Cards - Photo

I created these cards from photos I've taken.  The left one is found the leaf background on line at  http://fotobg.ru/.  I cropped it to an oval and added yellow layer as well as the sentiment in the same color.  The right one I added a lavender frame and used the same color for the sentiment.  I love taking flower pictures.

Note Cards - Flower Trios

 I made this set of note cards for another friend who has lost a loved one this week.  I printed these on some cards I had on hand with the Thank you already on the card. I added the flowers.  I used images from the Stampin Up! Sweet Summer set.  The bunch of flowers on the left in Real Red, Summer Sun, and Night of Navy with Old Olive stems.  The set on the right Island Indigo, Coral Calypso and Wisteria Wonder with Lucky Limeade stems.  Again, this have been a life saver offering me the ability to quickly put together a bit of a gift in a time of need.

Card - Sympathy - Bird

I made this card for a friend whose father-in-law passed away this week.  I started with a deep grey card and added a Stampin Up! Top Note in Certainly Celery.  I stamped the sentiment ink a grey with a Stampendous stamp.  I added a Tim Holtz bird from the Caged Bird die in the same grey card stock anchored on a piece of white grosgrain ribbon.  I added an eye and beak to the bird with black marker.

Card Club - May - Father's Day Hexagons

I see that I got carried away with landscape cards and flag ends this month.  Here's another.
I started with a great colored muted grey brown card. I printed a Stampin Up! Bunch of Backgrounds - sanded background onto the card in Early Espresso. I cut the hexagons with the Spellbinder Nestabilities in a variety of designer papers. This is a great scrap buster technique. I printed the greetings on taupe card stock in Early Espresso.  I flagged the end of the greeting and placed the other end under the 5th hexagon.  I made kits with green and blue themes to give a good variety.  Birthday greetings were also included.

Card Club - May - Bee

I started with this great designer paper by Webster's Pages  in the Clean and Simple line.  I cut the back ground layer leaving a small even border.  I placed it on a ginger colored card.  I wrapped a piece of caramel seam binding around the layer and tied a knot and trimmed the ends.  I glued this layer to the card front.  I cut the bee from coordinating sea foam green card stock with a Sizzix Bee #4 sizzlet die.  I color printed the greeting on ivory card stock and punched it out with Stampin Up Modern Label.  I punched another from the same card stock as the bee. I cut the blue one in half across the width and glued these offset behind the ivory one.  I glued down just the body of the bee so the wings could be brought forward a bit.  With the great colors in the backgroud layer I was able to include olive green cards in some kits and others with a deeper muted green card.

Card Club - May - Post It U

I started with the large U which is a post it note pad in several colors.  I chose card stock to match the U. I found this designer paper - Real Butterflies at Michaels which had the 4 colors I was going to use in these kits.  I cut a piece 3 inches wide and then placed it to have some coordinating color in the butterflies.  I glue it down and trimmed the top and bottom as needed.  I printed the greeting and flagged the left hand end.  I used a push pin to pierce holes along the edge.  I glued it to a black strip and trimmed the flag end.  I glued the greeting to the top 1/3 of the card and glued the big U next to the greeting. This designer paper was great to add variety so I have kits which include blue, or yellow, or pink or purple. 

Card Club - May - Vintage Bicycle

The vintage bicycle from the Stampin Up! Feeling Sentimental set was printed onto an ink pad background which was made with a Kiwi Kiss ink pad onto white card stock.  I trimmed the white to leave an even border around the image.   I chose a black card to coordinate with the black bicycle image.  I layered onto the card, designer paper by 7gypsies - Avignon Paper - Ecriture which coordinated with the green ink background.  I stamped the greeting with a Stampin Up! stamp on white and punched it out with the Modern Label. I then did another punchie in black.  I cut the black one in half across the width.  Then I glued the pieces offset to the back of the white.  The greeting is mounted to the card front with 3D foam tape.  I added a button on the right hand side coordinating with the green color and with a black thread tied in the holes.  It is held in place with a Zot.

Challenge - Off the Edge & C4C187

I started with a heavy white card which I splattered with Kiwi Kiss ink on a wet foam brush.  I dried it with a heat gun.  I had colored the large middle HMP flower with the same Kiwi Kiss ink and dried it with the heat gun.  I inked up the Stampin Up Print Pattern background stamp with an old somewhat dry stamp pad.  I stamped it off the edge of the top of the card and got this subtle diamond shapes.  I really like it.  I stamped the SU Happy Birthday greeting 3 times across the bottom again going off the edge of the card.  I stitched the flowers onto the card front with crochet cotton through the cute yellow buttons I put in the centre of the flowers.   I'm submitting this card in the Come and Get Card Challenge - Off the edge and Crazy 4 Cards Challenges - no patterned paper C4C187.

R2G Card Kit - HMP Flower Trio

I started with the HMP Flowers.  I choose a coordinating color for the card.  I added a designer paper piece to which I glued a silver scallop border die cut made with Die-namics die.  The greeting was color printed and cut with a QuicKutz oval die. I rubbed the edges with teal ink pad. I opened the card flat and evenly spaced the flowers below the scallop border. I added the small silver flowers and used a push pin to create the hole for the brads through the card front.  Placed the brads and pressed the prongs apart on the inside of the card.

