Other cards this year

I like to post photos of the cards I make, as a reminder of what I sent to whom, as well as a record of what I have been making, so here are some more from this year.  Above is a simple stamped and watercoloured card. These clean and simple cards are often more tricky - all it takes is an inky finger print and you have to start all over again!

Easter cards are enjoyable to make and these were made using stamps, dies and stencils with pastel coloured backgrounds.

I made a couple of these for my cat-loving friends, using stamps and dies.

As this stencil and dies set from America cost me a fair bit in tax, I am determined to use it as much as I can.  It is a good one for using scraps and here there are embossed bits as well as scrap book paper.  

This one used some of the slow drawings I do on a Wednesday evening. I have amassed quite a collection of these little pieces, so it is good to use some of them.  

This one used embossing folder for the background, and some die cut flowers which I watercoloured.  The recipient is a teacher, so the letters and vintage book page number strip seemed appropriate!

I enjoy looking for themed supplies - hearts are a good one.  Here I used an embossing folder and a heart which had metal foil applied to it.  Simple, but effective, I think.

An embossed frame and stencilled image made this card.

I saw this inked technique demonstrated on TV and knew I wanted to try it.  I think it worked really well. The image is stamped onto watercolour card with Distress (or other water based ink) and then sprayed gently with water, just enough to react the ink and start it spreading.

Another simple card with a gel printed heart in the centre of the embossed background.

Finally (and well done for making it here!) is this card which uses one of the pieces I made in an online course I did in the summer. Lots of layers of paint and ink in this piece with a stamped butterfly as the focal point.   I have a couple of birthday cards to make for male family members and I find cards for men are a little more tricky but I have ideas of what to do, so watch this space.

More cards and some new stencils

Here are a few more cards which I haven't posted about.  Above is one for a friend who appreciates animals and...

... a pun or two...or more.  I really like the stamp set I used here, which is by Josh Griffiths' Beyond Stamping range.  His animal stamps are so cute.

I added a final pun on the back!

This one was for a friend who really likes the slowing drawing patterns I make.

This was for my niece and I tried out a stamp which had lots of images on it, by Lynne Perella for Paper Artsy. Lynne Perella's stamps are full of collaged images and detail.

A ruby wedding anniversary card for one of my sisters.

A card for my mum-in-law's birthday, with a die cut heart which I watercoloured.

Another friend's birthday and some lino cut stamps from Clarity Crafts, again watercoloured.

Here are the new stencils I treated myself to. I like the retro feel and I think these geometric patterns will work well, especially for men's cards, which are always trickier.

They are rotating stencils, which means you apply the first colour, then rotate 90 degrees and apply the second and so on until you have the four colours.

This one is my favourite so I tried it first.

This is what it looked like once I had finished applying the inks and then it became this...

...a birthday card for a friend's daughter. I saw the idea when the stencils were being demonstrated and knew I needed to make my own version!

I really enjoy making cards and getting inspiration from others. There are so many talented people who generously share their skills and ideas.   (The only trouble with this hobby is that there are too many lovely stamps, stencils and dies out there and news ones coming all the time!)

Colourblock

I recently treated myself to a small piece of Tim Holtz's cotton called Colourblock.  (It's no good, I can't bring myself to spell it the American way!)  When he showed the lovely things his talented team of makers had made, I was inspired.  He also explained the the material was based on a colour swatch of his ink pads which he had then grunged up.  It had been scanned and digitally printed on the material. If you would like to see the video, it is on Youtube here.

I decided to make my own version, using some of my ink pads and some watersoluble crayon to give me the grungy look on the edges. The back of this is some packaging cardboard. All the lovely colours make me happy and I really enjoyed making it.  I haven't decided where I'm going to put it or what I shall do with the material yet though...

Index Card a Day 2023 (ICAD) - weeks 5,6 and 7

Here's a round up of weeks five, six and seven of ICAD 23.  Above is: Evergreen; Playground; Charcoal (another of my somewhat grumpy charcoal faces); Cottage.

Perspective; Summer and Astronomy (an inked 'galaxy' background).

Week six was Imaginary; Metallic (using an embossing folder and silver card with black acrylic paint brushed on and them wiped off); Zodiac; Levels (another embossing folder)...

...Chandelier; Float or Buoy (using magazine collage); Trivia.

Week seven had Patina (using an embossing folder and acrylic paint dry brushing); Repeat (using one of my hand carved stamps, made from an eraser); Millefleurs; Wabi Sabi (which I chose to interpret using darning)...

...Vermilion; Raindrops and Focus.

Two more weeks to go and the challenge is over for another year.
 

Index card a Day (ICAD) 2023 - weeks 3 and 4

Here are the next two weeks' of ICAD.  Above, Seaglass; Alphabet; Sunflower and Xylophone. Inks, paint and magazine collage featured here.

Violet; Tranquility and Postage Stamp.

Unexpected and Enchanted Forest.

Inside Unexpected is a surprise...

...and a unicorn is hiding in the Enchanted Forest.  This one took a while as I kept changing the opening sections, cutting bits out, then putting them back.  I used a tree stencil with some inking as well as paper from a paper pad with the starry sky and the unicorn stamp which was embossed in silver. I finished it with lots of stickles (glitter glue).  It got there in the end!

Bubbles; Dictionary (using a piece of dictionary page with the word 'dictionary' circled; Indigo and Pinball.

Finally for now Asanoha, which is a traditional Japanese pattern based on a hemp leaf inside a hexagon. Thanks to the internet for this and for how to draw it too!

Some of these prompts are certainly giving me a challenge but it's an enjoyable one.
 

Artful August Challenge - in January! Week Two

The challenge continues with 'Round', so my brain went straight to the song 'Windmills of your Mind' and I incorporated some of the lyrics with just a few of my circle stamps.

'Box' had me thinking but I ended up trying out a new die set from Sizzix and creating boxes for the images to sit in.

'Stitch' was hand stitching over collage.

'Foliage' was made using my hand carved stamps which gave a good 'imperfect ' look to the page.

'Paint' sent me off to my acrylic paints for the background and the stencilling on top, finished off with  words from my favourite book for found words,  'The Trojan Horse' by Hammond Innes, which never fails to provide some suitable words and phrases. 

I used a vintage postcard from my Great Uncle's collection as the focus for 'Building' and some Italian stamps in the background.

I created a background for 'Ink' using walnut ink and then used distress inks for the pocket and little file folder inside...

...including some of my favourite stamped sentiments.

Two more weeks and a bit to come.

 

Latest cards and cakes

There were a few birthdays to make for during November. Above is the card for a colleague at work.  This stamp set (from Aall & Create) has a cat back and front with three different faces, so is really versatile.

Here's the inside...

...and the back.

Here is the 'Russian Roulette Revels Cake' with chocolate fudge icing, which we took round to her. She always looks forward to this cake.  

This is the card for my sister-in-law, using a distress ink technique I had seen demonstrated recently.

This is the cake for Chris, whose birthday was also in November. The cake is the same as above but with chocolate butter cream icing rather than the chocolate fudge. (It was delicious!)

Chris asked for a Snarky Cat card, so that's what he got!

Here's the other grumpy cat on the back.  

Finally, here is the birthday card for my Mum, whose favourite colours are turquoise and orange.  I really enjoy making these backgrounds with watercolour, stencilling and stamping.