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Shimmery gold paper was the starting place for this card. I used a red/green/gold verigated thread for the ornament and afterward slipped in the round center design. Left and right borders were added from a striped Christmas paper.
I gathered tree, branch and leaf punchouts in a variety of greens and layered them to create a pine bough for the ornament to hang from.
The text is a thick acrylic sticker.
Ddd
This is the latest project for the '2 Christmas cards a month' challenge
I fell in love with this little puppy pattern when I saw it. Unfortunately, the original did not have the back feet and he looked a little like a seal. So I added the back feet when stitching with verigated brown thread. After all the stitching I used watercolor pencils and an aqua-brush to color in the image. The fur trim on the hat and pom were added with Flower Soft. This is the first time I have used it.
The text and the greenery were added with stickers.
Ddd
Assignment: Make a card about snow and ice
I pulled blue cardstock and used a border embossing folder and a snowflake one together. I used blue and white Liquid Pearls to enhance the embossing. I cut a label with a Spellbinders die and trimmed it out with the Liquid Pearls as well.
After mounting the background on a white folded card base I used foam tape to mount the label. The text is silver peel-off stickers.
Ddd
Another brilliant plan comes together!
The idea was to mask off strips on white cardstock and drag the edge of an ink pad over them from both edges toward the middle. This was to create birch trees. I had some table scraps that were a close match to the ink and I cut thin strips and glued them on in the open spaces.
I used thin black marker to add some details to the tree edges for shading (both the ink ones and the paper ones) and then started drawing in a landscape, branches, and snow drifts around the trees. I colored the landscape with markers.
ISN'T THIS AWESOME?
As a last step I added a clear thick acrylic sticker to the center.
Ddd
Assignment: Make a stitched card with the theme 'romance'.
This pattern was the first one I thought of with the announcement of the theme. Isn't it perfect?
After stitching the couple on pink cardstock with golden and brown threads I selected paper layers with those colors as well. I then added the circle graphic/text sticker and then found these awesome puffy heart stickers in my stash. They came in the perfect combination of colors!
Ddd
Here's another image from the stamp catalog, colored with Copics. I really like the shading I accomplished on this one. More layering with the table scraps and a black background for the image.
I added some silver peel-off stickers for the text.
Ddd
This little girl is having SO much fun! Lots of layers of table scraps frame her up perfectly.
The text was stamped on some of my favorite 'dot' cardstock and the top corners rounded to go with the illustration. By making it flush with the bottom of the card it grounds the card.
Ddd
This stamped image was a gift to me adn I colored it with Copic markers. Multiple layers to pick up colors from the image, banded in black to create definition.
I added those little banners to reinforce the impression of the wind blowing.
Ddd
More table scraps, another stamp catalog image, no text.
I like the graphical layout of this card. When combined with the linear papers it creates quite an impact.
Colors are actually brighter in real life.
Ddd
Another image from the stamp catalog colored with Copics. I love the shading I achieved on this one, don't you?
It is layered up with table scraps and black borders. By mounting it off center it allowed room for the 'beanstalk' clear sticker.
I used more of the cardstock stickers to create the phrase.
Ddd
Lots of table scraps form a striped background for this bear from the stamp catalog. I colored him with Copics and cut with a narrow border.
The text is a combination of a cardstock sticker and some peel-offs.
Ddd
I stitched up this border for a swap and then forgot to enter my name on the swap database! DUH! So now I get to keep it and add it to my collection of cards to use myself.
With a bonanza of new free pattern resources I collected from recommendations and internet searching I selected this one to create a border. I did NOT stitch it like the directions (as usual).
I decorated the border frame with three clear butterfly stickers and a couple of peel-off borders.
More of the peel-offs were added as the butterfly borders and a text greeting.
Ddd
Challenge: Create a 'center step' card.
I have made these cards before and wanted this one to be something different. I started with rather plain cardstock with a rustic print, not too much detail. Then I went to town stamping elements for a scene I wanted to create. All the parts of the scene are stamped on the dot textured cardstock, colored and cut out for mounting.
For the front panel I stamped a rose-covered picket fence and grass on white and an evergreen tree on green.
For the center panel I stamped a cottage on blue and added some more details to the right and left with a marker to make the scene the full width of the area of mounting. It also got some grass stamped at the base. When I mounted it, I let it extend above the fold of the card.
For the back panel I stamped the trees on green and colored them with more green I trimmed out the top along the tree line and added a blue panel behind it, rounded the corners, and drew in some birds with a marker.