Photo - May Long Weekend

I was out taking pictures on the weekend. I've started getting some shots for my 2014 photo calendars for the gift giving season.  I was out in nature a lot and enjoyed the great weather we had, finally for a long weekend in Alberta.  The seagulls were playing with me and my camera, making sweeping flights very close.  Visited some vintage shoppes. The new pine cones with their great color and perfect symmetry.  I couldn't resist the reflection of the bridge in the water and finally the crab apples trees in bloom!  The background is also one of my shots of a lake with blue sky, dry grass, and trees on the island across from me. I hope you had a great weekend too!

R2G Card Kits - DSP Split - Diamonds and Stripes

I had specific plans to mix this what I thought  was black and white paper with red, yellow, green and purple but it turns out there is purple in this paper.  It was not going to work to match it with another color so Purple it is!

This is a classic 1 third 2 thirds Double Sided Designer Paper split.  The top piece is 4"W x 3.5"T then the bottom is 4"W x 1.75"T.  These are taped together on the back and edges trimmed if necessary.  The grosgrain ribbon is placed over the join of the 2 papers and the ends are taped to the back.  This layer is then adhered to the card front.  The greeting is color printed on white card stock and then cut with the Creative Memories #3 oval template with the green cutter.  It is layered onto a Stampin Up! Decorative Label punchie is the same color as the card.  This element is then adhered to the card front with 3D Foam tape.  If you favorite color is purple these kits may be for you!

R2G Card Kits - Die Cut Flower

Here's another Ready 2 Go card kit.  This one includes die cut flowers.  I chose yellow and pink card stock for the card layer in these kits, of course to coordinate with the colors in the flowers.  I added Cuttlebug embossed frame layers in white.  The pink cards have the Rebecca Frame and the yellow have the Scroll Frame.  The die cut flower is mounted on the centre of the card with 3D Foam tape.  Great cards for any occasion where a handwritten note is needed.  You can check my other R2G card kits here.

Challenge - First Name First Letter - S - Snowflakes

I made this card for a challenge at Holly Jolly - First Letter First Name which for me is S for snowflakes.
I cut 2 snowflakes with the Stampin Up! Large snowflake die in black and gold.  I embossed a white layer with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder which I added to a black card.  I placed a black greeting printed on vellum to the bottom of the card held in place with 2 brushed gold tiny brads.  I layered the 2 snowflakes and added a MS Snowflake punchie in black in the centre.  I tiny brushed gold brad holds these all to the card front.

Challenge - Woodgrain

I made this card for the home card challenge on CST.  I embossed a piece of white card stock with the Stampin Up! Woodgrain folder.  I then applied Walnut Stain with a foam brush on the high parts.  I cut a set of trees with the Tim Holtz Tree Line edge die.  I placed my embossed layer on a brown card.  I added the tree line die. I stamped a SU! greeting thermal embossed with pearl powder.  I added a pearl moon layered on black to have it pop.  It was mounted on 3D foam tape.

Card - Challenges - Teal Cream Brown & Gingerbread

I made this card for a couple of challenges, Weekly Christmas Card Challenges - Teal, Cream and Brown and Christmas Cards all Year Round  - Gingerbread. 
I cut the gingerbread man with a Sizzix original die from dark brown card stock.  I used an opaque marker to add the icing to his arms, legs and smile.  I added a small piece of teal card stock behind his hearts in his middle.  I'm so used to making them red it felt a bit odd to use blue. Stretching myself!  I then embossed a cream layer with the Stampin Up! Northern Flurry folder.  I stamped the greeting in the bottom right hand corner with Stampin Up! Come to Bethlehem set with Taken with Teal ink.  I added and knotted a length of organza ribbon across the top of the cream layer.  This was then added to a teal card. 

Holly Jolly - Elves Pick of the Week

My Winter Bird Card was selected!!!  Thank you ladies.

Card - Challenge - Winter Birds

I made this card for a challenge of Holly Jolly - Christmas Birds.  I started by upcycling an old Christmas card.  It had a cardinal and glitter which worked for me.  I cut the card with the Spellbinder Label 13.  I chose a red card that matched the color of the cardinal.  I added a layer of white embossed with the Cuttlebug snowflakes folder.  The evergreen tree that the bird is perched on is foiled though it hard to see that.  I then chose sequins in a similar color and placed 3 of those on the card front held in place with a tiny white brad.  I added a greeting printed in the blues of the background punched with the SU Word Window which was mounted on a SU Modern Label punchie in the same red card stock.  This was mounted to the card front with 3D foam tape. 

How To: Quick Ink Pad Backgrounds

I learned this technique this week from a class I attended so it`s not my original idea. Gail had followed a sample she had seen. I tried to find details on line and could not so I decided to document the process.

I really like the shape of the Stampin Up! pads but any pad will do.  The background make will coordinate with whatever else you do on the card.  You could stamp your greeting in the same color and it`s a perfect match.  It`s really quick!  So next time you are working on a quick card this background technique may help you out.

Christmas Card Challenge - May - Textiles

Working on Christmas cards again this month.  The challenge for May was textiles - Fabric, Felt, Velvet, Ribbon, Tulle, Lace. I'm sure there something else you can think of.
I chose this red felt die cut ribbon.  I wanted something simple and elegant.  I stuck with a mostly white on white design.  I chose a white card and then layered a white layer embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder.  I cut the straight edges of the ribbon and trimmed the cut ends to make then prettier.  I layered a white silk flower onto a white poinsettia held in place with a blue brad.  I used another blue brad to hold down the other half of the ribbon.  The greeting is a SU Modern Label punchie in navy with a color printed greeting punched with the SU Word Window.  The greeting is raised with 3D foam tape.