Sweet Pea

I traced an image of a Sweet Pea then used watercolor for tint, created a background mask from scrapbook paper and used a fine line marker to create the frame borders.

To create the mask, I used deli paper to trace an outline of the oval and flower parts then inserted the tracing on top of the scrap paper for cutting.

For better emphasis, I later outlined the watercolor drawing. Maybe I am so used to stamped images that the no-line effect just didn't seem right to me.

I used dimensional dots for accent (Scribbles) and I left off any text so that I can customize the card when I'm ready to gift it.

I'm linking up to the Sweet Treat challenge at Simon.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Easter Greetings

Welcome to a longer post today to explain my inspiration for this greeting card and to share some family memorabilia.

It was made with an old pillow case scrap and I traced a design that was machine- and hand-stitched, tinted with watercolors and framed on texture-embossed mulberry paper.

I took my inspiration from a collection of vintage embroidered postcards sent to my great Aunt Esther by her brother (my grandfather) from France in 1918 when he was a soldier during World War I.

The cards were made with machines that imitated hand embroidery and were provided with patriotic, romantic or religious messages. They were sent home by the officers and soldiers that lived and fought in the trenches of northern France. You can learn more about them here.

These were mailed in an envelope to protect them, were lovingly stored for more than 100 years and are in excellent condition. One has an inscription on the back which reads, "Dear Esther, the money enclosed is worth 17-1/2 cents American money. That's what these postcards cost a piece."

It's worth noting that my aunt was an avid postcard collector so I expect she was overjoyed to receive them. Though her greatest joy, I'm sure, was when the war ended and he returned home. My grandfather was very young when he served and the experience had a detrimental affect on his mental health.

My hope for Easter this year is to see an end to the war in Ukraine and I will pray for it.

I'm linking to Simon this week for their Easter/Spring challenge and my card will be mailed to my good friend, Thelma, who introduced me to card making many years ago.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

H A P P Y   E A S T E R !

No. 42

Recycle was the challenge over at Simon so I used the inside of a vintage portrait folder for a support, a layer of peeled cardboard, distress-stained parchment paper, a scrap of printed tissue paper, an altered metallic paper frame and one big, beautiful luna moth (Argema mittrei).

The moth image really inspired me (wouldn't it make a great stamp?) and it was printed, cut-out then mounted on a thick piece of cardboard and the edges were painted black.

I used a scrap of vintage lace and, while I can't explain it, I am always compelled to add dimensional dots which you'll see along one of the paper borders (Nuvo vintage drops). The text is a Clipping Sticker.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Sunny Bee

Prompted by Simon's Monday challenge to make something "Bright and Cheerful," I chose to use their Sunflower Garden stamp set and a mix of watercolors.

My somewhat less conventional mounting was done by cutting the watercolor 1/4" from the outside edge leaving two pieces, trimming the inside piece again to create a gap and then reassembling on black cardstock.

The text was die cut in multiples and stacked for dimension. The bee was cut from a pattern and lined with tissue paper to provide body color and luminescent wings.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

The Spring of Youth

I made this card by stenciling with paste over a book page then tinting it with inks. The butterflies were cut from scrap book paper. I stitched it to a card and used dimensional dots and glitter for accents.

I'm linking up to Simon for the weekly challenge, "Use At Least One Stencil."

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Archibald

I came across an image in a woman's magazine that inspired this greeting card. I used a technique where you make a grid over the original with a smaller scale version on the support you plan to transfer to and took these photos to illustrate.

Here's a link to a video tutorial if you like to know more about this technique.

I used a fine quill pen nib and black india ink to go over my pencil drawing. Then it was simply a matter of tinting it with watercolors.

I finished it off by stamping a patterned border and a greeting. I made a typewritten "portrait" label and machine-stitched it to a piece of mulberry card stock.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

State of Emergency

A journal page made with a tree stencil, stamped birds and an image transfer. A true example of working with a "I wonder what this would look like" attitude, it makes for good learning and mad scientist kind of fun. I highly recommend it.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Sweetest Thing

I've used a 20-year old stamp (Stampin' Up) on a scrap from a Somerset Magazine along with a Remnant Rub and 3D pearl drops along the border.

I wanted a background that would emulate the landscape but it was dark and I knew the stamp impression might get lost in it so, after stamping, I filled in it.

First with a layer of watered-down white paint and a tiny brush. Then I went back over the white paint with various Pitt Brush Pens to give it color.

I re-darkened the black stamp lines with an ultra-fine marker, as needed.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

No. 92

Mom turns 92 in about a week and this is the card I made for her. I used a stencil and white paint over a piece of scrapbook paper then tinted it slightly with colored pencils and inks.

I glued a scrap of white mulberry paper on the back of a die-cut butterfly then embellished it with glossy accents. The label was hand-made then stamped. The corner bits are just paper hole punches.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Fashion Backward

Let us resolve, in this new year, to push back against the fashionable narrative. Reality is messy, and it always exceeds our grasp. That is not a counsel of despair; on the contrary. It is rather a call to guerrilla warfare against endlessly repeated banalities and untruths. - John Wilson

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To make this tag, I applied a reproduction of a vintage luggage tag (Cavallini & Co.) on a tag cut from a recycled box and used various inks to distress it. The ladies were cut from an image found on the net and they're standing on a strip of Design Tape (Holtz) and a scrap of sewing pattern tissue. The text was typed in Photoshop, reverse printed and applied using my image transfer technique.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Christmas Tag No. 7 for 2021

Couldn't help but use an image I stumbled across at the British Library's Photostream for a Christmas tag which I printed on regular computer paper then tinted with colored pencils and watercolor. I stamped the top and bottom to fill-in the white space (Tim Holtz Faded Type) after pasting on heavy-weight kraftstock cut to the shape of a #8 tag.

While it's hard to see, I used a white glitter glue (Stickles) over the snow areas and trimmed the borders with brown glitter and Liquid Pearls. The text is a Remnant Rub.

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone, I wish you the happiest of times with the ones you love.

Christmas Tag No. 6 for 2021

I recently discovered a vintage image (by photographer Monty Fresco) and just had to use it. After printing, it was fussy-cut and mounted on scrapbook paper (Stamperia Christmas Patchwork).

I decided to stamp some houses in the background (Carabelle Studio Dans la Rue) but I'd already pasted the image so I needed a mask. I'm sharing a quick technique which is to use a piece of deli wrap to make a pencil rubbing.

After stamping, I used some Stickles to trim the border and should mention that I tinted the photograph with inks and a paintbrush.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Christmas Tags No. 4 & 5 for 2021

I pulled out all the stops with this tag: Crackle medium, bronze metallic paint, Glossy Accents, Liquid Pearls, Stickles, stamping, a die-cut, and ribbon. It has rich jewel-tones and looks better in person (it was hard to photograph). I made it for Simon's Monday challenge which is "Cold as Ice."

Next up, a tag celebrating Old Saint Nick with an unusual technique that warrants an explanation. The background was a Graphic 45 paper of holly and berries and I laid strips of plaid paper on top then edged one side with glitter. I think it adds to the vintage vibe.

I'm hoping to crank out a few more tags before Christmas and you can be sure they'll include some kind of glitter glue. I've discovered the hard way that once the bottles are less than half-full, no matter if you store them upside-down, they eventually dry-out so I might as well use them!

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.