Mother's Day Card - Amal

Last weekend, my nieces and nephew came over for 2 days of cardmaking frenzy. Exams are over for the kids, and I happen to have the weekend free too. So all of us took advantage of the time to make cards.


First up were Mother's Day cards. Since there were 4 kids, there will be 4 cards. I have been making cards with these kids since they could tell red from blue, and over the years, each have develop their own style and preferences. Gone are the days when I could sit all of them together and everyone makes a variation of the same design. Nowadays I give attention to one kid at a time, and create with them their unique, individual cards.


First up was Amal (13 yrs old) and this is her Mother's Day card:

We got the design off a magazine and Amal chose papers from Basic Grey's What's Up stack. This design requires the layering of matching/complementing papers. Some of you might be concerned that some parts of the papers are hidden behind the many layers and cannot be seen. But my advise is to do it still. It makes a difference, trust me.

We chose to mat the pattern papers with the same colour to give the card a coordinated look. The matting also showcases the different patterns and sets them apart.

We spent some time deciding the main image until Amal decided this cat is the one she wanted. She coloured the cat with markers. After matting the cat image, we proceeded to make the rosette. Making a rosette is really simple.

Step 1 - Choose the paper. Cut it to 12" x 1"(this will be the radius of the rosette)

Step 2 - Score lines onto the paper. I used 1cm spacing. This means the rosette is 1cm high

Step 3 - Fold box / fan style (mountain fold, valley fold, mountain fold, valley fold, and so on)

Step 4 - Stick the edges together to form a circle with the folds as the sides (like the pleats of a skirt)

Step 5 - Flatten the circle, by collapsing the folds (like gathering the skirt at the waist, and spreading rhe hemline)

Step 6 - Use a circle shaped paper, and a large glue dot to secure the rosette, front and back.

(If you found that totally confusing, you can try attending my classes where we learn to make rosettes :)

Amal's rosette is decorated with a button and a bow of paper string.

We almost forgot the sentiment too! It was the last to be added to the card.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Next time I will be showing you the other Mother's Day's cards that the kids made. See you!

Some cards

I've been a busy preparing for classes and have a few project ideas swimming around in my head at the moment. They are clamouring for my attention to make them come to life. I will need to sit down one of these days to create.

In the meantime, here are some photos of s few cards I made a few weeks ago.

This card basically just plays with pattern paper and embossed paper. Punching the lace border in black really made it stand-out. Adding lines of black (layering on the card & ribbon) can add visual interest and make your cards stunning!



I was looking at my Hollyhock stamp (from Stampendous) and just decided to white emboss it. I sponged in some color to make the flowers stand out from the background. Punched lace border, pearls and a sentiment to finish off the card. Keeping the colors in monochrome (shades of one color) makes the whole card come together nicely.

The colors of this card came baout due to the pattern papers I chose. The stamps from Stampendous were perfect for this sentiment from Impression Obsession. It still looked a bit empty to me so I added the die-cut doily. Bright cheerful colors can help to make your cards feel light and not so serious, even when you have 'serious' images.



I added interest to this otherwise simple card by dragging my distress ink pad directly on the edges of the paper, to give those lines you see around the typewriter image. I spent quite a long time looking for a pattern paper to match the die-cut Lattice border, and finally settled on this one. Kept the card simple to avoid cluttering the image.

Hope to find more time to create more cards soon.

Thanks for viewing!

CAS Card

This is the first ever CAS card that I have done. (CAS - Clean and Simple) 
I found this style to be very difficult for me. Everything depends on a few items, and they must be such that there is impact. It must also be balanced, coordinated and CLEAN. No stray ink stains, no accidental blotches as they will show up starkly.

I had to do a male card, which is itself a challenge, and since the intended recipient is a no-nonsense kind of man, I thought CAS would be best. 

I spent more time than I had intened just getting the elements together. Getting the right color combination for the strips of narrow paper, and arranging them. Vertical or horizontal? Should I put a layering piece below? What color would that be?

After I had put them together, it didn't look like anything I had envisioned. So I had to add more to make it look complete. That was the brain-draining, mind-wrecking part of the whole cardmaking. How to add more things without cluttering it up (therefore no longer CAS) and keep it musculine too.
In the end, I added white paper strings.....

Well, I'm rather happy with the final result, although I think it will be a while before I attempt more CAS cards.

Thanks for visiting!

Final Sneak Peak

They are finally ready! My new cards are ready for my upcoming new cardmaking class.

Here is the final sneak peak before they are launched.

Look out for their launch, sometime this coming week!

Thanks for viewing!

Sneak Peak Part 2

As promised in my previous post, here are some more sneak peeks at my upcoming cardmaking class.

This time, I did not focus on any theme in particular, instead just created cards, free and easy. However, I have been thinking of pulling them together as a set by using the same papers.

As mentioned before, these are just prototypes and subject to change.

In my next post, hopefully I will have the complete set out and ready to be launched!
Thanks for looking!

Sneak Peek

Now that the Xmas and the Valentine seasons have come and gone, more general cards have been showcased. The spring / flower theme is everywhere and these serve as great inspiration for all-occasion cards.

