Card - Thinking of You - Watercolor

A card for a friend who received a tough diagnosis recently.

It is important to know that people care and are thinking of you.

I just painted a quick watercolor of water, earth and trees.

The flowers in the water don't jive with the pine tree in the dirt but I wanted a bit of color and pretty.

This was painted with my Winston Newton travel palette.

Trimmed to fit on a 5x7 ish sized card in the portrait orientation on a True Thyme base.

A white quarter sheet insert and an ivory envelope.  A bit of a write and a stamp an it will be on it's way.

Christmas Card - January 07

I made a card for a friend who celebrates Christmas on January 7th based on the Julian calendar.

I decided to make her a special card for her Christmas day.  I searched the internet for Christmas cards and downloaded one which I thought worked well.

I needed to add a bit of width to the image so I added navy bits on each side then I was able to print it on 4x6 photo paper. It had white borders which I did not want to keep. Before I trimmed it, I used the photo to create the embossed frame for the photo onto the 5x7 card base in SU Groovy Guava.

Once trimmed I adhered the photo into the frame and it was perfectly even.  That worked well.  I used to make these embossed frames a lot earlier in my card making.

I added a full insert on the inside to cover the embossed frame and that was it.

She really liked it.

Thank You - Large Card

I created the card to put next to the treats at Mom and Dad's apartment.

The small cards will be addressed to individuals that Mom & Dad choose.

This is a general card to communicate with the other neighbours.

I have chosen nuts, chocolates and candies to share with these wonderful people.

I started with a Taken with Teal card base in the A7 (5x7) size.

I adhered a piece of alcohol ink paper in 4x6 size to the card front.

I then printed the words on vellum with the ink jet printer and embossed the words with silver powder.

I trimmed the vellum to allow the background to show.  Adhered the vellum with tiny white brads in the four corners.

2021 Photo Card

I try to make at least one Christmas photo card every year.

I was given this dove ornament a couple of years ago by one of my sisters.  I decided this year to use it for my photo card.

I wanted Peace on Earth so I needed to create myself an earth. I set the dove up in my photo studio so assess what size the earth should be.  I determined it needed to be about 8 inches in diameter.

I found a dish in the kitchen and traced that onto a piece of bristol vellum card stock.  I found a tutorial on line on how to draw an earth.  Using the instructions I drew an earth in pencil so I could erase until I had it right. I then painted it in watercolor ensuring that I had enough texture in the land and water.  I then added the borders in black Sharpie marker. 

Once it was dry, I installed it in the studio adhered to a blue material background I have for the studio.  I used several Zots to hold where I wanted it.

Then I found many shots with different lighting and angles.   I reviewed my shots and took some more and repeated the process one more time.

I was finally happy with one of the shots.  

I added the greeting and the olive branch in post processing.  I printed the card at 4x6 inches.  Once those were back from the developer, I got ready to create the cards.  I was glad that I had used black borders and black shadow on the greeting which worked really well with a black 110lb card base.  I adhered the photos to the card front of a 5x7 (A7) card base.  I printed a sentiment in keeping with Peace on Earth on letter paper and trimmed those to fit inside.  I adhered those with glue stick. 

Just like that I have 15 photo cards to add to my stash.  Very happy with these.  The ornament is headed to my other sisters house for Christmas because she loved it.  I am sure the earth will come in handy in the photo studio again.  Win Win!

Christmas Card Challenge - March - Large Greetings

I decided to make Christmas cards with large greetings for my March cards.

It was easy to find some greetings on some of my Cricut cartridges.  They are easily sized and cut.  I chose the Winter Frolic cartridge.  It's hard to tell how large they will be on the first cut so I ended up with some larger die cuts than I planned so I used 5x7 cards (A7). 

The large greeting was cut from white pearl card stock at 3.5" T.  

