Monday, November 30, 2009

Japanese Themed Christmas Card


They don't really celebrate Christmas in Japan, but it is a recognized holiday. New Year is more important to the Japanese.

I made these cuts using the Pagoda cartridge. The dolls were cut at 2", and the flowers and the fan at 1". The striped paper is from MAMBI and the floral printed paper is from an old stash. I doodled on the dolls' hair using Galaxy marker and accented their outfits with liquid pearls. I placed white pearls on the center of the flowers for a "Mikimoto" look. The dragonfly is a sticker from Jolee's. I did the calligraphy on the right side of the card. Merry Christmas or "Merii Kurisumasu", was written in Katakana, which is used for foreign names. The background paper is Seersucker Stripe on Fern.

I mainly used 4 out of the Seven Japanese principles of art: Kansu or simplicity, Fukinsei or asymmetry, Seijaku or calmness, and Datsuzoku or a breaking free from the conventional as my inspirations for this card.

Here's "Merii Kurisumasu" in horizontal format:



The vertical format for "Merii Kurisumasu":

Saturday, November 28, 2009

More cards


I finally managed to finish the cards for the remaining sketches. For sketch 2, I used the star cut at 3" from Christmas solutions and embossed the background with the Snowflakes embossing folder by Cuttlebug. The sentiment is computer generated. The ribbon used is from Offray and the corners are stickers.



I made two cards for sketch three, using the colors from the Ad Challenge.




I used the dog cut at 2 1/2 " from the Paisley Cartridge. The labels are from Nestabilities. The sentiment is computer generated. I thought of those words when I was making the card. I doodled on the dog's face using a 0.25 mm technical pen. I accented the cuts using liquid pearls. The cuts were colored using chalks. I love the dog's "Look at me, I'm amazing" expression.


The scraps challenge had a snowflake theme. The card for sketch 2 also fits into this challenge. For this card, I used my Winter Woodland cartridge for the houses and the snowflake. The center snowflake is from Shapeabilities. I used Icicle stickles and liquid pearls as accents and colored the cuts with chalk. The background was cut using a Nestabilities label.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Sassy Tinkerbell Christmas Card

I made just one card for this week's challenge at RAQ's. The rest is to follow, hopefully. This has been a busy week, to top off all busy weeks. I'm glad I was able to have time to craft. God is good!

I used sketch 1 for my Tinkerbell Christmas card.


The Tinkerbell that I made is only 4" high. I used my favorite medium-- a 0.25 mm technical pen, as well as chalks and colored markers for her features. I wanted her dress to look like silk, so I painted over it using metallic ink. I used flower soft for the white portion of her dress and the pompom in her shoes. Stickles were also used in her shoes, dress and ponytail holder. The snowflakes beside her are from Christmas solutions cartridge, and the red snowflake at the right corner is from Spellbinders. The "Santa Baby" stamp is from the dollar bin at Joann's . Nestabilities were used for the base and the frame of the stamped sentiment. Liquid pearls were used for the scalloped frame and the center of the snowflake on the right. The brads were bought at the stamping convention for an awesome 15 cents apiece! The crystals at the side of the brads are from The Paper Studio.







Thursday, November 19, 2009

This Week At RAQ's

We had four sketches for this week at RAQ's. I was excited when I saw the first sketch, since I had some polka-dotted paper, as well as a heart flourish stamp which would be perfect for the first sketch.



Paper used was from DCWV. Ribbon is from Offray. Stamp used was Filigree Heart by The Artful Stamper. The word "love" is from the cart Jasmine, cut at 1 1/2". I also used the "Sweetheart" embossing powder from Creations Unlimited.



Inside the card is a poem that I wrote, inspired by the color scheme.



The second sketch reminded me of an awning and a window under it.



So that's what I made, but with a Christmas theme. For the awning, I used Plantin' Schoolbook, cut at 1 1/2", the window is from Christmas Solutions. For the wreath, I used Nestabilities, MS branch punch and flower soft. The bird is from A Child's Year. The sentiment label is from Nestabilities. Ribbon is from the dollar bin at Michael's. The tree was cut freehand.



