Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Core'dinations Design Team Call

I've been making my own greeting cards for more than twenty years, starting with birthday and Christmas cards to my aunts and uncles and closest friends.  I like to use calligraphy, watercolors and colored pencils in cardmaking...almost always with some sort of stamping.

I just discovered Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock in my favorite craft store within the past year, and now I find myself applying for their next design team.  


Unfortunately, I've been needing a lot of sympathy cards this year, so first I created this one, using a lovely green from the Core'dinations Nostalgia stack.  I love the soft supple feel of this paper--the fact that it doesn't get little tears when scored!


Morning
First I scored a sheet for a 5 x 7-inch card, but I left the front a little long, because I wanted to tear the edge.  Wet the area first for an easier, prettier tear.

Then I sanded the front, rougher around the edges, gradually sanding more gently as I worked inward.


I calligraphed a quotation along the right side and then inked the edges with Chestnut Roan from Clearsnap.


I stamped the first flower along the left with black ink.  After cleaning the stamp, I misted it with water and colored directly onto the stamp with watercolor pencils.  Misted again and then stamped.  Voila!  A beautiful watercolored flower!




**Supplies**
Cardstock:  Nostalgia pack (Core'dinations)
Clear stamp:  Meadow set (Inkadinkado)
Chestnut Roan fluid chalk ink (Clearsnap)
Tuxedo black dye ink (Tsukineko)
Watercolor Pencils: kingfisher blue, olive green, copper beach, imperial purple (Derwent)
Scheaffer calligraphy pen

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From Paradise
That green cardstock I had just used...I was immediately pairing it in my mind with shades of brown.  I thought of someone finding an old treasure map.  With that in mind, I created this birthday card.  

First, I had to "destroy" my precious cardstock!  (I did this several times, just to make it even softer with wrinkles.  I found it easier with this cardstock than with other brands.)  When you get past those first guilty feelings, it's actually kinda fun.


From this wrinkled piece of paper, I cut a 3 3/4-inch square and stamped the palm tree with brown and green chalk inks.  On leftover paper, I stamped this "Happy Birthday,"  tore the edges close around it and sponged those edges with brown ink.


I created the card base from dark brown cardstock.   And cut my green cardstock 4 1/4-inches square.  I attached the wrinkled palm tree square to this green square with four brads and finished assembling the card, giving it a sort of random look.


**Supplies**
Cardstock:  Nostalgia stack (Core'dinations)
Stamps:  Palm tree (Michaels) Sweetheart Birthday set (Flonzcraft)
Chalk ink:  Chestnut Roan, Olive Green, Burnt Sienna (clearsnap)
4 brads
Zots glue dots

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My favorite card I've created lately is this one.  I've fallen in love with hydrangeas in the past few years.  We've put SEVEN of them around the yard!  And so I come back to this hydrangea stamp quite often.

Today
I started by making a 5 x 7-inch card of lilac cardstock.  I cut a piece of pale celery green 4 3/4 x 6-inches and then trimmed one short edge with the Floral Crochet punch.



I stamped two hydrangeas with Chestnut Roan (carefully masking the first one before stamping the second!) and colored them with blue, lilac and olive green colored pencils.


On a scrap piece of the light green, I stamped this "live, laugh, love, today."  I gently sanded just the edges of each piece before assembling the card.




I just LOVE this card!  I already know who I'll be sending it to.  And I'm planning my NEXT Core'dinations card!

**Supplies**
Cardstock:  Nostalgia stack (coredinations)
Stamps:  Hydrangea, Cherish Yesterday set (Hero Arts)
Chestnut Roan fluid chalk ink (clearsnap)
Colored pencils:  lilac, deco blue, olive green
Large Crocheted Flower Punch (Martha Stewart)

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1 comment:

  1. These are amazing creations :) I like the distressing done on ur cards !

    ReplyDelete

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