Graphic 45 Card

Hope you all had a great weekend. Did get a few cards done and here is one of them. Am using some paper from my favorite paper company, Graphic 45. This paper is double sided. The yellow dotted paper is one side, and the blue tapestry is the other side. The phrase is by Printworks. The little cloth "button" clip came from Paper Source. The black paper was punched with an EK success punch. I was playing around with some left over paper scraps and came up with this idea for a card.

Flower Soft Window

Had a class last week with Flower Soft. All the cards used window stamps from Impression Obsession. This is one of the windows we did in that class. It's not a hard card, but not a fast easy one either. Part of the reason for that was because we had lots of cutting and postioning to do on this card. The glass part just seemed to call for acetate and then we had to stamp and position it on the card. The Flower Soft here was added to paper covered wires. This enabled us to add dimension at a new level. The wires can be bent(once the Flower Soft is dry). We colored the flowers behind with Copics. Ultrafine Flower Soft was added under the wire flowers.

Birthday Card by Laura

Had some blog issues today but they seem to be fixed so I'm able to post now. Wanted to show this great card my friend Laura gave me for my birthday. The image is by Magenta. Loved the lay out and the papers she used. She is quite the talented artist.

Retirement Card

A request was made to me to create a card for someone who was leaving their job after working there for quite some time. These pictures of cars are actually postage stamps. They were mounted on to a piece of black cardstock. It was mounted on to an actual road map cut to fit the card. Black photo corners were put on each corner. "Happy trails" was stamped in black Versa fine. "Best wishes" was stamped inside. The blue card is one from Memory Box. By the way, we just got in a restock of lots of these great cards in a multitude of colors at the store. So, if you use them as much as I do, now is a great time to come stock up.

Graduation Card

Tis the season for graduation! Penny Black makes this image and the words to go with it. It's definately one of my "go-to" stamps when making graduation cards. Quick, easy, and full of joy for the occasion. The image was stamped with Versa Fine black onto a white paper and outlined with a hot pink paper. The words were also stamped with Versa Fine on orange paper and was applied with some double stick foam tape to give it some depth. Around the blue card is some background design elements made with a stamp from Cat's Pajamas that was stamped with the "Frost" Versa Mark pad. It gives a light pearl look to the images. 

Fish Card

The image came out nice and clear on this card, but it looks better in person. The fish was done with Twinkeling H2O's and has a more luminous look when looking at it. The fish stamp was brushed with the blue Twinks and then stamped onto the black paper and heat set to dry. The paper under the fish was created with Metallic mists that were sprayed onto the paper. This was also heat set and was mounted onto a heavy black card stock.  The fish is by Fred Mullett.

Big Kiss Card

Dad doesn't live that far from Hershey,PA, so this card seemed appropriate to give to him one Father's Day. Used lots of silver metallic paper on this card. You have to test metallic paper to see what ink will best adhear to the paper. On this silver I found Stazon Black worked best. After stamping it, the kiss was cut out. The paper part was stamped on regular white paper and cut out as well. More silver paper was used to layer up the card. The same shinny one was used under the striped paper, and a more subdued metallic was used under that. It's also the same paper used for the words.

Thank You Card

Was using up some more scrap paper the other day. Took several pieces of Memeory Box paper and mounted them on squares. Also took a 6X6 background paper and mounted it onto a dark purple paper, then mounted that onto a lavender card.  Not sure why this lavender color doesn't show up well when I photo it. Looks more blue here than it really is in person.  Laid a piece of lace I found at an flea market over the paper. Then the squares overlapped the background paper and lace. Used a Stampn'Up! "thank you" stamp in the center piece. It was stamped with a Versa Magic Lavender pad. Ran some waxed thread through the buttons and attached with a white glue. Love the white glue because it dries invisible.

Kitty Father's Day Card

Cats are our only babies, so for Father's day one year I gave this card to my husband. The image actually only has the one small cat on his stomach, so after inking the image with a black Momento dye pad and stamping it on the paper, I reinked the little cat and stamped it onto a piece of sticker paper. The images were colored in with Copic markers. The sticker cat was then cut out and placed beside the big cat. The Father's Day words are by Inkadinkado and were stamped in Versa Fine.

Cork Card

This is a sample that was made for the store. We got in several new items from Canvas Corp which included cork stickers, dotted note cards, and hemp twine. The bike is from a clear set by Hero Arts and was stamped in Versa Fine black. Also stamped in Versa Fine were the letters of the alphabet by Technique Tuesday that were stamped onto the sticky cork. It doesn't show much in the picture, but the flowers were inked with a Distress brown before being added. As was noted in a card last week using cork, it is a surface that works well with stamping.

Holographic Birthday Card

Are you awake? This card will certainly wake you up! Not my usual type of card, but it's for a teenager. Found this holographic sticker paper at JoAnn's. It was layered onto black glossy paper. Then lots of dimensional stickers added to it. The words are on vellum and that is a sticker backed paper as well, and also attached to a piece of glossy paper. What do you get a teenager for their birthday? -Something they will like! Thought this would fill the bill.