Of course, the fun part was making acrylic ink background with photo paper.  These are 4x6 sheets and I used my Nick Bantock liquid acrylic colors for these. The colors were: Deep Turquoise, Cerulean Azure, Prussian Blue, Chrome Yellow, Chartreuse Leaf, Vermillion Lacquer, and Sapmoss Green.

I added colored sequins to the card fronts adhered with Bling Zots. For the first one the sequins were Christmas green, the red one was gold,  and the other was red and green.

I used a bit of color watered down to spatter the card fronts once I was done which helps to marry all the elements.

For the 5x7 cards I needed a clean pull of color across the 4x6 as I could not trim it.  Sometimes I end up with white edges or finger prints in the corners as I turn them over.

I see that I ended up with some pink sequins as well as red on this card. Not my intention but that's how it goes.

I have documented these in my Cricut manual so I can get smaller die cuts next time.

Always nice to have a few larger cards in my Christmas card box.

Super happy with these.

Sympathy Cards

My uncle Dave passed away early last week and the funeral was today.  He was a farmer and a real family man.  He was married to my aunt and she passed in 1997.  He did remarry so I prepared a card for his 3 kids and his wife.  I spent time with these cousins when we were kids.  I see some of them at reunions.

I added greetings to my photo cards because the cards were ready and they needed to fit the occasion.  

These are sunlit maple tree seeds.  Love the pale green color against the dark background.

I added a Old Olive Modern Label punchie with a color coordinated greeting punched with the Word Window.

The greeting was mounted with 3D foam tape.

This is for one son and his family.

 This is the bridge in the Japanese Garden at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden.  It is a serene place and I felt appropriate for a sympathy card.

I chose a much brighter green for the label punchie on this one.  It is Garden Green and the coordinated word window.  Mounted with 3D foam tape.

This was for the daughter.

I chose this Japanese Barberry leaf photo with a mossy green Modern Label with a coordinating Word Window greeting.  Mounted with 3D foam tape.

This was for the other son and his family.


This card I made for his wife who was unwell and could not attend the funeral today.  Sunlit Rose with pink greeting.

Doggie Birthday Cards

I was asked to make some birthday cards for her granddaughters with a card she received for her birthday.

I managed to get two 5x7 cards made because it was a trifold card.

This is the full card front.  I had to cut it down a bit on the length.

I adhered it on a pink card base.

I then printed a greeting on a piece of the same pink card in Rose Red.  I trimmed the piece to .5 inch by 3 inches.  I then used a corner rounder on the top left and right corners. It was adhered to the card front aligned along the stitched line with 3D foam tape.

I placed a blank white sheet insert.





I trimmed the cut out layer of the card to just under 5 inches wide.

I chose a warm white card base to coordinate with the gate in the image.

For the greeting,  I measured to determine where I could place it then color printed it onto the card front when I printed the credits on the back.

The doggie layer was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape aligned to leave a small border on the bottom.

I placed a blank white sheet insert.

Large Photo Cards - Gallery

I am dropping off card to the Art Gallery today.  I was hoping that it would have warmed up nicely in the last week but not really.  So I am just doing it!

This watercolor brush card should be a hit with artists.  We shall see.









The dahlia and rose card make great cards for birthdays.








The Leaf on Still Pond and Red Barn provide a great card for guys.

AAC Gallery - Photo Cards

These are the 5x7 A7 cards I took to the gallery today.

I have no idea what will sell so it was a guessing game.

Photo Christmas Card - 5x7 - WC Nativity

Here's my little nativity again with the great stable background.This time a wide or landscape layout.

This time I removed the words from the garments of Joseph and Mary and left the ones on Baby Jesus.

The ceramic star in hung in the sky in the background that helps to ground the focal figures to the composition.

You get more of the stable in this photo so it comes down to personal preference.

Photo Christmas Card - 5x7 - WC Nativity

I photographed my little Nativity with a wonderful painted triptych background I found this summer.  I loved it because it has a real watercolor feel to it but it is painted on wood so it has to some sort of acrylic.

