This is a review of my card making - it is added to at the top, so you can see the latest cards and experiments first. Scroll down to see earlier stories and pickies.
If you wish to buy a card, please visit the shop or commission a card to your own requirements - please email me.
COMMISSIONS
I am starting to pick up a few commissions here and there.
This is for a son's 30th - well you can see that! - his job involves wild animals (the game type not rabbits). The customer know my style very well and gave me a free hand 'what ever you do I will like it' - no pressure there then. There is a lower layer of wild animal pattern card and a wide stripe of black mesh for texture. The image is hand painted, matted and raised, while the greeting is just inked and set flat.
What ever you need I am sure I can come up with something just
CONTACT ME.
CUTTLEBUG
OK, OK, OK, world - I give up - I surrender to the new realm of the cuttlebug.
SOOOOO many possibilities - embossing - inking - and mixing embossing with stamping - cutting and embossing - and all sorts.
I have been blown over by the embossing of this little gadget, but I expect I will get a few other bits and bobs a long the way. I have resisted this as an invasion of modern technology - I am a scribe and it kind of pains me to let a machine in! But I have come to see the uses I can get out of it - and I got a real bargain!
NEW IDEAS
Very disappointed in this scan - this card is totally gorgeous!!
I have been working with embossing paste - ever come across it? It is a sort of goo on a pot that you spread over brass stencils to create a raised image. you can get it in all sorts of colours - I bought a clear one. That means I can add colour under the paste - or over it. I have glittered this rose in red and green and set it on a mosaic background.
I am really thrilled with this new technique (both the embossing paste and the way to make the background).
You just never stop learning!
LAYERS
My card work is really starting to come to life: showing my personality and zest.. The lettering is strong and the designs very full and balanced. Layers, colours and textures - should be my motto!
This card is full of layers and textures - colours in matt, shiny and pearlised.
The background is torn layers of various greens or patterned vellums with stamped seaweed and bubbles,and stamped, and gold peel off fishes popping in and out of the waves. The base shell image is painted with H2Os and set on raisers - same with the mermaid and seahorses.
There is bronze glitter under the shell base and on the seahorses.
The text is matted with torn velum and set FLAT for contrast - just because I can!
STAMPS
I have only recently been convinced that stamping is good.
These are just so useful - I am doing loads with them. You get so Many in the set and the image is so clear - and you can see where to put it!!!
I have 5 sets now, and am still learning and experimenting.
NOTELETS
This is such a useful gift idea
I was rummaging through a folder for ideas when I spotted a good old fashioned notelet case - well that set me off!
I copied the pattern for the case and thought I would make 6 folded cards to fit in it. I had to make the envelopes as well because it was an odd size.
I themed the box and the cards with a green floral pattern that I have as border strips - have you discovered border strips yet? They are just so useful.
I lined the inside of the box flap with the matching paper - which I happed to have because I bought some off Dissey, and I added a border peel off line coloured lime green. There is a contrasting pink gem in the bottom right - and a pink bow closes the box. The text is scribes in green and the box reads 'notelets', while the cards read 'just a note'.
I am impressed! The sizes need tinkering with so that you use the card more effectively (never wasteful me!): but I think this will make a really useful gift line. When I get the sizes firmed up I will put it in the DESIGN SECTION.
VALENTINE TEXT
This is scribed in a claret red ink (it's the second verse of Robert Burns - My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose).
It is a DL size card - and I am sure you can see how I mounted it.
BACK STORY
By its very nature the possibilities are endless in card making.
I go to craft classes twice a month to keep up with all the new products and techniques that seem to be arriving daily these days. I can remember when I was odd to make cards and do cross-stitch – there were only a couple of cross-stitch magazines and certainly nothing for cards/scrap booking/paper craft etc. Now the shelves are groaning under the sheer weight of them all, and there is a constant stream (well flood more like) of new stuff out there. I, for one, am pleased with all this progress. America has always been ahead of us in their crafting (and still is if you look at the sites), but at least we are not operating in a total desert now. And it’s great to have all these wonderful goodies!
I charge £2 for my larger cards (A5 – DL – 6” square) - I do include the ‘sentiment’s’ range in this group because there is so much work in them.
And £1.50 for all the smaller cards
NO extra charge for postage - the price you see is the price you pay. Minimum order £1.50.
My cards fall into 2 groups
1 THE CALLIGRAPHY. These fall into several ranges that are repeatable. Please remember that lettering and style will always vary slightly, and the embellishments, papers and colours will change
a. Plain calligraphy – swirled or embellishes A5 or DL.
b. Lines – a defining line separates the calligraphy from the body pattern
c. Layers – built up layers of various papers and textures and all of embellishments, topped with calligraphy.
d. Corner glitter - thick crossed corner lines of glitter, with embellishments and a ‘tag’ of calligraphy.
e. Sentiments – A6 gate fold card, wrapped in paper and closed with ribbon, inside a calligraphy sentiment matted to match the outer.
2 THE SCAVENGERS - I am a great scavenger! This means that I may not be able to reproduce the exact same card once the original is sold – I really don’t aim to as I regard each piece as an original artwork.
Visit my shop and see what is available at the moment
