Masking Tape Frames

It's been a while since we got together.  

October is already more than half over, and I'm still waiting for McIntosh apples to hit the grocery store.  I like to bite into a crisp and juicy one while watching the sunset deepen from our kitchen window.

Last time I showed you some of my cardmaking using masking tape.

There's nothing quite like it for creating one-layer cards.  

Below, I started with a pre-folded watercolor card and created a frame with masking tape.

***I take out some of the stickiness by sticking it to myself a few times!

Inside the frame, I stamped this discontinued flower from Hero Arts, using watercolor pencils.  After stamping, I deepened shadows and added a loose background with watercolor pencils and a brush...not using too much water.

I added a bit of calligraphy for the complete card.  This was a birthday card for my cousin's daughter.

I did pretty much the same thing here with this rose stamp, a new one from Hero Arts, adding a wash of blue and yellow around the flower.

What's your favorite way to mask?

Embossed Iris

Like many newspapers, I'm sure, our local rag doesn't publish much of a society page any more.  They'e even shifted the obituaries to the back of an insert!

I take it these new editors have never watched The Andy Griffith Show.  They don't know (or maybe don't really care) what sections of the paper we head to first.  Maybe they've never heard of sitting down with the paper at breakfast, rather than scanning it in the car on a tablet.

But anyway...

...this one 50th anniversary picture on the back of the paper happened to be someone I know.  Immediately, I had an idea in mind, and I thought it would fit in with the latest

 Penny Black Saturday Challenge.  

I love, love, LOVE this Penny Black iris.  Usually, I stamp it with watercolor pencils.  Here, I thought I'd do that on a leftover scrap of watercolor paper and then add a vellum overlay, which has an embossed iris.  I sometimes worry about vellum overheating and curling up when I use embossing powders, but it's never happened yet.  I stamp with watermark ink, sprinkle on the gold embossing powder and heat carefully, making sure not to stay in one spot too long.  

Isn't this pad of watercolor cardstock from Momenta absolutely scrumptious?  I cut a square of the green hue and attached the stamped layers with gold brads.  

The sentiment was stamped and embossed on another scrap of watercolor paper (I guess there are some benefits from making mistakes on my calligraphy!).  I attached that to the card with adhesive foam squares.

I'm so pleased, I think I'll make a few more as birthday cards...and maybe a get-well.

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Just add water...color

I love creating cards with watercolors.   Usually, I head right for one of my flower stamps, but yesterday morning I picked up this airplane from Serendipity Stamps.  I misted and colored with watercolor pencils, stamped...and then added a little guy inside the cockpit with a dab of gray paint.

Using these new brassy brads I got a Hobby Lobby, I layered this on some old map patterned paper, die-cutting this "Thanks" from Little Yellow Bicycle from the leftover scraps.

I'm happy with it!

I'm entering this in the latest Serendipity Stamps Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!

Background Stamping

Hollyhocks.  

I love hollyhocks.

I've always heard my great-grandmother Sarah Jane had hollyhocks and sweet pea, and it's made me want them even more.  We used to have hollyhocks growing abundantly in our east front yard--every color, growing as tall as I am--but over the years they faded out, and it's been a struggle to get new ones growing.  Sweet pea, I just planted out by the back fence this spring.  

I love this hollyhock stamp from Serendipity Stamps so much, I'm always looking for new ways to use it.  

This afternoon I made a card for the 

On a scrap of watercolor paper (leftover from a calligraphy project), I used an oval mask and inked up this big stamp from Inkadinkado with brown dye ink.  I lightly misted it with water before stamping, for a slightly mottled look.  

Removing the mask, it was time to color my hollyhock stamp with watercolor pencils, laying on thick color, misting and stamping.  The sentiment is from Flonz.

When dry, I layered this piece on a pre-folded kraft card and added a few wood sequins.

Oh, good.  It looks like rain, and I can hear thunder coming closer.  We need it!

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I love your comments!

Backgrounds

I'd been searching for just the right background for this hollyhock (one of my newest favorite stamps from Serendipity Stamps)  I stamped with watercolor pencils, and today I decided to emboss a pink piece of cardstock and lightly distress it with sandpaper, sponge those edges with brown chalk ink and mount it all on a square celery card. 

