It’s the annual Christmas Party for my studio regulars tomorrow, and traditionally we do a project that upcycles the now defunct Christmas cards and wrapping paper. This time I thought we’d do a little home decor piece ready to pack away with the decorations to bring out again next Christmas. Here’s my example, created in a Tando Creative Mini Printer Tray (laser cut greybeard).
It’s that time of year again. That time when you’ve designed this year’s Christmas card, and it’s time to make all 75 cards that are apparently required. So, a mass production line swings into action. Here are some tips:
TOP TIP:
If your Liquid Pearls is misbehaving, warm it up on a radiator or in your pocket. It become less viscous, flowing better and forming nice domes.
As to the finished result – you’ll have to wait and see. Especially if you’re one of the lucky 75 that receives the real thing 😉
Using a combination of techniques I learnt in my Background Check class with Online Card Classes, Hero Arts Ombré ink pads and a #neverbeenused Darkroom Door background stamp, I’ve made these five ‘thank you’ cards. Quick, simple and super effective results, even if I do say so myself 🙂
Yesterday’s class was all about die cutting and how to use them in backgrounds. Now I’m not that much of a fan of die cuts, especially the confetti that covers everything with the really intricate ones. I decided to use a different approach, and cut out my cards using my Silhouette Cameo and designed my own shapes inspired by the dies used in the class.
The first is coloured with ProMarkers, and the second shaded with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink. The third is just the white cut out on a cream card – I think it’s a rather classy clean and simple design.
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.
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.
As well as the extraordinarily large layout I did earlier in the month, I’ve used the Graphic45 Raining Cats & Dogs Collection to make four cards from what was left over from my kit sent by Jones Crafts. As you might expect, all the papers complement one another and are ideal for matting up. Embellishments are a cinch with the die cut chipboard tags and there’s also a couple of sheets of die cut card stock with folders/envelopes with matching inserts. Quick edging with Walnut Stain Distress Ink hides those annoying white edges and I’ve added faux brads using Onyx Liquid Pearls. Hey presto, four cards for the pet lovers amongst your friends and family. The Cat’s Meow card is 8×8″, the other three are 6×6″.
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.
Ever since I came across the name ‘Brusho’ and saw what Eileen Goodwin had done with them, I just had to have a play! For the unfamiliar, Brusho paints are water-soluble crystals of glorious colour which can be sprinkled onto a wet surface, or scattered dry and then spritzed, or indeed just mixed with water to make a watercolour paint. These are three cards I made this evening, on my first journey with the starter kit. The quotes are courtesy of Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous. For the first two, I stamped over and embossed with white embossing powder. For the last, I tried the faux batik approach, which I was less happy with, in part due to the wrinkled watercolour paper I was using – but that sort of goes with the sentiment of the card! And I love the effect, definitely on my to-play-with-more list!
I’m quite organised… and I have a pile of stamps that I have mentally labelled ‘I will not put these away until I have used them at least once’. Each show I go to, or order I place online, sees the pile grow by at least one stamp per time – and it doesn’t seem to reduce in size. Today, I decided to do something about it, and created these two tone-on-tone cards featuring Stampendous Cling Stamps ‘Cherish Heart’ and ‘Wild Roses’, with the tag from the Lily of the Valley ‘Set 51 Tags Monsieur’.
In the last of the summer seaside theme posts for this month, I’ve made use of the new Pronty MDF crown available via Creative Expressions as the inspiration for my ‘King of the Castle’ project, also featuring their new Singles stamps ‘Treasure Seeker’ and ‘Sandcastle in the Sun’. I’ve used their acrylic inks to colour the images and added bling with polished silk glitters and pearlescent PVAs. It would be ideal to add to a layout or use as a standalone piece.
For a shopping list and full (printable) step-by-step tutorial: click here [PDF].
More bling next week!