Scrapping by Design

This card is the final version of the napkin fold card that I made for the swap at Art for the Creative Mind.

The paper is scrapbook paper with a French theme. It doesn’t show up well in the images, but the small triangles contain script written in the French language.

The border is made with a set of border and corner punches from Martha Stewart. They are one of the All Around the Page sets.

The flower in the middle was given to me in a flower swap. It is made from metal and appears to be colored with alcohol inks. The small heart in the middle is a button.

I added a lavender colored chiffon ribbon that ties the card together.

This hand made St. Patrick’s Day card has ribbon and stickers — plus a punched border, card stock, a stamped sentiment and some scrapbook paper.

It;s going to a 13 year old boy, so I stayed away from anything too feminine.

The checkerboard area is ribbon.

The green in the middle is scrapbook paper.  St. Patrick’s Day is stamped with a small acrylic stamp, and layered on green card stock.

The punched border going vertically down the card is made with the Greek border punch.

The leprechaun and tiny green shamrock are stickers.

I hope it meets with the boy’s approval. Who knows what kids of that age like?

This greeting card features an Anna Griffin stamp by All Night Media. I think its a hydrangea blossom, but I could be wrong.

The image is stamped on glossy paper using a dye ink.  I’ve blocked it on blue card stock and added a small silver colored brad.

The sentiment along the outer edge is also a stamp, “Sing, Laugh, Hope” by PrintWorks. It’s stamped in the same blue ink as the flower.

The border is cut with a border punch. Underneath it, I have glued a wide strip of ribbon that matches the ink color quite well.

I’ve put a length of the ribbon horizontally across the card as well, and attached a small bow.

This card uses the same two stamps as I used in my previous post in which I demonstrated the resist technique.

I’m committed to using my stash this year, so I have chosen papers from what is available, rather than shopping for new.  The results are not always as satisfying as they might be if I shopped specifically for a project, but it feels good to be using up some of the excess supplies.

I’ve made a video demonstrating how to do the resist technique in stamping.  This is a familiar technique to experienced stampers. However, those new to the art form may find this informative.

The supplies and tools needed to use the resist technique are:  a stamp (rubber, acrylic, foam or otherwise), watermark ink, dye ink, glossy paper and a brayer such as the  Ranger Carvable Brayer 6 in. large.

A heat gun is handy to use, but you can make do without it for this technique.

The stamp I used to demonstrate the resist technique is an Anna Griffin stamp by All Night Media. The other stamp, which is stamped directly on the paper, is Sing, Laugh, Hope by PrintWorks.

Here is the video demonstration:

The resist technique can create lovely effects, suitable for both a major embellishment,  as I did in the video, or suitable for making wonderful backgrounds that display other embellishments.

You can, of course, produce more complex effects than I have done. For one example, you could blend two or more colors of die inks rather than use just one.  You can also produce resist techniques using other media.

I have heard of people drawing or writing images using a white crayon, then coloring over it with die ink for example.

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This hand made I Love You Valentine card is created with a lot of help from the Cricut 29-0001 Personal Electronic Cutting Machine.

I cut the I Heart You shape with the Cricut Font Cartridge, Mini Monogram.

The background is scrapbook paper, but I customized the solid pink paper by stamping with a Hero Arts stamp using a darker shade of pink for the ink.

The inner border is cut with a border punch.

The two hearts at the bottom are cut with the Provo Craft Cricut as well, and the string of pearls is something I found in my stash.

I think this hand made I Love You Valentine is going to go to my granddaughter.

Valentine’s Day is coming fast. I made this toddler’s valentine card using the iris folding technique. It’s in the shape of a train, given that the little boy who will receive the card  is fascinated with trains just now. I’ve used bright, primary colors, since those are the colors that appeal to young children.

If you haven’t done iris folding before, there is an Iris Folding Video Demon at this link.

The word “Valentine” is created with alphabet stickers, as is the XO at the bottom.

I have given the big wheel some dimension by attaching it with a pop dot.

The tiny hearts are made with a craft punch.  I have added glitter by placing small dots of red Stickles Glitter Glue here and there. Stickles Glitter Glue is available at Joann.com and elsewhere.

Inside this toddler’s Valentine card, I have placed the cutout shape of the train, created when I made the iris folding cut. I have decorated it a little bit.

The hand made Smiley Owl Valentine card that I posted about a couple of days ago is online at Associated Content. Anyone interested in the complete instructions for making this card will find them there.

The link is: Make a Hand Made Smiley Owl Valentine.

And yet another lovely Holiday card has arrived from my CST group.

I’m thinking I really need a new scanner. Mine seems to be distorting color so badly. In real life, the card is so much nicer than it appears here.

The background is a delicate blueish-green with snowflakes stamped in an even more delicate blue.

The sentiment is stunning. It’s stamped and heat embossed with a delicate, glittery embossing powder.  It is not black, as it appears here in the picture.

I hope the card’s creator will let me know what color and brand she used, because it is lovely.

The snowflake near the bottom is white with a faint tinge of pinkish red glitter.

Thanks for this lovely Christmas or Holiday card.

Those Christmas cards from the CST group are still coming.

This beautiful silver and blue card features snowflake embossing on the metallic blue paper and a swirly embossing on the silver paper.

The star at the card top is a punched shape, I think, and the Merry Christmas is stamped in blue ink.

Another interesting feature of this card was the gorgeous envelope it came in. The envelope is hand made out of a calendar. The outside has an attractive design that could be any kind of paper, but when you open it you can see the calendar boxes inside.

I plan to save calendar pictures to make envelopes from now on. What a great idea.

Thanks to Melanie Wortman for making and sending this lovely Christmas card.

I can barely describe this amazing Christmas card that arrived, courtesy of Jean Bircham, yet another gal in our CST Holiday Card Exchange.

This card combines so many lovely techniques — stamping, coloring with possibly Copic markers, paper cutting, paper folding, stickers, dry embossing, glitter, some kind of sparkle mist, some satiny white glue to emphasize the fur trim on the coat and collar and a large snowflake with a rhinestone in the center.

The card features an accordion fold in the inside, with a window cut out of one side.  A stamped and colored girl is placed on the inner corner of this window. When the card is closed, the stamped girl stands sedately on the front of the card. When the card is open, the girl pops out through the window, and we see a stamped and colored snowman, a large snowflake embellishment and a stamped sentiment.  Small stamped snowflakes enhance the white background.

Even the back of this card has a cute sticker.

I am amazed at the amount of work that went into this card. The precision cutting alone would have had me mumbling in my eggnog.

Many thanks, and well done!  I will be attempting to duplicate this cut before too many weeks have passed.