THREE OF A KIND--QUILTED LEAVES

Evelyn and I did a bunch of these with my new quilted leaf die, and I love how they turned out!

Enjoy!

(Click to enlarge.)

PAPER PUMPKIN ALTERNATE

September's kit included this Autumn-y stamp set, just a bit bigger than my peg stamps.  I made this simple card in less than five minutes with three tiny stamps, the Cajun Craze ink spot and the yarn.

The sentiment is from a different set (Autumn Collage by Sweet & Sassy.)

THREE OF A KIND--HALLOWEEN

Just gotta love those bats!

Spidey, from an old SU! set, makes another appearance.   This time he's mounted on a piece of dsp web, sporting some Wink of Stella.

The third card will go to my youngest grandsons who really are sweet.

All three cards took very little time to make--the dsp does all the work.  The BOO!'s were die cut with my Big Shot, and Spidey was quickly fussy cut.

Happy Halloween everyone!  Don't eat too much candy!

BEFORE AND AFTER TABLETOP

BEFORE...

AFTER (finally!)

JOSEPH'S COAT LEAF

This is my way of doing the Joseph's Coat technique, using the colors in a piece of dsp.  This one is done with a piece from the SU Bohemian dsp collection.

First, I stamped over the dsp with Versamark and then clear embossed it.  Next I sponged it with Tea Dye Distress Ink and then Walnut Stain Distress Ink, being careful to let some of the lighter color show around the edges.  After rubbing the excess ink off with a tissue, I tied the jute around it and mounted it on the card as shown.

This will make a nice masculine card.

SEPTEMBER PAPER PUMPKIN ALTERNATE

The September Paper Pumpkin from SU had everything needed to make goodie bags for Halloween treats that looked like witches' brooms or haystacks (depending on how you used the kit.)  Since I only needed four, I decided to make cards with the leftover materials. 

The birch trees on the card were actually straws that were to be the broom handles.  After checking out the alternate projects posted on YouTube, I saw someone cut the straws, smooth them down with a bone folder and glue them to a card.  I couldn't resist doing the same thing and attaching them with glue dots to hold them securely.

The pumpkin stamp, Cajun Craze ink and sentiment were provided.  I added the blue ink and the die cut deer.  The slightly curved tree trunks and the brown "grass" give this card a lot of texture.

Stay tuned for more alternatives...I feel a shaker card coming on...

AUTUMN-Y FRIEND

Now that "butterfly season" is over (summer) I've turned my attention to bird stamps. This one is from the old SU set, "Touch of Nature," combined with the newer "Awesomely Artistic."

It all started when I found this Crumb Cake card base already embossed and cut.  Now that I've cut my dsp down to 4 1/4' x 6" and have them on my table top, it was easy to flip through and find one that would work.  After trimming and attaching it to the inside of the card, I used a strip of white stamped with the light blue design for the edge of the top piece.  Next I stamped the bird, "friend" and circular design in blue and added some light tan on the bird and branch.

After taking the photograph, I stamped a birthday greeting inside and added a few sequins on the front for a "Postage Friendly" finish!

AUTUMN POSTCARD

This was very easy to do.  I just heat embossed the postcard image in white and sponged Distress Inks over it as shown.

Instead of attaching the postcard to the orange panel with dimensionals, I glued a slightly smaller piece of fun foam to the back and glued that to the orange panel.  This will keep it firm while going through the mail.

After roughing the edges of the panel with a distress tool (you can also use your finger nail) I tied the jute around it and attached the panel to the card front.  I then added it to my Thanksgiving card collection.

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN--The Rule of Thirds

Using a panel from the SU English Garden dsp collection, I put this card together using the rule of thirds. The floral dsp covers the top 2/3 of the card, while the slanted stripes and cardstock strips filled the bottom third.

When using the rule of thirds, the "sweet spots"  are where the (undrawn) vertical and horizontal lines meet. In this case, that would be where the flower and the greeting are placed.  I don't know why this works, but the use of thirds is more pleasing to the eye.  From left to right, your eye is drawn first to the flower and then to the greeting, a very logical progression.

An easy way to test this is to draw lines on a piece of vellum that you can see through when placed over a card.  This is a helpful way to make your cards look more balanced.

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!

Since Christopher Columbus made his way here in a trio of ships, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about another element of design:  ODD NUMBERS.

Why odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye than even ones, in design that is, I don't know.  I just know it works.  This card shows both.  The three pearls at the bottom work very well, but the two at the top look out of place (to me.)  Even the single sequin works better than two would.  So once I finish this post, the two upper pearls will be removed.


One of the most common mistakes beginners make on cards is to over embellish, especially with gems and sequins.  If the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria were good enough for Columbus, then 3 is good enough for me.  Happy Columbus Day!

OAK AND ACORNS

Since the dsp is a heavy weight with white on the other side, I used it as the card base.  I stamped the oak leaves in black, then used a black pen to draw matching details on the wood embellishments (SU) below.  Although it doesn't show up here, I also used some clear Wink of Stella on the wood pieces.

The striped dsp has some sparkle in it, which adds just enough accent to the card front.  Another easy card!

WIND BLOWN LEAVES

Since the dsp used on this card suggested the wind, I arranged the leaves to suggest their being carried along.  I may change the sentiment later to something a bit larger... not sure yet...  

THANKSGIVING CARDS

Since I received over 50 birthday cards and like to respond, I will be sending a bunch of these out for Thanksgiving and include a thank-you.  The leaves and embossing folder eliminate the need for stamping, except for the inside.  Thanks to Evelyn who supplied the pre-cut leaves and the embossing folder.  The card base is Tip-Top Taupe from SU.

The hardest part of this card was gluing down the leaves with TomBow Mono glue.  Once I run out of these, though, I will use solid ones.  That should cut down the time to under 5 minutes per card!

VICTORIAN BIRTHDAY

Since this is a card for one of my friends who loves the Victorian style of decorating, I changed it up a bit after the photo was taken.  After carefully peeling off the scalloped square from the card front, I replaced the two ribbons with one organza ribbon that went around the card just above the square.  (It is a top fold card.)  I tied a big bow and reattached the square just below it.  It looked much more feminine after that.  I plan to hand deliver it tomorrow.



TIP:  I came up with a better way (for me) to store my 
12x12" dsp.  Since I no longer do scrapbooking, I cut each sheet into 4x6" panels for cards and store them upright in a clear plastic container on my table.  This makes them handy and keeps them in plain sight.

THANKSGIVING WREATH

Gotta love those peg stamps--they come in handy for so many card themes!

To make this wreath, I punched out a circle of fun foam to use as a guide for my "twig" base.  I loosely traced the first circle around it to avoid making a wreath that was oval or square-ish.  After making several circles in three different browns with SU markers, I used peg stamps for the leaves.  Then I splattered the card front with brown Distress Ink, added the "thanks" and attached the embroidery floss bow.

This makes for a quick and easy Thanksgiving card with lots of variations.  As shown in yesterday's Simple Saturday post, it also makes an even quicker Christmas card.

BTW, I'm still having to get a lot of rest because of the Epstein Barr virus, but I cut back on my activities for awhile.  This leaves more time to spend stamping in the "Tower."

SIMPLE SATURDAY #40--Christmas Wreath

HAPPY WORLD CARDMAKING DAY!