For You Parchment

This is a card for some special.  As with a lot of my parchment cards, it is quite an easy card to make although just takes quite a long time compared to other cards.

The envelope, note, butterflies and yellow flowers have all been 3D onto the card.  I first traced the design onto the parchment paper and embossed the flowers and leaves.  For the centre of the flowers I used Pergamano Pintura Paint in yellow to highlight. I then made a small envelope and notelet and embossed "For You" on it.  I then attached these to the card.  I then coloured a piece of parchment paper yellow and cut out the butterflies and lightly embossed them.  Then with a flower punch (which I found when cleaning out my craft room), I punched out some flowers with the same coloured parchment and added them with the butterflies to finish the card.

Although as yet I have not put an insert into this card, when I do I will ensure that insert has the top right and bottom left corners cut off so that it does not show under the cutaway section.

Card for Mother-in-law and friend

As my Mother- in-Law's birthday and a good friend’s birthday are within days of each other, I decided that this year I would make the same card for both of them.  I was just hoping that the stamps were going to arrive on time for me to make the cards otherwise I was going to have to think of another design and luckily for me they did.

I used the JustRite Violette Vintage Labels cling stamp set to first stamp the topper onto cream card which I then coloured with Copic pens and some of the background with Distress Ink.  Then I cut them out using the JustRite Vintage label and banner die.

  

I stamped around the edge of the card also with the Violette Vintage Labels set and also coloured with Copic pens.  I then made the background using the Couture Creations Embossing Folder Tied Together on a purple Stardream card.  I used purple ribbon down both edges of the background paper and on one side put a bow and on the other put a strip under that has 'Happy Birthday' on.  You cannot see it very well it these photos.

I cut out the sentiments from the Britannia dies and mounted these onto Spellbinders Framed Tags 1 for my Mother in Law and onto Spellbinders Ribbon Banners  for my friend and then mounted these on the cards.

Heart Card

As Valentine's day is tomorrow, I thought I would make this card.  It is a very quick parchment card as is a little tracing and embossing with some quick grid work on. I have saved the sentiment for the inside of the card.

I first traced the pattern onto the front of some parchment paper with both gold and white tinta ink. I then embossed the flower into the centre of the pattern.  I did not trace the pattern onto the parchment paper but instead just embossed.  To add depth, I stippled part of the stem.

The inside of the heart pattern was coloured with Dorso Pastel and then I embossed the hearts on the pattern with a cross hatch pattern and also the outline and pierced along the lines of the cross hatch.

Using a grid, I pierced the pattern on the rounder of the hearts pattern and then with a two hole tool, pierced down from the top left hand corner of the card to around the pattern and back down to the bottom left hand corner of the card.  I then cut away the parchment to form the front leaf of the card. 

I folded some pink card to create the inner of the card and trimmed around with some decorative scissors to finish the card.

Parchment Heart Card

This card has very little whitework or cutwork on, but is mainly painting. 

The back of the parchment between the edge and the inside heart has been coloured using Pergamano Dorso Pastels

The pattern was first traced with gold tinta ink and then traced the leaves with green tinta ink.  I then coloured the background with the Dorso Pastel.

I perforated the parchment paper with a 4 needle tool and I embossed in the middle of the perforated pattern, in the leaves  and also between the gold pattern.  Next I cut the crosses in the pattern.

 

I then painted the flowers using two colours of Pintura paint on the paintbrush and then added a centre to each flower and then highlighted each petal with blue Pintura Paint.

 

I then folded the parchment paper and with a two hole tool perforated around the outside of the pattern through the two layers and then cut out the shape to finish the card.

Butterfly Flitters

One thing about going to Jayne Nestorenko's workshops is that she always seems to come up with different projects.  This card was from another one one of her workshop and this was no exception. 

This one was made at the same time as another card.   Jayne has changed the way we do her workshops and it really good for everyone.  She gives all the projects out in the morning and goes through them and that way everyone can work at the own pace - rather than having some behind and some sitting there finished waiting for the next thing to do.  She goes through everything at first and then walks around ensuring that everyone knows what to do and helping where needed.