Impression Obsession Birthday Card

This started out as a sample for the store, but ended up being a birthday card for my sister-in-law. She recently lost her husband to cancer, so I didn't want a card that was too cheerful, yet did want something she'd enjoy. This seemed to fill the bill. The image was stamped with a Memento black and colored in with Copic markers. The tops of the flowers were enhanced with brown flower soft. The butterfly was stamped again, colored, and glued on so the wings are raised off the paper.
The brown paper was punched with a Fiskers long punch, and the words (by Hero Arts)were stamped with a black Versa Fine pad. The light tan piece was embossed with a Cuttle Bug Folder and inked with a Distress Tea pad. "Cherish" is a premade sticker but I don't remember who made it.

Thank you Card

Had my birthday while I was in CA, so the celebration here has been nicely extended. And so then, does the need for thank you notes. Got this one done the other day and managed to remember to actually repeat the idea several more times so I have some thank you cards on hand. Took some scrap papers for inspirations and this is the result. Memory Box was a big help. The card, the printed paper, and the pearls are all by MB. The "Thank you" stamp is by Impression Obsession and inked with "Aspen Mist" by Versa Magic, a pigment ink pad. The flowers are by a variety of folks. I keep all my flowers together in a box, so when they are needed, they can be easily mixed to suit.

Canvas Birthday Card

There are a variety of sticky back canvas papers on the market. Some, like Claudine Helmeth's, come blank and you can stamp or paint them to your heart's content. Others, like what was used today, come preprinted. There is also preprinted words and phrases which was also used. The dot paper was adhered to a dark gray paper. Then the birthday cake and phrase were adhered to the same dark gray paper. These were both glued to the lighter gray card. The words were slightly frayed and sponged with black dye ink and then stuck to the red dot paper. A brad and lever were added to finish off the card. Gives a nice retro look and makes a good card for a man.

Dad Card

For those who haven't discovered it yet, cork makes a great stamping surface. Things can not only be stamped, but colored on cork, and it has that great textured look. It is porous so it can take dye or pigment ink. As you can see, it also tears easily. On this card the cork has the sentiment stamped in black. Surrounding it is a background image with nuts and bolts on it stamped in gray. Then real bolts were added to the corners of the card with Diamond Glaze.

King of the Road Card

Was up visiting Dad yesterday so thought I'd do another dad card. The images here are by Crafty Secrets and come in a clear set. It's a great set with all sorts of vintage images. We took some great vacations when I was a kid, and I have memories of dad at the wheel taking us to lots of wonderful spots. The images were stamped with Versafine black onto cream paper that was slightly distressed with Tea Dye Distress ink. More of the ink was then sponged into the corners and along the edges of the paper. The crown was put on paper punched with a Marvy punch and mounted with a piece of double stick foam tape. The buttons were glued down with a white glue.

Sun Pattern card

Sure am missing all that great weather we had last week. The plants are happy with these cool days, but my mood seems to cloud up with this weather. So I guess I went sun seeking on this card. Had some fun playing around with this card and enjoyed the out come. Both of these images were on a block stamp I got some time ago. Pigment inks were used on this deep rust paper. Pigment inks are the best to use on colored card stock. They stand up well on the paper, and are more opaque than dye inks. They do take a little longer to dry, but it's definitely worth the effort. Found a nice bead that works well especially after covering it with some pigment ink to stain it.

Stencil owl

Not sure where yesterday's card went, but technology and I have a very tenuous relationship, so I'm just going to go a head and hope for the best with this post.
Been working on some May birthday cards. This one was done using a Lasting Impression stencil and was dry embossed. The paper is also by Lasting Impressions. Found a couple of black gems worked perfectly for eyes. On the inside of the card it says,"Hope your birthday was a hoot!"

Pirate Birthday Card

Have you seen the ads for the new Pirates of the Caribbean Movie? Feeds my pirate obsession just fine. Guess that's what got me in the mood for doing this birthday card. The map and flag are by Rubber Stamp Ave. and are stamped with a black Versafine pad. Did a little coloring in by doing a direct to paper rub acoss the light papers with "Old Page" Distress pad. Also colored in the gun with some colored pencil. Maybe I'll see you at the theatre when the movie comes out.

Stampscapes Father's Day Card

Now that Mother's Day is over, guess it is time to start thinking ahead to Father's Day. Haven't done a Stampscapes card in a while, so thought I'd show one I did for Father's day. All images were stamped with a black Momento pad onto white glossy paper. The first image stamped was the very large water stamp. Didn't use the whole image, just the part that was needed for the card. Next came the trees, and then the ship (which is by B Line Designs) Color was added with the use of a stylis tool and a bunch of dye base ink pads. Lighter colors were laid down first, and then darker on top. Lots of layers of colors here. The sky was done the same way. Then a white pen was added to various spots to accent the piece. "Oceans of love " was added last, and is by Posh Impressions.

