AAA Cards DT: Monochrome

Today’s new challenge at AAA Cards is to make a monochrome card. Monochrome in this context does not necessarily mean without colour – different shades of the same colour are allowed. I chose to go with a greyscale monochrome and produced this masculine card:

Masculine themed card in grey and black tones Continue reading

Gingerbread Village Cards: Part 2 (for Jones Crafts)

As you know from Part 1, I was sent eight 12×12″ sheets of double-sided scrapbook pages from Webster’s Pages, titled ‘Gingerbread Village’ by Adrienne Loomis, to work with.

Catalogue Pic

I’ve used the papers to make more cards, this time using the Fair Isle style pattern as a background, two large toppers using the Storyteller cards (all 7×7″ cards), and a picturesque 8×8″ card. I’ve again edged the papers with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

 

Gingerbread Village Cards – Part 1 (for Jones Crafts)

This month, I’ve been sent eight 12×12″ sheets of double-sided scrapbook pages from Webster’s Pages, titled ‘Gingerbread Village’ by Adrienne Loomis, to work with.

Catalogue Pic

I have to admit not having many Christmas themed photographs, so took the decision not to create a layout with them, but instead to mix and match the papers to create a series of themed cards. Part 1: four cards using ‘The Village’ reverse side as backing. All cards are 7×7″ and papers edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Part two to follow in a couple of weeks.

 

Cards for Explorers (for Jones Crafts)

There’s even more to the Kaisercraft Outdoor Trail Collection than the angling theme I showed a couple of weeks ago. These cards incorporate the more generic hiking and exploring elements of the collection, including the die cut collectables. As before I’ve edged all the pieces with Walnut Stain Distress Ink to tie them all together and mounted them onto 6″ square card blanks. The cards would be suitable for the ramblers out there, or indeed a good luck card for someone moving away.

 

Cards for Anglers (for Jones Crafts)

I think I may have mentioned this before, but I’ll say again: I like the challenge of working with a restricted palette of materials and colours. That’s one of the beauties of working on the various design teams. This month’s package from Jones Crafts featuring the Outdoor Trail Collection from Kaisercraft is no exception, especially as I have been asked to concentrate on making cards. I’ve used the 6½” x 6½” paper pad and collectables die cuts on 6″ square card blanks to make these four cards which are particularly suited to the angler in your life. I love the muted but masculine colour scheme and the nature themed papers. I’ve edged the elements in Walnut Stain Distress Ink to bring them all together.

Stamps used: Dream Big / Confidence / Today Clear Stamps from Kaisercraft.

Lighthouse Card for Father’s Day (and for Creative Expressions)

Lighthouse CardThis next card on the seaside/nautical theme is again designed by Sam Poole and part of the Creative Expressions Singles range. ‘Lighthouse’ includes both the image and sentiment. I wanted to highlight the light element of the sentiment and image, so used a dark background to highlight the iridescent pigments and white opaque pens. This created a colouring challenge, as you need to take account of the dark background and the layering of dye based colour in the distress markers. I’m actually quite pleased how well it matched my internal image!

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Father’s Day Card – Just for You (and for Creative Expressions)

Just For You

It’s a seaside and nautical theme this month for the Creative Expressions Design Team with various stamp designs making their debut. This week, I’ve used two designed by Sam Poole, the Creative Expressions Singles ‘Nautical Words’ and ‘Netting’. A quick and simple card, perfect for a last minute Father’s Day card. Or for any special nautical person for that matter!

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Father’s Day Card – Ship in a Bottle (for Creative Expressions)

Father's Day Card

Creative Expressions have produced a myriad of nautical themed stamps ready for the male card recipients in your life – and this is just one, the Creative Expressions Singles Ship  in a Bottle stamp set, complete with the Father’s Day sentiment.

For a printable worksheet, including templates for the bottle stand, click here.

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Leicester Top The Table Layout (for Jones Crafts)

Good Ol Sport Layout

No apologies here if I have any of the facts wrong. I’m really not a football fan, let alone a No.1 Fan, but when working with Good Ol’ Sport papers from Graphic 45 for Jones Crafts, I had to come up with another idea. And what better sporting achievement to immortalise in scrapbook form?

I swiped thinned gesso over the background and splattered some more, drying before I edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I used my Silhouette Cameo and Connect plugin for Illustrator to convert the crest into a cut file and cut it from the papers. Unfortunately, my transfer paper was a tad too sticky and removed the printed layer in places. I think it lends an athletic sports fashion distress finish, so coloured the torn bits with a mix of Faded Jeans / Stormy Sky / Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks. The fox head is coloured with Scattered Straw / Mustard Seed Distress Inks. Add the rest of the elements from the coordinating chipboard die cuts, die cuts and stickers, and embellish with soluble black pencil for shadows.

Oh the challenges of working on a design team with themes that really don’t come naturally!

 

More showtime for Craftwork Cards…

Earlier this month, I was busy creating with the cracking new paper kits from Craftwork Cards: Paper Couture, Al Fresco and Harbour Boulevard. Most of the samples I made featured in the inspirational studio display for the One Day Wonder on Create & Craft TV along with the other DT creations – and one is included in the Paper Couture inspiration instruction sheets exclusive to C&C. More making details are over on the Craftwork Cards blog if you’d like them, but here’s a gallery of the pieces I made:

I have some templates available to make the dress form, which were prepared for the CWC workshop in April that had to be withdrawn. Click on the ‘Templates’ tab above to go to an order page. I also hope to film an online class as my first for my new improved blog, so keep watching this space!