I know this isn't an autumn card, but it's hard to think autumn when it's still so sunny and hot here!  Looks like the forecast might be changing pretty soon, though.  Hooray!

I'm entering this in the Serendipity Stamps Challenge #47, which is all about creating your own background.  

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another one for Susan

Planning this card for Susan, I had a dilemma.  I knew I wanted to use the Serendipity Stamps hollyhock, and I also wanted a fence image to go with it.  But...I wanted to keep this a clean, one-layered card. 

After much puzzling--and one ugly disaster!--I hit upon this solution. 

I die cut this fence from Spellbinders and used it as a mask, sponging around it with Sky Blue and Moss Green.  Then I stamped my hollyhock with watercolor pencils and added a bit of calligraphy.

I'm entering this in the Serendipity Stamps SSCB #46: Anything Goes

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Anything Goes

Can you tell I'm in love with bluebonnets this year?

A whole patch of them popped up by surprise this spring.  Then I couldn't resist a little container of Scottish bluebonnets at the grocery store greenhouse, and those are still blooming!

That's why I had to have this bluebonnet stamp, and I used it yet again to create a birthday card for my honorary fourth sister, my sister-in-law, Susan.

I stamped the bluebonnets with blue and green watercolor pencils.  I layered this on a card made from part of an old DCWV stack.  The birthday wish is from Flonz, the Sweetheart Birthday set.

I'm entering this in the Serendipity Stamps SSCB #46, "Anything Goes."

Thank you so much for stopping by!

I appreciate all comments.

Blooming Hollyhocks

The hollyhocks in our yard are fading fast, especially with the temperatures nudging up near 100 day after day.  My hollyhock stamp from Serendipity Stamps, however, keeps on blooming.

I didn't mean to mess with cards today.  I meant to get back to work on a dress for my mother.  But I couldn't resist making these cards for her to use instead.

I used my watercolor pencils directly on the hollyhock stamp for both of these cards, using greys (with a touch of black here and there) on the first and pinks on the second.

Other supplies:  pre-folded watercolor card from Strathmore: Stitched Banner Duo die set and pink sequins from Pretty Pink Posh;  Cherish Yesterday stamp set from Hero Arts

I'm entering these cards in the Serendipity Stamps Challenge #45, Monochrome

Thanks so much for stopping by!

CardMaker Hop with Ellison/Sizzix

Hello, and welcome to your next stop on the CardMaker and Sizzix Blog Hop!

I hope you've been following along.   The CardMaker  and Sizzix blog teams have joined up for more than a week of cardmaking fun.   Sizzix is hosting an incredible giveaway on their blog, so you won't want to miss a stop along the way. 

I couldn't believe it when this huge box of goodies from Ellison/Sizzix arrived at my door.  Thank you, thank you!!!  I've been saying those words every day as I use my new Big Shot.   And I LOVE that Extended Mulitpurpose Platform.  No more hunting around for something to add a little extra thickness to my "sandwich."   Everything glides though so easily, I think there's no way it could have cut, but there it is--all the perfect little pieces I need, trimmed beautifully.  

We were given our choice of Stephanie Barnard designs to work with.  I picked Triplits Spring Birds.

http://www.ellison.com/product/660136/sizzix-triplits-die-set-15pk-spring-birds

Dusty Pink Card Duo

I made these two cards with basically the same supplies, just switching out the base card color, using a different branch (cut at the same time!) from the Spring Greenery set, etc.

Supplies:  brown cardstock from Little Yellow Bicycle; white cardstock from Bazzil Basics; Botanical stack from Prima Marketing Inc.; pink patterned paper from My Mind's Eye; Single Iris stamp from Penny Black; Chestnut Roan chalk ink from Clearsnap: Quickie glue pen from Sakura; calligraphy pen, fine nib and brown ink from Sheaffer: deckle scissors from Fiskars; Nestabilities classic large ovals and scalloped ovals from Spellbinders; Triplits Spring Birds die set #660136 (die 1) and Jim Holtz Spring Greenery die set from Sizzix

Hello, Birdie
When I opened up this set of dies, first thing I pictured was somehow making a tree with my bird.  I tried several different methods, but none of them pleased me.  Then suddenly this came to me.  I covered the whole card front with the brown patterned paper from my favorite Tattered and Worn stack, and then I cut this Apron Dots paper slightly smaller with an angle on the left side.  Pairing it with a die cut branch from the same patterned brown, it looks like the tree I wanted!