Back on the front of the card I finished off with a text sticker on the left and more of the mix-a-phrase stickers on the right. These words were tied together with lines of marker.
Ddd
Challenge: Create a card with a stamped background.
I started with a piece of coral cardstock with micro-dots all over it. I stamped this with a flower and a branch in an over-all pattern and colored the stamping with Copic markers.
To this I added large gold peel-off stickers (these are 'Dazzles' I bought from Paper Wishes). I filled in the open areas of the stickers with Stickles.
After mounting to a blue dotted cardstock and a coral card base I added more peel-offs to the bottom to create a stem and leaf for the flower.
Ddd
Challenge: Create a Criss-Cross card
The whole design for this card popped right into my head so I just had to try and see if it would work like I imagined it. Success!
The goal was to create one view with the card closed that would magically transform when the card was opened. I started by folding a 12 x 4 strip of cardstock into thirds and then folding the two end panels on a 45 degree angle to create the criss-cross. Then I stamped and cut out three hearts in green and glued them each on a separate panel with the card closed to create a shamrock. The center one got a rub-on that says 'Lucky'. I also drew in a stem,refolded the card with the other panel on top and drew in a stem again. This way it is complete no matter which panel gets folded in first.
Here is where the magic happens... by pulling on those two angle folds the card opens to its original dimension and all three hearts are now upright! I stamped more of the same hearts, using red ink, making sure to keep them in the area that would be hidden when the card is closed.
I extended the 'stems' that appear on the front cover across the whole card so they now form a horizon line. Then I drew stems for all the hearts and drew and colored leaves as well. Finally, in the spaces around the center green heart I added rub-on words 'in' and 'love'.
So, with the card closed it is a shamrock that says 'Lucky' and when opened it is a garden of hearts that says 'Lucky in love'.
This was one of those stamps from the dollar bin at my local craft store.
Ddd
Challenge: Create a card with a Gate Fold. For those 'not in the know' this is a card which folds in equal amounts from each side so the edges meet in the center of the card.
I started with a green cardstock with a woodgrain texture and folded my card base. Then I used 'old paper' distress ink to bring out the woodgrain a bit. I bordered a piece of designer paper and a stamped/colored image each with a thin black border and layered them. These were adhered ONLY to the left panel so they swing away when the card is opened. I added a punched green border to the right panel.
The text is made up of tiny word stickers. These come on a sheet and can be mixed and matched to create phrases. It's kind of like playing with refrigerator magnet poetry. I added a few marker lines to tie the phrase together and finished with a single sticker from another set.
Here's a view showing the card opening.
Ddd
Another entry for the 2 Christmas cards a month challenge. This time I used a snowflake pattern pricked out on a shimmery teal paper. I found I had a spool of metallic thread in Christmas colors (red, green and gold) but was afraid it would be too bright on the pastel paper. Luckily, not so! The red comes off being more pink and the green is very soft as well.
I think the verigated thread adds more sparkle to the snowflake than a solid color would.
I mounted it on a green shimmer cardstock base and added 'diamond' peel-off borders to the top and bottom. Then, as a finishing touch, I snipped some of the border elements and added them as finials to the tips of the snowflake branches.
Ddd
This is WAY off the normal project posting!
When I was on a recent cruise I treated myself to a manicure while in Costa Rica. I watched what products she was using and the techniques for painting fine details. It was a long-lasting product and I didn't need to re-do my nails for about 2 weeks.
I have always done my own nails, one solid color. I decided to try to duplicate what she had done and was successful. Not only that but my manicure lasted another two weeks.
When It came time to do them again I remembered some nail painting I had seen on Dollar Store Crafts blog and decided to try out one of their projects. This is the result:
Yes, these are my own nails.
I used a clear base coat, a shimery bronze coat, a gold glitter coat, black with an ultra-fine brush, and a clear top coat.
Pretty bizarre, but OK for a short time.
Ddd
One of the groups I belong to has challenged us to make two Christmas cards (paper embroidery) every month so by the holiday season we will have 24 cards done. I started with this one from one of my patterns. I stitched on tiny red beads at each of the thread intersections and added a star sticker to the top.
I added a thick acrylic clear sticker to the bottom, over the stitched trunk.
One down, 23 to go.
Ddd
Challenge: Make a stitching to be used as a sympathy card.
What I don't like about making sympathy cards is that invariably I need one as soon as I make one. That was true of this one that went in the mail the day after I finished it. Sigh.
This is made from one of my own patterns and I added a large silver peel-off text sticker.
Ddd