I made a Thanksgiving card for the third sketch. Cartridges used were: A Child's Year and Wild Card for the sentiment. I drew the children's features and additional details using a 0.25mm technical pen, pencils and chalk. Paper used is from MAMBI and Core'dinations. I also used the pumpkin embossing folder from Cuttlebug. Frame for the sentiment is from Nestabilities.





For the third sketch, I made a special cut for the card base.




Instructions: Cut a 12x12 paper at 4"x12", and score at 4" three times. Second step is to score the first and third boxes diagonally, at a 45 degree angle. Trim off the upper triangle of the first square, and the lower triangle for the third square, leaving the middle square as is.



Cut two 4"x4" papers and trim them for the two triangle halves. Cut two pieces of 3/8" ribbon at 9" and insert them under the triangle halves. For the center design, I cut the candy snowflake from When It's Cold Outside at 3". I used Nestabilities labels for the base.

Attach your center design (in this card, the label with the snowflake) to the triangle on the right, making sure the ribbon is under the center design. Tie a bow to close the card. Trim off excess ribbon.


Monday, November 16, 2009

Exploding Gift Box, Tea Light and Card

I made this exploding gift box as an alternative to a traditional gift box or bag. To make this, I used 3 12x12 cardstock (I used a single color; you can also use coordinating colors) and 3 12x12 designer paper. For the largest box, I scored a 12x12 cardstock at 4" three times. The second cardstock measured 10 1/2" x 10 1/2". I scored it at 3 1/2" three times. The third cardstock measured 9"x9". I scored this at 3" three times to make the smallest box. I trimmed the three cardstocks, removing the excess cardstock that will not be part of the boxes. It looked like this when I was done:



I scored the 12x12 desgner paper at 4", 3 1/2" and 3" and cut squares to cover the sides of the three boxes. I used paper from MAMBI.



I then glued to insides of the smallest box images from A Child's Year. They were cut at 2 1/2", except for the turkey which was cut at 2".



For a memory box, I would've added pictures, sayings, tags, etc. But I kept it simple for this exploding box because I meant to use it as a gift box. I scored a cream-colored cardstock at 4 1/4", with a 1/2" allowance for the sides. I then cut the tabs and glued them together.



The box top was embellished with die cuts made using Nestabilities pendants and Core'dinations cardstock.


The sides were also decorated using Nestabilities pendants and Core'dinations cardstock. The punch for the border of the box top is from Martha Stewart. Ribbon is from Seasons.



I had two different designs for the sides of the box.



I made a card using the scraps to go with the gift box. It's actually the recipient's birthday.



For the tealight holder, I used an 8 1/4"x 2 1/2 piece of cardstock. I scored it at 2" four times, then at 1/4". The 1/4" flap is for securing the ends with glue.



I made windows using Nestabilities Labels 4 and covered it with vellum paper. The die cut images were cut at 2". The turkey was cut at 1 1/2". I made the images face the ones that I glued on the smallest box.








Friday, November 13, 2009

Christmas Lantern Card


I decided to make a Christmas Lantern Card for RAQ's Challenge, as well as the Scraps Challenge at Cricut.com. The theme was "stars" for the Scraps Challenge," and the third sketch at RAQ's is a shape card. I made two of each cuts, so I can attach them back to back. The star from Plantin' Schoolbook was cut at 6", and the wreath is actually a tag from A Child's Year, cut at 7". I then cut a 5" hole in the wreath using Martha Stewart's Circle Cutter. The foliage was made using Martha Stewart's branch punch. The Nativity scene in the center of the star is from When It's Cold Outside, cut at 2 1/2", layered on top of a piece of vellum paper. The small stars were cut using Nestabilites.

I sprayed Glacier Glimmer Mist on a plain white cardstock that was used for the wreath. The paper for the star is Stardust Stars Royal Blue from Making Memories. For the Nativity scene and the smaller stars, I used Stardust Solid Royal Blue, also from Making Memories. The stamp used for the sentiment is from Great Impressions. Ribbon is from Offray.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Ad Challenge For This Week

I used the first sketch at RAQ's for the ad challenge. The paper used is from MAMBI, and the ribbons are from Offray. The card was cut at 6" using A Child's Year. The angel clipart and the sentiment are from ATC Collection. The frames are Nestabilities Labels 8.