Graphic 45 Thanks Card #3

Ok, I'll stop for now- on the blog atleast. Do need to get back to making more thank you cards though, to send to folks. On this card I added a lot more paper flowers. There is a mix from Hero, Prisma, and Bazzill all layered together to get the look I wanted. The brads hold them all together, and all you need is some double foam tape to keep them in place. Now off to send those thank yous.

Graphic 45 Thanks Card #2

One of the many things to love about this company, is that the paper comes double sided. This is a great way to have paper that is guarenteed to mix well with what ever you are trying make. The word today was embossed in black. There was enough dimension to this card that I felt I needed some dimension to the word as well. The black velvet ribbon was just the extra touch that helped pull everything together.

Graphic 45 Thanks Card

Have found myself in need of numerous thank you cards since returning from CA. However, my stash was empty, so it seemed a good time to fall back on a reliable source for making quick and beautiful cards-namely Graphic 45 my favorite paper company. And perfect for the occasion is the pop out tag paper. Will be showing some of the results over the next few days.
Here's the first card. Only thing stamped here is the "thanks" by Impression Obsession. Added some brads and paper flowers and some sponging of black around the edges of the tages. Also punched some of the paper with an EK sucess punch. Corner punches are by Stampn'UP! Layer and assmble, and that's it.

Lockhart Mother's Day card

We'll be going up to celebrate Mother's Day a little early with Ray's mom today. She loves violets so when I saw this stamp I knew it would be perfect for her. After stamping it with a Momento pad, it was colored in with Copic markers and then a touch of irridescent glue was added to the center of each flower. Marvy punches were used to punch out the circles. Hope you all have a good Mother's day.

Stacy Stamps Birthday Card

We recently got in another shipment of stamp sets from Stacy Stamps. This birthday set is one of my "go-to" sets so I made sure we got it back in as well. As you can see, it makes a great quick and easy card especially good for guys. Did a little bit of coloring with gray and brown Copic markers and then just layered it on to the card. Did also stamp the wood piers twice and cut it out and layer it onto the card to pop it up a bit. The word stamp is worth the whole set for as often as I use it. Just the right size and font. I have the set in wood, but Stacy now offers all her stamps as clings as well which has really reduced the price. She does deep etched rubber which always stamps well.

Tucan Card

And speaking of over sized cards, here's one that took on a life of its own. All stamps are by Art Impressions. The bird was embossed with black embossing powder and colored in with water based markers. Using a blending pen, the colors were added to the bird. The bird was then cut and mounted onto black paper and cut out again. It was placed on top of white paper that had a solid leaf stamped in several colors over the paper. Two leaves were also cut out and mounted under the bird with foam tape. One each side of the bird on the red paper, a strip of red tape was laid vertically. The squares of green paper were randomly placed going down each strip. Then black embossing powder was poured over the tape and heat set. This gave the image sort of a mosaic look. Once again, an extra large envelope would be needed to mail this card.

Vellum Geishas

Didn't make it to Dad yesterday. My flight home was late and I was up early suffering from jet lag. Not a good state to me in for driving. Did get down to the stamp room, but things are still in progress, so I went back through my stash and found this card from a while ago that I liked. Am teased at work at the size of my cards sometimes, but with a wonderful image like this, I let it set the size of what would go around it. So this is a rather large card. It would definitely need an extra large envelope to send it.
The image was stamped with dye ink onto vellum. Once the ink was dry, it was turned over and colored from the back. It was laid across a silver paper and then washi paper was torn and placed over the edges. Then more layering was done. There was a gold krylon run along the final edge of the black paper. I don't usually use gold and silver together, but I think it worked on this piece.

Rubber Stamp Tapestry Bunny Tag

Got a cute spring card that is also a tag using one of the Rubber Stamp Tapestry sets. In these sets all images are seperate and you stamp them together to create a scene. Using each floral piece in a different color, I stamped out the folage on the tag above and below the center part. In the center the message "Happy Spring" was stamped with a pink pad. The bunny on the front is on a punched out scallop piece using the blue Marvy punch. The floral was easily added once the piece was punched out. Not as noticable on the picture, glitter glue was added last to give a little sparkle to the piece. The card is a regular sized card just with the front piece cut. A decorative brad was used to keep the card secured so the tag could stay in place.

Land that I love Card

Am all packed and ready to go, but in light of last night's surprising announcment, wanted to post one last card from CA. Would like to dedicate this post to those lost in 9/11. NY takes most of the focus understandibly, but those of us from DC and PA know and remember those who were lost there as well. Now I'm off to the airport.

Leaf Card

The stamp here is a Stampn' UP! image. It was inked with a multi colored pad. The background was just two different papers counter balanced. Am heading home tomorrow. Had a great time here in CA. Am looking forward to getting a chance to do some stamping once home. But first, I'm off to visit my Dad on Tues.