Thursday, September 25, 2014

 Graphic 45 Raining Cats and Dogs Cards

Cats are my favorite companion animals. As anyone who knows me is aware, I love dogs, too. But cats are my first love. Graphic 45 has published a pad of cat and dog themed papers. Of course I had to make a card using these papers.
Now, I love elegant and complicated cards as well as anyone else. But sometimes you need a card NOW, and don't have time for a more elaborate card if you want to have something on a timely basis
Here is an example of a card that is striking and attractive. Just a few touches take it out of the realm of simply simple to something with a bit of  'pizzazz'
The matting for the image has rounded corners, a decorative bottom border (a Martha Stewart punch) a bit of gold trim. The greeting is stamped on pale cream card stock with Stampin' Up  Rose Red ink and then matted on the same paper as the main image. The black card base makes the whole thing pop.  I thought I might add a bow to this, but it just didn't look right. This is intended as a class project. 

Graphic 45 Twas The Night Before Christmas Card Design

I always love seeing the gorgeous designs from Graphic 45 papers. Their new Christmas themed paper collection is titled "The Night Before Christmas". I'm making some cards for a class that I plan to teach at EASY AS CAT SOUP, a stamp, scrap and mixed media store in Anderson SC. This is the first card. Actually pretty simple and fast to make. I think that people who are making Christmas cards really want something that is not terribly time consuming but also eye catching. For this card the only paper product not from the pad is the card base. That is a Bazill Basics card stock. The colour wasn't labeled on the shelf, but any red that 'goes' with the colours in the card will work. I think a deep green would also go well. It would pop the lighter greens in the paper designs. The bow is made on a new-to-me bowmaker from Craft-debowz. Later, I will be posting cards with some more elaborate bows made on this tool. It is available from Easy As Cat Soup. The glittery trim is  from Starform Glitter Stickers. I love those stickers because they are a fast, easy way to add a lot of zip to a card design,

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

My online art group has another 'mingle' that I think is really fascinating. Each participant is to create a 4 in x  6 in background and mail it to the assigned partner. The partner then collages an altered  page on that background and mails it back to the originator. Here is the background that I made for my partner. I'm anxious to see what she will do with it



If this works out well, I might try exchanging with other art friends to see what they do, and then bind it into a friendship exchange book. 

Thursday, September 4, 2014

One of the online art groups to which I belong has a 'mingle' in which participants are to make 1 altered 5x 7in, page for each of three people. This is one of the pages I made. Don't know which one is going to receive it, I have two more pages in various stages of completon.
For this one I started with 90# vellum finish Bristol board. I used Tim Holtz Distress Pants on a craft sheet, Then the paint was spritzed with water and the page dragged through it. When it was dry I used a stencil with Ranger Texture paste to create the floral pattern. When it was dry I used Iced Spruce Distress ink and then dusted the raised pattern with Forever Green Perfect Pearls..The ferns were stamped with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink, and embossed with Ranger Sticky Powder and then had Bronze foil applied. Branches in the upper right corner were stamped with Mowed Lawn DIstress ink, then Forever Green Perfect Pearls brushed on. The whole page was edged with Mowed Lawn Distress ink, then Pearl Perfect Pearls brused over that.
Finally, a bird image was cut out and perched on a piece of Crepe Myrtle bark from one of my trees
I hope you like it.

Monday, September 1, 2014

I seem to have become a card making fool. These are four cards I designed for a class to be held at EASY AS CAT SOUP in Anderson SC, The class will be 10:30 AM Sat. Sept 20. These are the four card designs I will teach. The papers are from Graphic 45 Come With Me collection. They can be used for almost any occasion. Birthdays, Graduations, Job change, Retirement are all starting points in life's journeys. Of course travel itself is cause for celebration.  And then, we all start new journeys each year as we celebrate another year of life.
I hope you enjoy the card designs. Perhaps I will see you in the class.