This card was made using one of her favourite stamps - although she did not design the stamp - a butterfly medallion stamp and it is hard to find this stamp now.  The butterfly was stamped 6 times onto different coloured card and each cut out leaving a little bit more each time.  The images were then glittered but only where it was going to show.  There was no glitter added that would be underneath any other card.  The background was made with That Special Touch Trellis Mask which was put through the Grand Calibur and embossed.  The diamond design was then cut out with a craft knife.  A piece of blue paper was attached to the back to make the trellis work stand out.  The background foliage was cut from Spellbinders Shadow Flowers.

The card was then finished by using Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue to create a trail.  I never quite finished it at the workshop and bought it hiome to finish and then put it in the unfinished pile and eventuaqlly got round to finishing it this week!

First Grandaughter Card

I was asked by a friend to make a card for his new Grandaughter.  I had previously made a card for his son's 21st birthday and was pleased that he thought to come back to me to make another.

It was his first grandchild and he was quite particular in what he wanted.  He provided the words that he wanted on the front and the verse inside but left the design up to me.  He wanted it as a keepsake for her.

He had requested that maybe a pram or something along those lines on the front of the card but when I saw a pattern for this dress and hat, I thought that would be more appropriate.

I first printed the verse on some beautiful textured baby pink shimmer card that I bought from ebay.  I thought that the words in the verse were beautiful and were really fitting for a grandaughter and am sure that she will treasure this when she learns to read.  I added a scroll to each side of her name and the bottom.

The words do not show up so well in the photo but read:-

DESTINY

Welcome to the world and to our family,
May your life be filled with love
in everything you see.
You have a precious mother
who will give you love and tender care.

Your Mum looked so proud of you

As you peacefully slept there.
She too was my first child,
not so many years ago.
And not ashamed to tell you
how I loved her so.
May your life be filled with laughter,
and always wear a smile,
So as you grow from baby to toddler,
from girl to woman,
we’ll always remember the first time
I saw you........love from your
Grandad.

I printed out the words for the front of the card on a piece on plain paper and then traced them onto parchment paper in silver.  I then traced the pattern of the dress and the hat in silver tinta ink. 

I then coloured the dress and hat with a dorso pastel leaving the areas that I wanted to emboss.  then embossed the looping pattern on the dress, the bottom of the hem and the bow.

With a flower tool I pierced the bottom of the dress hem and then using a four needle tool, pierced the body of the dress.

I then attached the parchment to the insert with ribbon to finish.  I glued the ribbon to both the card and the parchment paper and this ensured that the two would not come apart and also hid the glue on the parchment paper.

My friends was absolutely delighted with this card and so was his daughter.  I am sure that his grandaughter will treasure this in the years to come.

Rainbow Card

Happy New Year to all and no more Christmas items for at least another 9 months (I hope)!!  I hope this year brings good fortune to you all. 

I managed to post at least 2 blogs a month last year so just need to make sure that I keep it up this year. I also intend to keep my craft room under control after spending time getting it back to what it should be.  Hopefully I will be able to do more crafting this year.   I am determined to do a lot more colouring on my cards and thought I would start it off gently with this card.  This was made by colouring the reverse of the parchment to give it a variety of colour and although isn't quite the colouring that I mean, is still colourful enough to be included.

It was made using a straight grid as it would be extremely difficult to achieve this card without one.

I don't like using a lot of the grids that are available that have patterns built in to them as to me it takes out the joy of achieving the finish.  With the straight edge grid, it is more difficult to get right as you have to count where to place each piercing rather than just all the holes in the pattern.   It can be frustrating though to make a mistake right at the end of your pattern and have to start again. 

Once the pattern had been pierced, I coloured each flower on the reverse with Perga Color Exclusive pens and then attached a piece of rainbow card behind. 

As with most of my cards, I will then put a sentiment on it to fit the occasion that I give it to someone for.  I like to have a few cards to use quickly when I have not had time to make one at the time and this certainly came in useful last year although I am hoping to be more organised this year.