Handmade Cards: Quilted Stars

A while ago I saw some cards that used this Square Lattice embossing to create a quilted look.  Last week I was looking at the most recent create blog challenge gallery and loved that first card with the triangle-pieced stars.  I couldn't wait to put the two ideas together in these two cards!

I made the triangles by punching squares using a Square Punch and then cutting the squares in half.  The papers were just scraps of patterned paper that hat been languishing (some for years!) in my paper scraps.  The old ones were not particularly loved papers.  Some were kindly handed down to me by a friend moving overseas.  None of them really go together, but the embossing still makes them pretty and ties the whole look together!  

To make the design I arranged my scraps how I wanted them first.  You can see that in one card I arranged the colors randomly and in the other I used yellows in the center, pinks next, then greens on the outside.  I like both looks.  I put adhesive on my background paper in approximately the right spots, then moved my design onto the adhesive.  In some places there wasn't enough adhesive to keep a triangle down and I had to add some liquid glue under one side.  In other places adhesive was showing with nothing glued to in and I had to remove it. 

Side note: Do you have one of these adhesive removal tools?  They are sooo handy!  Just rub the sticky off!  

Then I took the entire design and embossed it through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.  This is a 5x7" card so I had to run the white piece through twice to cover the entire surface.  Of course, this folder is such a regular pattern that it was easy to line it up correctly the second time.  One thing I'm still working on is trying not to get a flattened out area just beyond the overlap - if anyone has any tips on this I would love to hear them!

Handmade Card: Merry Christmas

I guess I'm addicted to woodgrain patterns!  I can't seem to resist using either my woodgrain stamp or my woodgrain embossing folder on card after card.  I like how very shiny the gold detailing on these leaves is!  Also, see the ends of the light green piece?  I punched just the ends with the Decorative Label Punch, one of my favorites. 

I am excited for the card sale tonight!

Handmade Cards: Photo Cards

I've also been making some cards using photo art. I have a lot of different styles of these! I really like them and will be using some myself for some of my greeting card needs in the future. They use photos I took and editied and are on really nice quality cardstock bases. I don't know if they are less work than the regular handmade cards (all that photo editing is quite a learning curve for me!), but most of the work is up front so I can easily make multiples - thus, I'll be offering a little sale on sets of four of these!

Handmade Card: Baby

This baby is one-of-a-kind! I had that adorable b-a-b-y pennant set (but only one) and couldn't WAIT to make it into a card. This is another large, 5x7 beauty. Those raised dots (a Big Shot creation) are so sweet. The flower has a lot of soft dimension.

It was so much fun to make something soft and pink after all the BOY scrapbooking I do!

This will be for sale along with all the others I've been posting at the Holiday Sale. Come check it out!

 

P.S. Do the larger pictures work for you? Let me know if it looks right on your computer!!

Handmade Card: Count your blessings, not your birthdays

This card started out as something entirely different - it was going to have red and a chicken on it.    However, I'm so happy with how it turned out that I may make a few more! I think the little circle of cork is a fun texture and of course I love those embossed butterflies, made with the Beautiful Wings Embosslits die.  That's even a sparkly blue staple holding on the ribbon. 

I'm really getting excited for my card sale on Friday and Saturday!  Stay tuned for more pictures of cards!

Handmade Cards: All things bright and beautiful

Have you been out Black Friday shopping this morning?  That's our plan - it's a little tradition that always feels fun and adventurous.  We're a little disgruntled about shops being open on Thanksgiving.  I hope that doesn't ruin our Friday fun this year!

And now that we can officially kick off the Christmas season, here is my next card to show you.  These are also for the Holiday Sale and they were really fun to make with my new stamp set, Beautiful Season.  I made several of them, since I enjoyed them so much.  The holly and bird image is stamped and embossed (so that it is raised) and then hand painted with a combination of Stampin' Up! Watercolor Crayons and Luminarte paints. Doing these little paintings is therapeutic at the end of a long day!  The background is stamped and embossed with gold embossing powder in the Woodgrain Background stamp - one of my favorites.

The inside reads "May your season be blessed with all things bright & beautiful":  may your season start off that way, today!

Handmade Cards: happy birthday

Here is the turquoise version with a "happy birthday" sentiment.  I chose to use the same stamps just because I was loving them so much!  The large floral medallion-style stamp is from Day of Gratitude by Stampin' Up.  That flourish from the background and the envelope is part of the Bliss set, which unfortunately can't be purchased right now.  The little tag is stamped with a tiny flourish from the Tiny Tags stamp set and punched out with the Jewelry Tag punch.  I love that punch!  I have a set of these done to sell... if someone buys all of them I'm going to have to make some more!

Handmade Cards: Thinking of You -and- Holiday Sale!

I've been busy making lots and lots of cards!  I'm going to be participating in a holiday sale by Amanda, at whose class I made my fused glass plate.  She is bringing together a few women to make or sell items here southwest Austin for a fun holiday event.

I've never sold my cards before but I'm excited about it.

This card (I have a set of these) is a large, 5x7 kraft card with matching envelope.  I've used stamps, ribbon, a tiny tag attached with a silver jump ring.  The sentiment reads "Thinking of You" in raised cream-colored ink.  The stamps are mostly by Stamin' Up! - aren't they pretty?