I hung the ceramic star that belongs to the Nativity in the sky and I think that really finishes it off.

I have several packages of these gold tri fold greeting cards so I just slipped the 4x6 photo inside. 

Works really well and I a very happy with the results.

I have several of these for my sale on the weekend.

Photo Card Gift Set - Donation

Another set of 5x7 inch photo cards.  The process went a little better this time around.






















Above is the Tree Swallow
On the left - Great Scaup, Barn Swallow, Black Capped Chickadee, Red Wing Black Bird and the neighbourhood Cat.
On the right - Pink Dahlia


































I refurbished a card box by wrapping it with burgundy mulberry paper.  I cut a 7x7 inch white card stock liner. 

I then created a spacer insert for the top of the box. 

Photo Card Gift Set - Donation

I made a set of photo cards in the 5x7 format which is larger than the standard A2 size I normally make.

I adhered one of my photographs in 4x6 size to the front which were individually signed. 

For this set I selected flowers in the set. 

I chose the following and put 2 cards of the same in the box.

Red Dahlia

Yellow Lily

Pink Cosmos

Purple Allium





Making larger cards was challenging in the sense that I need new supporting documents, new envelopes, and new packaging.




This is being donated as a prize for a charity event in the fall.

Framed Photo - Sunflower

I matched this wonderful photo of a sunflower with a navy matte 8x10 metal frame with a medium blue mat. 

Sunflowers are my favorite flower and this shot works well in a landscape orientation.  It shows off our wonderful blue skies this summer.

This will be in the Miniatures show at the gallery for the next 2 weeks.  It's a bright and cheery piece which should be popular with many people.

Framed Photo - Joy to the World

I created this art with my Alphabet Photography. 

I did "JOY to the World" where Joy is created with my alphabet photos. I  mounted it onto a barn wood background which is another photo I took along the way. It was printed in black and white to a size 5x7 inches.

It was mounted to a piece of white card stock.  I added a deep navy mat into the 8x10 inch silver matte frame.

It will be in the Miniatures Show on the weekend.

Frame Photo - Pink Tulip

I picked a 6x8 inch silver matte frame with no mat. 

I mounted a 5x7 photo of a pink tulip to a piece of white card mat board.  I added spacers to ensure the photo was not touching the glass.

Being submitted to the Miniatures Show this weekend.

Framed Photo - Resting Pelican

I framed a 5x7 photo of a pelican I took at the zoo a couple years ago.

I chose a matte silver metal frame measuring 8x10 inches with a navy mat.

I glued the photo to a piece of white card stock which was adhered to the mat.

This framed piece is being put into the Miniatures Show this weekend.

Gold & Burgundy Nativity Panel Card

I mentioned the other two designs in this post and here's the selection the couple made. 

As mentioned earlier, this is a 5x7 panel card with a 4x6 photo adhered in the center of the frame printed on the front of the panel  The image is a nativity I photographed several years ago to which I applied a filter to soften the image a bit.  I also applied a photo edge in white which provided an uneven edge to the image which I think works well. It had lovely velvet curtains in the background so I chose to repeat that color for the frame on the front. 

The back of the panel was customized with a scripture verse, a sentiment and the name of the couple. 

Christmas Cards - 5x7 Panels

I received a last minute Christmas card order.  These are two of the three options I presented.  They are 5x7 panel cards with a 4x6 photo placed in the center of the frame. 

For the one on the left I used my Alphabet Photography with JOY to the World featuring burgundy accents in the frame around the letters, in the words of the greeting and the printed frame on the panel front. 

For the one on the right I designed a Christmas sentiment with a selection of words and graphic elements.  I added color with a yellow star, the burgundy JOY and the green in the Christmas.  It is very graphic and will not be everybody's cup of tea.

The back of the panels were customized with a scripture verse, an appropriate sentiment and the couple's name.

I will reveal the one they selected a little later.