Supplies:  cardstock from Little Yellow Bicycle; Paper Studio patterned paper from Hobby Lobby; Apron Dots patterned paper from My Mind's Eye; Triplits Spring Birds die set #660136 (die 2) and Jim Holtz Spring Greenery die set from Sizzix; chocolate Zig pen from Kuretake

Barn Door Bouquet
You know me.  I can't resist doing one of these with my watercolor pencils.

Supplies:  cardstock from Little Yellow Bicycle; Paper studio patterned paper and brads from Hobby Lobby; agapanthus cluster stamp from Stampendous;  yellow, orange, red and olive green watercolor pencils from Derwent; watercolor paper from Strathmore; Triplits Spring Birds die set #660136 (die 2) and Jim Holtz Spring Greenery die set from Sizzix

Tweet, Tweet!

I woke up yesterday morning with this idea in my head.  I love polka dots!  

Supplies: Paper Studio white cardstock and foam adhesive squares from Hobby Lobby;  polka dot cardstock and white grosgrain ribbon from American Crafts;  Triplits Springs Birds die set #660136  (dies 2,12 and 13) from Sizzix;  Stitched Banner duo die set from Pretty Pink Posh

June 7th, hop on over to Aida Haron's blog.  Her designs are absolutely mouth-watering!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Custom Calligraphy Card

My latest client wanted a card with these lines from "Bagpipe Music" calligraphed on the front, along with an illustration of an old fashioned mercury barometer.  

It's always a fun surprise for me when I find I can actually do it!  After a few false starts, I did the barometer with watercolor pencils.  It doesn't really show up in a photograph, but I added a couple of touches with my new Twinkling H2Os.

Check out my shop at www.thirdsisterhandmade.etsy.com

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One of Those Days

Yesterday was one of those days.  Apart from finishing a dolly dress first thing in the morning, everything else I touched seemed to turn into garbage.  So I settled for a little experimenting with a new stamp I got from Hero Arts.

Windflower Stamp

...done with chalks...

...dye inks...

...fluid chalk inks...

...watercolor pencils...

...simply re-stamping with same watercolor pencils, without retouching or misting.

Which one do you like best?  

Do you have a great method of using this stamp?  I'd love to hear it!

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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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Tools

These are a few of my favorite tools:

1. Sewing machine walking foot

2. Sheaffer calligraphy pens

3. Strathmore coldpress watercolor paper

4. Typewriter/laptop

...

5. a good c.d. repeating on the stereo (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Michael Martin Murphey, Midday Ramblers, Johnnie Ray, etc.)

6. Children's Corner patterns

7. Kneaded eraser

8. Light box

9. Derwent watercolor pencils

10. Rotary cutter and mat

11. Chestnut Roan chalk inkpad from Colorbox

12. Dark chocolate sea salt caramels!

.............What are YOUR favorite tools?...........

Creating a Custom Poem

I got a request to "decorate" a poem, Cloths of Heaven by William Butler Yeats.   Reading and re-reading the poem, I pictured my calligraphy on a background of sky, with maybe the silhouette of a few grassy flowers in the foreground at the bottom.  "Make it a sunrise/sunset sky," my client suggested.  That did sound lovely.  I did the calligraphy (without a mistake the first time around!  How is that possible?) and loved this sky I created with pastels.

My client, who lives in the UK, wondered if I could make those foreground flowers be English flowers--English hyacinth or meadow buttercups.  The hyacinths are her favorites.  Looking at this poem again, I realized the sky is too dramatic to pair with a dainty flower.  

I went back to the drawing board (literally) this morning.

Which one would YOU choose?

To see more, or get your own custom calligraphed poem, visit me at www.thirdsisterhandmade.etsy.com

Thanks for stopping by!