Sleeping Dragons

This is a very simple design for a child's card, and it's quick to make.  The base card is coloured cardstock which is randomly stamped with various foliage images using brilliance inks.  A large number, in this case a 5, is drawn on to a piece of white card then cut out.  The same foliage images are stamped randomly on to the number as  before.  It is then edged with gold Krylon pen for definition.  Two images of a sleeping dragon or dinosaur is stamped and coloured before being cut out.  The card is assembled by attaching the number to the base card, then  adding the dragons with dimensional glue.  The design is finished by adding a greeting and personalising with a name.

On Safari

This design is another good worker, for any sex, any age and many occasions.  In this case it is a birthday card, but it could just as easily be a 'Bon Voyage' or a retirement card.  The base card is plain cardstock that has been spritzed with gold shimmer mist, then several travel related phrases have been randomly stamped in black ink.  The focal panel is a piece of white card which  has had an image of several zebras stamped onto it in black ink.  The image is then masked and repeated with a slight overlap.  When the mask is removed the image appears as a large herd of zebras.  Then all the zebras are masked off and an image of trees and hills is stamped twice above them to create a horizon.  The edges of the panel are tinted with ink then it is matted on to dark card and layered on to the base card.  A greeting has been added by stamping each letter seperately, using a punch to punch them out then inking around the edges and adding them to the card with foam pads.  This is also a good way to personalise the artwork.

Rustic Leaves

This simple design uses deep and multi embossing techniquesas the focal points of the card.   Two stampboard tiles are inked with clear ink (versamark) and two or three layers of UTEE are melted onto the tiles.  Then two or three coloured embossing powders are added in the final layer, and an inked leaf image is stamped into the molten mixture.  The UTEE has developed a few holes here and there but that just adds to the rustic effect.  The tiles are mounted onto pieces of handmade paper with frayed edges, then attached to the base card.  A few paper punched leaves are added for embellishment. 

Blue Grass

This elegant design combines stamping, embossing and paper punching.  The central panel is created by stamping a floral image onto dark card and heat embossing with silver sparkle powder.  A silver Krylon pen is used along the edges to give the effect of layering.   The background panel is stamped repeatedly with an oriental grass image.  The focal panel is then attached to the background panel, which is in turn attached to the base card using brads.  Some paper punched flowers and text complete the card.

Midnight Snow.

This simple design features several techniques.  The background panel is dark card which has trees and snowflakes stamped onto it in two colours of interferance ink.  The images shine in varying degrees of brightness as the card is turned in the light.  The main focal embellishment is stamped and heat embossed using a mix of blue and white embossing powder to give a frosty look to the tree.  Some strips of printed vellum are attached to the background with a couple of dabs of glue, giving the appearance of snow drifts.  The frosty tree is cut out and attached to the panel with dimentional glue.  A couple of punched out trees are added to cover the glue spots used to attach the vellum.  Glitter is applied to the centre of the snowflakes.  Another slightly larger panel of white card is stamped with pine branches to create a frame.  Both panels are matted and layered onto the base card.

Snow White Tree

Black, white and silver always combine to make a stylish design.  The main focal image, in this case a Christmas tree, is stamped and heat embossed in white onto vellum.  The vellum is torn along the edges to add interest.  The background is created using a panel of black card which is stamped with snowflakes and a greeting in white and silver inks then  matted onto a layer of silver card.  The base card is stamped and heat embossed with snowflakes using clear ink and holographic embossing powder.  The vellum panel is attached with brads and a tag with a message on is threaded with silver thread and hung on the card.

 

Red Berries

This card is another variation of the "Deck the Halls" design.  Instead of stamping onto acetate, this time the focal image is stamped and heat embossed onto a panel of card.  The panel is then matted and layered with the papers and vellum strip with the greeting on.  The base card is stamped and heat embossed in the corners, and some liquid pearls are added to the focal image for a finishing touch.

Scarlet Holly

This card is created using the same focal stamp and greeting as the previous card, but printed papers have been used for the background instead of stamps as a variation on the design. 

Deck The Halls

This design is inspired by a technique by Sheena Douglass.  Using a piece of watercolour card cut to size a large corner stamp (in this case a Holly swirl) is stamped in two colours of distress ink all over the card.   Then water is spritzed over the stamped images, making the ink bleed and blend together.  A piece of acetate is stamped and heat embossed with a co-ordinating  focal image.  When the background is dry the acetate is attached to it with brads.  A greeting is stamped and heat embossed onto a piece of vellum which is wrapped around the focal panel and attached on the back.  The panel is then matted and layered onto the base card.

Fusible Snow

This design is another inspired by Barbara Gray, and involves using fusible fibres with stamped images.  The main focal image(in this case Christmas trees)stamp is placed face up on a firm surface and inked in a dark colour.  A small amount of fusible fibres are placed on top of the stamp, a piece of greaseproof or parchment paper is laid on top of them and ironed onto the stamp with a craft iron or dry iron.  The paper and fibres are removed from the stamp then the paper is removed from the fused fibres.  The image is stamped and melted into the fibres giving a beautiful effect.  The artwork is attached to the background panel which is then matted and layered onto the base card.  A couple of corner stamps finish the design.

