to see what goes with it. This way I can often use up scraps before having to cut up new sheets of paper.

When I get tired of using the same materials over and over I will sort them into my bigger bins of scraps. These are where I go when I DON'T find anything in the table scraps box. And if nothing in any of these fits the bill, THEN I move on to the new printed cardstock and/or scrapbook paper.

These are the drawers of scraps I have going all the time:

So now you know what I mean when I say I built a card from 'table scraps'.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

This started out with a vreat vision but the vision managed to get blurred along the way. I colored the image from the stamp catalog with watercolor markers (but the colors did not blend like I wanted and the green was too bright). I mounted it to the yellow background (but the imags seems to be too big for a card of this size). I decided to add some glittery Stickles to punch it up (but I started with the leaves and then the flowers looked too plain so I added to them and the centers, and then the grass and the weeds). I stood it upright to dry the Stickles (but with glue in so many places the paper started to warp).

Now I am stick with this card:

...and there is hardly anything I like about it.

So, what will I do? Into recycling with it. I am thinking I may use a square punch to punch out areas of the blooms, mount them to chipboard and then encase them in Glossy Accents to make thick embellishments. We'll see.

What will NOT happen is for it to go into the mail in its current form.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I love it when a piece just falls together, everything works the first time, and it looks like it was meant to be.

And so we have this piece. I think the painting on the right was scavenged from a travel magazine, a catalog, or some junk mail - its been a while since I sent it to my parts and starts drawer. However, when I took it out to the table it fell in next to this silhouette stamped image on die ink background and the happy marriage began.

I boxed in areas with gold peel-off borders and then added a scrap of one to the awning. The whole piece was mounted to burgundy folded card as a base and, voila! Don't you just want to walk in and sit down there?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I don't like it when I have a grand idea for a card and it comes out looking like this! It looks like everything was tossed up in the air with glue already on it and stuck wherever it landed. Yuk!

This may end up in the 'recycle' bin. That is where I put things when I like elements of them but not how it came together. Occasionally I will pull elements off to use in another way or add something to unify it. You MAY see this or parts of it in another post someday.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I was listening to a book on CD while I worked on cards and they kept mentioning a children's book with the title: "Are You My Mother?" I haven't read that one for many years but that is what I think of every time I see this card.

This is an image I received in a swap and I colored it with watercolor markers. It is hard to use color to make something look white, but I chose to go with a pale blue and color in where the shading marks appeared in the stamp.

Mouse is in standard mouse colors but I'm not sure the purple bowtie is 'regulation'! I used a purple plaid to echo that color and did a simple mounting on a card base to match the ground.

The text is a clear sticker.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Some of the images from the stamp catalog are what I would call 'all-in-one' as they contain an image, a greeting, and a border together. If there are many more elements added to the card with them they look cluttered. I try to keep the layout very simple when using these.

I colored this with watercolor markers and then found the perfect striped paper with color to match the stamped image. The pink ribbon echoes the cake color and adds a festive note.

If I were to add anything to this it would be some yellow stars, but I don't think it needs them.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Simply stickers (and ribbon and cardstock). I used the thin orange border to pull out the throat of the flower and then added the orange ribbon as a counterbalance to those. The image was slit on both sides of the stem so the ribbon could be threaded through and knotted.

The text along the side is actually a second sticker. I arranged it with only half of it extending into view so the little dotted line would border the floral image.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Yeah, I know it is out of order for the alphabet challenge but I already had this one pricked out when I decided to join. I used both pinks and blues for this so it can be used for either gender.

The background paper with the little diaper pins is from a page-a-day scrapbooking calendar. Does anyone USE diaper pins any more? For that matter, does anyone USE a pram any more?

I added text with whote rubons.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I tried layering this string of chili peppers onall sorts of background but nothing worked till I came up with this stark black and white check. The peppers are from the stamp catalog and colored with watercolor markers. I added a clear text sticker to matching red cardstock and mounted it on foam dots.

It was still looking a little stark so I added black and gold dots to random squares. Oh,yeah! That's Hot!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Oh, sure, there are probably rabbit out there with only two kids - but you don't see them often!

This lovely lady and her charges are dressed in their finery and ready for their photo op. I cut them from the stamp catalog and colored with watercolor markers. I gave them a printed cardstock background so they have a field of flowers to stand in and a golden sky.

The orange card base was selected to match the flowers in her dress and hair. A greeting was added in gold peel-off.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Here's a collection of cards made from calendar pages from a beach-themed page-a-day.

The first is an awesome sunset. I pulled the dark blues out with a denim print background and the gold is echoed in the simple knotted ribbon. I added gold peel-off borders and greeting. So restful.

Wouldn't you like to be on this bench? I trimmed close to rid it of some distracting elements and then extended the 'view' with the backing corcle. This uses the same denim print as the previous card. The text is a white rubon.

These flip-flops got fussy-cut and layered with some fun print and a diecut backing cardstock. Love how the scallops echo the shoes. I added raspberry backing cardstock for the color pop and then ran a clear sticker greeting across the bottom edge.This card is larger then the note-size I have been working with lately.

I think this photo is actually from a travel magazine. A simple trim and a fun background to match the chairs keeps the casual feel in this. The greeting is silver Peel-off.

Now why am I not enjoying one of these views for myself?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I colored up a couple of images from the stamp catalog with watercolor markers and trimmed close with a craft knife. Both got scrapbook papers as backing.

This little ballerina got a rose print to match the roses on her tutu. I gave her a band of pink floor to dance on and added white rubon text.

The ballet slippers hang on the wall on this card and sport Stickles glitter on the roses and leaves as well as shimmery pink satin Stickles on the ribbons. The test is a cardstock definition sticker with hand-drawn borders.

Gotta always be on your toes when looking for card ideas.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink