A gift for the holidays

Recently, I made some gifts for friends - a box of handmade monogrammed greeting cards.  Being in the holiday mood, I thought it would be fun to do a twist on the traditional cards and nestled the monogram circle in a "forest" of trees. 

I hope you are on schedule with your holiday plans.  If not, why not whip up a quick batch of notecards?  Some beautiful ribbon, holiday printed paper, a few die cuts and a quick stamped initial and you're ready to go.  Not sure who your recipient will be?  Replace the initial with an appropriate short greeting and you'll have a wonderful surprise at the ready in your gift closet.

The trees and circles are from Accucut; the ribbon is from May Arts and the monogram border and initial are from Just Rite Stamps.

Happy holiday crafting!

Sketch 6 - Card #9

One more to go after this and then I'll have to find a new topic to blog about.  The butterfly is an Accucut die and I used string pearls for the antennae.  This particular version is a great way to use up all of those scraps of paper and cardstock in your stash.

Enjoy!

Sketch 6 - Card #6

In January's edition of "Cheaper by the Dozen", our them was "Chase Away the Winter Blues".  One of the cards was designed to send along a tea bag as part of a get well card; another included a packet of hot chocolate to warm and cheer up a friend on a cold winter's day and another included a bookmark because who wouldn't want to stay curled up in your pajamas with a good book on a blustery day?  The cards were a big hit with the students and I received lots of positive comments on them.  The most common sentiment was that it was nice to have cards that contained more than just a greeting.  We talked about several variations for those cards - with a little change in color and design they could easily become a holder for a gift card, a photo, etc.  The bookmark and photo corner are both from Accucut dies.  The verse stamp is from Penny Black.

So, I thought it was quite timely that this card be posted from the "Cards with Versatility" class.  Use a photo corner as a pocket to tuck something special into your next card.

Not familiar with the Cheaper by the Dozen class?  Each month, I pick a theme and design four cards to fit it.  One card is always a Christmas/winter card but the other 3 designs vary from get well, thinking of you, happy birthday, etc.  Students make 3 of each design so they have a total of 12 cards from each class, including envelopes.  Check out my class schedule to the right and see what you're missing! 

Sketch 6 - Card #5

I love to look at my craft supplies and figure out different ways to use them.  For this card, I took 2 die cut borders (Accucut) and turned the cut edges toward each other to make a center design.  I put a piece of colored cardstock behind the openings to enhance it.  Next I used raffia for the stem of the flower.  A few punched ovals (Marvy), a silk flower and acrylic bead center and this card is ready to send off to cheer up a friend on a gloomy winter day - or to wish my sister, Victoria, a happy birthday since today is her birthday.  Happy Birthday, sis!

What different uses have you come up with for your crafting projects?  Feel free to share your ideas by leaving a comment on this post.

Sketch 6 - Card #4

They just don't get any easier than this!  For those of you who attended the "Cards with Versatility" class, you may remember one of the tenets was to have various elements on hand to quickly create cards.  Using a pre-printed card, I grabbed a die cut tag (Sizzix) and stamped a flourish (Hero Arts) and verse (unknown) in matching ink and then wrapped it with a die cut flourish (Accucut) from my stash.  A quick loop of ribbon and it was all done - in less than 5 minutes.  Actually, it took longer to create the idea and gather the supplies than it did to make the card!

I hope you're making good use of your cards to go box!  Don't have one?  They are easy to create - just grab a photo storage box and fill it with pre-stamped verses, throw in some die cuts (make extras when you're working on a project) and a few pre-formed cards and you're ready to go!

Sketch 6 - Card #3

Well, I apparently got carried away with taking time off over the holidays and I am now quite delinquent in finishing up the Sketch 6 series.  I really didn't get time off - I had several sewing jobs that needed to be finished for customers for the Christmas holidays.  I am happy to report that they were completed on time and now I'm catching up on my blog posts.

If you've been playing along with this series, you know that I created lots of cards for the "Cards with Versatility" class from last year's Stampaway class.  At some point in the process, I got a little slap happy and started playing with fun and funky colors.  This card is the result of one such moment.

The verse comes from Verses Rubber Stamps.  The brackets and scallop border are from Accucut dies.  I love combining die cuts, pretty papers in bright colors and fun verses for quick cards that I can use for most any occasion.

Check back tomorrow for the next card in this series. . .

Sketch 6 - Card #2

Time for another quick post before the holidays. Taking my cue from the printed paper for both color and design, I layered a thin loop border on top of the big scallop border (both are Accucut dies). Adhering a silk flower with a pearl center on top of the circles (Marvy punches) completes the look.

Whenever you are feeling "design" or "color" challenged, select a piece of printed paper from your stash that you really like as your starting point.  Disect it (mentally, of course!) for design and color and then simply repeat the elements.  Using the "Rule of 3" will also help you create a pleasing look.  Odd numbers tend to give the illusion of balance and 3 seems to be the right number - not too few, not too many. 

If you look closely at this card, you will see that I have 3 colors - lavendar, dark purple and white.  I also have three elements - loops, scallops and dots/circles.  I could have incorporate another color but the lavendar and the dark purple are at opposite ends of the purple spectrum that they can easily work as two different colors.

I hope you and your loved ones have a safe, happy holiday season!

Sketch 5 - Cards #8, #9 and #10

It's time to get back on schedule with my Versatility cards.  If I don't finish up soon, it will be time for next year's cards! So, here we go:

Card #8
I embossed a tan piece of card stock for the square using a Cuttlebug folder.  The bubbles of the embossing mimic the dots in the paper.  A cute pink button and a bow made from sheer brown ribbon add the finishing touches.

Card #9
This card was created using a custom die I had made by Accucut. It is an A2 size card that opens at the top, with a velcro closure under the flap.  You can easily re-create this card by cutting out a large circle with any of the die cutting systems.  A couple of punched flourish shapes and a small flower decorate the flap and the bottom of the card.

Card #10

This card was also made from a custom Accucut die.  It is similar to card #9 but I embossed the entire card front and then highlighted it with a Brilliance ink pad.  The printed paper used on the flap repeats the embossed design to tie the entire card together.



Well, that's it for Sketch 5.  Sketch 6 will start tomorrow!

Sketch 4 - Card #6

Building off of Card #5, I used the same flower ribbon slide and spring theme.  By adding an umbrella die cut (Accucut), I changed it to spring showers from spring flowers.  Using a pre-printed card is a good idea if you are having a creative block - it gives you a nice starting point to draw inspiration from.

Sketch 4 - Card #5

Oops - looks like I forgot to post a card yesterday so today you will get two posts.  The first is this friendship card, created in a pretty spring floral palette on a printed card.  A flower ribbon slide (Accucut) helps pull the theme together.

Sketch 4 - Card #1

Well, it's time to get back to the posting from the "Cards with Versatility" class.  This card is the first in the series from Sketch #4 and is an exact replica of the original sketch.  It seems that at this point in the class development process, we started to get a little more creative with our interpretation of the basic layout, as you will see in the upcoming cards.  For this particular version, I used a verse stamp from Rosie's Roadshow and the tag is an Accucut die.

Given the lack of interest in the challenge for the previous three sketches, I'm not going to post a challenge for the remaining three.  However, if you are interested in playing along, please let me know and I'll be happy to open up the challenge again.

Sketch 2 - Card #10

Well, 2 sketches down and 4 more to go!  This card is a very loose interpretation of the original sketch but a cool card just the same.  I'm off to Marco's for my fall extravaganza make-it /take-it (and maybe a little shopping during the special sales???).

A die cut ornament (Accucut) and snowflake (Cuttlebug) make quick work of this card.

You have until 5p ET tomorrow (10/5/09) to post your entry! 

Sketch 2 - Card #8

While I like the original sketch with its layered ovals, I found myself drawn to the "staggered" approach for several of the card variations.  The butterfly (Accucut) is die cut from bronze Stardream card stock (available from Marco Paper).  I added a few pearls for the body and hand drew the "flight pattern" with a ultra fine line Sharpie marker.

Only a few days left to enter the sketch challenge!

Sketch 2 - Card #7

 You'll notice that this card is very similar to card #2.  Some times, simply changing the orientation of the card can provide a different perspective.  I used a different die cut border (Accucut) in a different color as well.

Today's blog and the next few will be fairly short as I've got a long list of classes to prepare for over the next few days.

Don't forget that Saturday is World Card Making day.  Why not use one of these easy sketches to get you started on your contribution?  And, if you make a spare, enter it into the sketch challenge.

Sketch 2 - Card #6

My friend and I just came back from a day of knitting at our local yarn shop.  We're working on a very cool wrap that can be buttoned in the back and made to look like a vest. 

Now that the weather is getting cooler and I'm back into knitting, this card is quite perfect for today, with the little bit of fuzzy fiber at the top for interest. The card itself was die cut using an Accucut die.  The front was then embossed with a Cuttlebug folder that had been inked prior to embossing.  I also used a marbled paper to give it added interest.  The hearts were made using the Marvy "giga" punches.  The verse is from Rosie's Roadshow.

Don't forget to post your winning entry for the Sketch 2 challenge - only a few more cards to post before the deadline is here!

Sketch 2 - Card #5

As you can see from this card, the creative juices were really working the day this card was designed.  An embossed background (Cuttlebug), a few die cut shapes (Accucut), a touch of Pearl Ex (Jacquard) and a few pearls for the body of the butterfly make a great card in an elegant color scheme of eggplant, black and gold.  I used glossy black card stock for the scalloped square to add an extra special touch.

If you don't have matching striped paper for your project, make your own using a sponge dauber and your favorite ink pads.  Using strips of Eclipse masking paper (Judikins) makes it easy to get perfect stripes every time.

Now, let's see how your creative juices are flowing today.  Join in the challenge for this sketch (details can be found here).

Sketch 2 - Card #3

This variation is the result of a "happy accident."  I was holding the ovals and fanned them out to look at the colors and decided I liked what I saw.  Another die cut (Accucut), a quick stamped verse (unknown source) and a few green skittles finish off the card.

If you find yourself with nothing but clear skittles, take a little Copic refill ink or your Copic marker and custom color them to match your project.

You still have time to enter the challenge for Sketch #2.  Click here to get all the details.

Playing Catch Up

Whew! It's been a crazy few weeks and I am woefully behind in posting to the blog. I promised to post the boards from my Cards with Versatility class from Stampaway and I haven't forgotten. It's on my list of things to do and I hope to begin posting them later this week.

In the meantime, here's a quick card that we made in class. The stamp is from Rosie's Roadshow, the embossing was done with a Cuttlebug folder and the dies were from Spellbinders and Accucut.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the class. You were such a terrific group and I hope you are having fun making up all of those extra cards! If you want to send me photos of your creations, I'll post them on the blog for others to see.