Category Archives: card

Fishes birthday card

birthday card, card, fish
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The watercolour paper background was made using Chroma jewels Slate, lime, Cosmic shimmer Aqua lagoon (thank you Heather) all sprayed onto wet watercolour paper then salt crystals sprinkled on and left to dry.  When the paper is dry and the salt crystals brushed off you are left with patterns that resemble coral and a nice watery effect.

Inks:  Black document ink, Stampin up Old olive

Card:  aqua holographic card, black, white, water colour paper
Stamps:  Oxford Impressions The deep, Lavinia stamps Seaweed
Other:  Shells from Sarah Lugg collection, pencils and glitter pen to colour,

Gardening birthday card.

birthday card, card, napkin technique
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I am way too early for John’s birthday but I was aiming to get it to him in Greece  just a few days before his birthday but I sent it rather too early.  C’est la vie!  John is one of these people who can turn their hand to anything they try and gardening is no exception.  He put in an irrigation system and planted a climbing Jasmine over a home made pergola, and planted some citrus and olive trees – they are all thriving!  Now I think I am right in saying that his newly planted olive tree gave him 23 olives in it’s first year so I drew in 23 Kalamata olives onto the tree.  Well done John and here’s to a very happy birthday when it comes!!

The background paper is a napkin which I peeled apart and used only the top layer.  I stamped the card first with the sanded background image then applied some watered down PVA glue which the napkin was then put over and smoothed out a little.  I left a little bit of texture in it then applied more thin PVA over the top.  The colour from the stamped background gets gently dragged over the card in the PVA which gives a lovely soft colour.  As the napkin goes almost transparent you can see the background stamp through it.  I was also playing with my Stampin up air puffer to do the soft splatters over the tag.  I like that soft effect so I will definitely be doing that again.

Inks:  Stampin up Old olive and Always artichoke,
Card:  Ivory , Old olive, black, Olive patterned napkin
Stamps:  Stampin up Sanded background stamp and Hopeful thoughts (tree), Aspects of design Gardening 2
Other:  black pen, green Marvy pen, Stampin up air puffer, ribbon, black linen thread, diluted PVA glue

Steampunk card

card, steampunk, steampunk card
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I love the Steampunk style that can be seen in a few stamp designs now and it really lends itself to cards for men. Now I am not saying Steampunk is not for women – far from it – just that it is great for male cards which can sometimes be more difficult. I remember a few conversations about Steampunk with Donald (whose birthday it is very soon) so this card is for him.
The corner elements are made by sticking thermawrap tape onto paper lace border and using an embossing tool or paper stump carefully emboss the lace pattern.  Then paint over with black acrylic paint and wipe off most of it before it dries just leaving some in the de-bossed areas.

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo black, Distress inks Barn door, Aged mahogany and Peeled paint, versamark with silver embossing powder
Card:  white, black, silver miri card
Stamps:  Oxford Impressions Steampunk
Other:  watch parts, diamond glaze, paper lace covered in thermawrap tape, copper pen

Vintage shabby card

card, craft stamper magazine, shabby, vintage
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This card was inspired by an article by Rachel Jackson in Craft Stamper mag. June 2010.  I have kept to the same colours and roughly to the same design but used different stamps  and embellishments.  I don’t have re-inkers to colour the tissue paper background so I just wiped the ink pads onto my craft sheet and spritzed it with water.  I crumpled up the tissue paper and spread it out on the craft sheet and gently pushed it around until it took up the colour.  If I do this one again I might use vintage lace instead of the ribbon and add some distress stickles to the crown.

Inks:  Distress inks Tattered rose, Antique linen and Brushed corduroy, versamark with white embossing powder
Card:  white card, ivory card, white tissue paper
Stamps:  Anna Griffin border, Vennaisance feathers, greeting (unknown)
Other:  ribbon, pearls

Brayered birthday card – Chasing dreams

birthday card, brayer, card, chasing dreams, Clarity stamps, lavinia stamps
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After watching Barbara (from Clarity stamps) doing a cloudy sky technique on TV the other weekend I just had to give it a go on Heather’s card and I have to say it is dead easy to do.
To get the cloudy sky you pull out a cotton wool ball to make it nice and fluffy and flattish and you flatten it onto an old embossing ink pad.  Take some silk card and now squash the cotton wool onto the sky area of your card using the palm of your hand (not finger tips).  Remove the cotton wool then using a brayer and some blue dye ink, brayer over it.  Now if I remember correctly Barbara then went over it lightly with a darker shade of blue but I didn’t.  Then buff the card with a piece of kitchen roll.
Inks: Adirondak Stonewashed blue and Black, Distress inks Frayed burlap and Forest moss, Stampin up Bordering blue
Card:  White card, black card, white silk card
Stamps:  Clarity stamps Row of trees, Lavinia stamps Chasing dreams (sml), mushrooms (sml), fairy steps and wild grasses and flowers, Woodware Nature fun (tiny snail)
Other:  copic pens to colour certain areas, black tiny nail heads, stickles

Brayered wistful cat birthday card.

birthday card, card, cat, lavinia stamps
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Inspiration for this card is from Lavinia stamps picture gallery (tranquillity).  It is not quite a direct copy but very nearly.  I used the brayer for mine and a couple of different stamps but the over all design is Tracey Dutton’s.  I made this for Grace’s birthday – I love the peaceful aspect to this card and I resisted the temptation to put too much stamping around the edges for once.
Inks:  Adirondak Sailboat blue, Black and Eggplant, Distress ink Stormy sky
Card:  white, black and blue card
Stamps:  Lavinia stamps cat, lily pad, bamboo, wild flower and bugs, Elusive images Oriental good deeds.
Other: Mini mosaic tiles, stickles, opaque pink pen, green glaze pen

Christmas cards

brayer, Callander house, card, Christmas
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A few more Christmas cards for Henry.  The top one has an image of Callander House in the snow (with kind permission from Colin Plunkett photographer).  The tree cards all use Stampin up Lovely as a tree stamp set along with a bit of brayering for the background colour.

Anniversary card

anniversary card, card, fans

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This hasn’t been an easy year for mum and dad, let’s hope that things improve soon.
Inks:  Versamark with gold embossing powder
Card:  white card, patterned vellum by Kameo cards (old stock so may not be available now)
Stamp:  Stampin up Cheer and wishes
Other:  tiny gold bradlets, copic pens to colour behind the vellum, gold pilot pen to edge vellum, tiny dots of gold stickles, 3D pads
Note:  if you run vellum through your xyron machine it will adhere invisibly – just make sure you run your thumbs along the edges to take off any tiny remnants of the glue.

Brayered birthday card Green goddess

brayer, card, green goddess, lavinia stamps
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I love how this one turned out – I did think at one stage it would become too dark and a bit messy as I find it hard to stop adding more.  You can’t really tell from this photo but there are tiny glittery highlights in areas, the large wings have been water coloured using an aqua brush brushed through a glitter pen first to give a glittery sheen on them  and the little fairies wings have the same glitter pen on them but not brushed through.
Inks:  Memento Tuxedo black, Stampin up Mellow moss and Old olive, Adirondack Sunshine yellow and Woodland, copic pens to colour the green goddess
Card:  White, black, old olive
Stamps:  Lavinia stamps: tree root, slender mushrooms large and small, willow, fern leaf, green goddess, three small dancing fairies, trailing ivy corner, mushrom houses
Other:  glitter pen