Cards

Our daughter was here for an art day, so we made cards again. Not so many this time, as we had a lot to show each other of the things we'd done since her last visit.

I had a chance to use some of the pieces that were made when I tested the Big Shot die machine.

Art Day

Our daughter came yesterday for an Art Day. We made cards and had a great time.

We didn't even make that much of a mess.

She gave me this beautiful necklace that she had made. For the Bead Journal Project, she is making Mother/Daughter necklaces-similar but with a difference. Click on the Karen label at the right to go to her blog. My husband took 4 pictures of us wearing them, but they look so bad that we have decided neither of us would post them!

Cards

More cards.  The upper left was done by marbling on shaving cream. It's a fun technique where you make a layer of shaving cream, drop paint on it, use a skewer to move it into a pattern, and then make a print by putting the paper on it. Remove and let dry, then scape the cream off.

The lower left has a piece of paste paper. Paint is thickened with a special paste then applied to the paper. While it is still wet, it is drawn into leaving a pattern.

Thanks for all the comments on my green piece. I'll probably try cutting it into cards.

Cards

One afternoon when I didn't know what I wanted to do, I made some more cards. The cardstock is a prescored paper in a big pack from Michael's. The envelopes were from Goodwill-a whole sack of white ones in different sizes.

I make up little components and keep a box of them for when needed and also a box of paper scraps. They are handy to use sitting at a table and watching the news.

More cards

This is an easy project to do when I need to sit and relax. Small elements are in one box. Three of us got together here one day and just made little elements with scraps of ribbons, trims, lace, beads, and all those scrapbooking charm type things that you buy, because they look cute, then don't know what to do with.

Rubber stamps and stickers are always fun too.

I still don't have enough cards to give groups of them to my quilt group on my birthday but have until the end of March. We give little  gifts on our birthdays rather than receive them. That way we don't have to remember when the others are having a birthday and risk forgetting someone.

Cards

I had run out of hand made cards and decided it was past time to replace them, so this is part of the result.To cardstock, I added painted, marbled, textured paper. I used the Xyron machine to add adhesive to the back making it easy to apply them.

The small decorations are a technique I learned at Art and Soul in Portland several years ago in a class with Beryl Taylor. You use leftover bits and layer them into a small design. I had a container of them to play with.

Punches can create lots of different shapes to use, and there are inexpensive stitch on jewels and bits too.

It really went quite quickly while I listened/watched the news(if I watch TV without working, I fall asleep-doesn't matter how exciting it is).

Cards, gifts

I went on a card making spree thinking that sets of them would make good gifts. When two of us marbled fabrics in S. California and sold the garments I made, I kept all the scraps of course. They really weren't big enough to do much with but were perfect for this. I used the envelopes I'd gotten at Goodwill and cut card stock in lots of colors to fit them. The fabrics are fused to the cardstock. Quick and easy. The directions are from SueB and are at www.twocreativestudios.com in the free projects section.

I'm trying to use up things that are around here and still come up with nice gifts. We all have so much that it seems like the best idea. To answer some of the comments on the totes, I, too, have been carrying my own to the stores to keep from using the plastic ones which I always did hate. They slide around the car, so you end up rebagging things when you get home and are a pain to store, tend to break, and are ugly.

Cards

The other day Goodwill had a giant sack of white envelopes for $2. How could I pass that up?
I cut cardstock and folded it to size to fit the envelopes. The Xyron machine put adhesive on the backs of some papers I had. Then I cut them up and stuck them to the cards.

Stickers added focal points to some of the cards.

I'll add text as I need depending on what I use the cards for. It was a fun afternoon, and there are tons of envelopes left for next time.