Sparkly Baubles

This is another easy but effective card.  A printed backing paper is matted onto the base card.  A piece of vellum the same size is cut with deckle edge scissors or torn to leave a central panel of backing paper showing.  Some bauble peel offs are stuck onto the same cardstock as the layer card, and cut out.  They are decorated with glitter and micro beads to make them sparkle, then attached to the card in the central panel.  A greeting is added to complete the card.

Divine Light

This card is inspired by a Barbara Gray design.  The background is created using a brayer to add colour with a soft edge just to the top corners of the (glossy) card.  This gives the effect of a shaft of light which is the name Barbara gives this technique.  A Christmas tree is stamped and embossed onto the same piece of card and a star is added.  Some glitter is added to the tree and under the tree to give the impression of snow.  The focal panel is then matted onto mirror card.  The base card is decorated with a snowflake corner image which is stamped and heat embossed. The focal panel is attached, and a greeting completes the card.

'Twas the night.....

This card was inspired by a design by Carol formerly of Stamp Addicts.  The snowman is stamped first onto some white card, then a mask is placed over the image.  The text is then stamped over the snowman and mask.  When the ink is dry the mask is removed and the snowman coloured and glittered.  The main focal panel is trimmed to fit.  The backing paper is printed from a CD rom, and is matted onto the base card before adding the focal panel and a greeting.

Teal Tree

 

This is one of my favourites!  Again CD rom papers are used with a stamped image, glitter and peel offs to create a lovely Christmas card.  The tree is stamped and heat embossed to create the main focal panel, then glitter is added to decorate.  Two contrasting papers have been diagonally cut to fit the base card, a peel off border is used to cover the join.  The tree panel is matted and layered onto the card and a greeting added.

Green Tree Card

This card incorporates stamping and CD rom papers.  A Christmas tree was stamped and heat embossedwith gold powder on to green pearlescent card.  The papers are from an Artilicious Christmas CD rom.  The papers are matted and layered onto the base card, then the tree panel is attached with dimensional glue.  Glitter is used to decorate the tree, and liquid pearls and peel offs complete the look.

Ho! Ho!Ho!

 

This is another card design using an old CD and stamps.  A Christmas tree is stamped several times at various levels with brilliance ink onto the CD.  Some snowflakes are added in white brilliance ink.  Some glitter glue is added to the trees to emulate tinsel, and also dotted on the snowflakes.  A Father Christmas image is stamped and heat embossed using glitter embossing powder, then white glitter is added to further embellish him.  The disc is attached to the base card and a greeting is added.

Slim Christmas

Another simple Christmas card that is also good for batch making.  The background is a pearlescent paper which has been stamped with a large swirl pattern in gold brilliance ink.  The three focal images have been stamped and heat embossed onto pearlescent card, cut out and a little glitter added.

Sparkly Snowflakes

A simple Christmas card design that is good for batch making.  The main focal panel is dark card stamped with several snowflakes of various sizes using a light brilliance ink to make them shimmer.  One of the snowflakes is stamped onto a separate piece of card and heat embossed, as is the greeting.  The larger panel is matted and layered onto the base card first, then the snowflake panel is attached with dimensional glue or 3D foam and then the greeting.

Lakeside Trees.

These cards have been created with the same techniques as the previous cards using different stamps, and with the addition of a water reflection.   The reflection is stamped onto the card using the brayer. The stamp(in this case trees) is inked and  a clean brayer is rolled up the stamp taking the image onto the roller.     The image is then rolled onto the card, then the card is turned upside down.  The stamp is inked and stamped above the first image.  A piece of copier paper is scrunched up and then straightened out again, creating texture.  The brayer is inked and then rolled over the paper, taking on the pattern.  Then the brayer is rolled once over the the upside down trees creating the effect of water.  This technique is another that I have learnt from Barbara Gray.

A Misty Morning.

 These designs are again inspired by Barbara Gray and using her stamps and techniques.  It involves using a brayer, stamps and a multi- tonal ink pad to build a scene.  A circle is cut out of masking paper and placed on to a piece of white glossy card.  Then a brayer is used to colour the card, rolling over the masked circle, creating the sky.  The ink should be pale, so only a light loading of the brayer is needed.  A piece of copier paper is torn in a wavy line to create 'hill' shapes to use as a mask, then the sky is masked off leaving the hill shapes at the bottom of the card.  The brayer is loaded with more ink and rolled over the mask to create dark hills in the foreground.  The mask is moved along and the remaining ink on the brayer used to create a paler hill in the background. The hill mask is removed.   A large tree image is stamped in dark ink on to the card as if in the foreground, then it is turned on it's side, re-inked and stamped along the bottom edge as hedge rows.  A smaller tree image is stamped using second and third generation ink to create a woodland in the distance.  The circle mask is removed and an image of clouds across a sun or moon is stamped over the white circle left by the mask.  A flock of birds is stamped in the sky to complete the scene.