Butterfly Card


I made this card for the "critter" theme in the scrap challenge. I used Core'dinations cardstock. The butterfly card is from A Child's Year, cut at 5 1/2". I embossed it with Cuttlebug's Floral Fantasy folder, after which I sanded the paper down and applied metallic inks, for a shadowed effect. I finished it off with platinum and silver Liquid Pearls. I can't believe just how sturdy the cardstock was. I was even able to let the butterfly stand on its tiny, spindly legs!

This card won at the Practical Scrappers website! Yay! :-))))))

http://www.practicalscrappers.com/2009/11/winner-of-cardstock-challenge-is.html

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Cards at RAQ's For This Week




I love the sketches for this week's challenge at RAQ's! I was looking for excuses to make a page for Logan. This picture was taken using my husband's IPhone, and he edited the background so that everything else will be black and white.



The paper is from DCWV. The paw embellishments were cut using Nestabilities, and punched out. The label for the sentiment is also from Spellbinders. The ribbon is Offray. I used Doodlecharms for the border and Plantin' Schoolbook for Logan's name. I used the "roly poly" function. The cat stamp is from Magenta stamps. I love the hieroglyphics right beside the stamp. Cats were worshipped during the peak of the Egyptian civilization. They had a goddess, Bastet who had a cat's head.

I also experimented on a new technique when I was trying to add texture to the letters. I covered the letters first with Crystal Effects, then I dried it using a heat gun. I ended up with raised areas and bubbles everywhere. I layered some moonlight ink on top of the "bubbles".



For the second sketch, I used my Tinkerbell and Friends cart. Tinkerbell is cut at 6". I cut the wings at filigree, and colored it with Icicle Stickles. The vellum base of the wings was colored with Crystal Stickles. I glued flower soft to the edge of her dress and her shoes. The pompom has white flower soft glued to it. I used Nestabilities for the sentiment background, and I embossed it using the Snowflakes Cuttlebug folder. The sentiment is from Wild Card. I used the scrap feather boa from my first diaper cake for the bottom of the card. I drew on Tinkerbell's face using Zig markers and a .25 technical pen.



I used the doily card from Wild Card for my third sketch. The snowflake is from When It's Cold Outside. The card was cut at 6" and the skates snowflake was cut at 4". I used Nestabilities to cut the vellum paper and tied a baby blue ribbon from Offray at the side of the card. Liquid Pearls were used to embellish the scallops.


Monday, November 9, 2009

Baby Card

I made an A2 card using the rest of the paper. Pink Offray ribbons were used, and I had cut an oval using Nestabilities scalloped oval for the sentiment. I dotted the scallops with Liquid Pearls. The stamps used are from Stampin' Up.

Tinkerbell Diaper Cake

I used approximately 45 size 1 Pampers diapers, and a 15 oz Johnson's baby lotion bottle as the mold. Using a wave pattern, I wrapped the diapers around the lotion bottle, and tied them using a pink yarn. I ironed and folded two flannel baby blankets and covered the lower and middle layers. I accessorized with 4 yards of 1 1/2" satin ribbon, flowers from Paper Studio and of course, the fairy wings and wand. I placed crystals in the center of the flowers.





Tinkerbell was cut at 6". The wings were cut separately using vellum paper for the base, and pink cardstock cut at filigree. I colored Tinkerbell with chalk, and drew on her features using a .25mm technical pen, galaxy marker for the white portion in her eye, and a blue Zig marker. Her lips were drawn using a pink Zig marker. The paper for her dress and shoes, as well as the background for the baby's name is from DCWV. I traced the details on the wings with Crystal and Strawberry Ice Stickles. Flower soft was added for more dimension.



The baby's name was cut at 2 1/2", font used was Alphalicious.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Traditional Version


Here is the traditional version of the Thanksgiving Card, same clip art. I used a reversible satin bow from Seasons, and the leaf brad is from The Paper Studio. The lace is from Making Memories.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Nontraditional Thanksgiving Card

For this week's Color Challenge at Cricut.com, we were supposed to use rust, yellow and purple. I love this clip art and decided to use it on my card. I used flowers instead of leaves for my embellishments. The clip art is from Mixed Holiday A.T.C. Collection, and the flowers are from The Paper Studio. I used the Argyle embossing folder for the background. This card was fast and easy to do.