There has been some demand for cardmaking classes as people start to see the value that they get in attending these classes. Not only do they get to have fun while crafting with like-minded people, sharing ideas and experiences; they also get great ideas and layouts that they can use for making their own cards. We all know that ideas multiply so there is just more of them going around. And of course, they get to go home with a set of beautiful cards, ready to be sent out.

I got some ideas for some cards lately that I would probably incorporate them into my new class. Please note that these are just prototypes and subject to change.

Look out for more sneak peeks in my next post.

I'm targetting to launch this class sometime in March 2012.

Thanks for viewing!

It's Something I am Passionate About & Lily Pad Feb CCC

Oh I love making cards! I get so much joy and satisfaction after I manage to come up with a good looking card. I love the whole process - coming up with the layout, choosing papers, coordinating colors, the sentiments, the embellishments.  And of course, the final product.

And after that, I cant wait to make more!

If you never had a hobby that you are passionate about, I don't expect you to understand.

But the past few months have been a whirlwind for me. My crafting universe was filled only with events and upcoming classes. I had spent weeks conceiving new classes and doing up samples. And after the classes have been launched, I spent time preparing the materials for the classes. Dont get me wrong, I am very thankful I have these classes. Especially when I get to share (and infect) others with my passion for this craft :)

Well, on Sunday I found myself with some free time. What a rare and wonderful thing that is! So I surfed through my favourite blogs and - aaarrgghhh! I had missed the launch of the new Lily Pad February CCC! Fortunately, the deadline is 15 Feb, so I had just about 3 days to come up with a card and submit it.

After looking at the themes for this month's CCC, I decided on a BIRD card. I also tried to follow the color palette of Fawn, Chestnut and Blush.

Here is the card I came up with:

I am in love with Stampendous! birds. This one is CRS5029 Jumbo Songbird. I used VersaMagic to ink the stamp. The sentiment is from Stampendous! also - SSC1116 Friendship Assortment.

Ahhhhh.... I felt so good after completing this card! I hope to be able to squeeze some time this weekend to make a couple more cards. I have so many ideas to try, I almost wish I do not need to sleep. Either that or there should be more than 24 hours in a day!

Thanks for visiting & have a good day ahead!

Lovey Dovey Cards

So its V Day! I had actually made a bunch of cards for V day, based on the new 2012 Hero Arts stamps. We had actually made them into a class, and I had been running them for over a month now. But I kept forgetting to post them up.

All the stamps are from Hero Arts and all the pattern papers from DCWV "Be Mine" stack.

So without further ado, let's take a look at them...

  

This card has non-traditional V colours. I went with teal/aqua/pool and bright orange (Hero Hues' Soft Apricot). I stamped the hearts from the All Year Round set, over the pattern paper, added a couple of ribbons, paper string and layered the hearts on the tag. It turned out bright and cheery. And good for all occasions!

I went for a softer look for the next card. In my mind it looks a bit baby-ish. Soft cotton lace, over soft pink and teal colours. The print of words on the pink pattern paper is from the Ampersand set, stamped with Hero Hues' Soft Blossom.

But what V card set would be complete without red and pinks? Cutting squares of pattern paper and sticking them to a layer of red paper, embellished with lace, organza ribbons, strings of pearls and a paper die-cut butterfly (Lifestyle Crafts). It is a terribly easy card, with minimal stamping (sentiment). A testimony to the power of embellishments, dont you agree?

This card and the next 2, are more musculine. Although I never intended that while creating them, the colours just came together while choosing the pattern paper. This layout was inspired by another card (though I cannot remember who was the artist - so sorry!). The image circling the clock face is actually a key, taken from the Truly Grateful set. Black elements add visual impact and kept this from being a "soft" card.

I love making distress/collage looking backgrounds. Altough I will admit they are not as distressed as some out there. Here is a simple example of the style I have. Script wordings with some added stamping to keep the background interesting. Although the London Background stamp with the Big Ben image was stamped in Hero Hues' Soft Brown, it manages to stand out subtly in the background. Circular images form Untitled Postmarks cling stamp set, popped up over criss-crossing paper strings, completes the card.

And the final card I'm showing today is the one that won me the Hero Arts Fresh Face title for January 2012. It was totally unexpected as I found the card simple. Pattern paper, decorative border, repeated image of the hotair ballon from Past Times cling set and a sentiment to wrap it up. I kept the colours blue tone on tone, and introduced black into the design to give it impact. The hotair ballon image was stamped with Versamark Blue Lagoon ink.

There they are - 6 V day cards!

Thanks for visiting and have a great V day with your loved ones!

Winter Wonders

I had almost forgotten about Lily Pad Card's CCC this month. After looking at the new themes, I had the exact card I wanted to submit.

This card is inspired by Stampendous! catalogue. I had earlier made a very similar card for my cardmaking classes. Since that card cannot be entered in the CCC - it cannot be given away, or what will I use for sample in my class? - I decided to make another to enter it in the CCC.

All stamps, except the sentiment (Penny Black) and the frame background (Hero Arts), are from Stampendous!. I actually struggled to find the words to match the bird images, until I saw one of the themes for the CCC - winter - and decided that this particular sentiment would be perfect.

I also followed the colour palette given, and gave my card a resemblance to the sketch too (upside down, of course).

Thanks for viewing!

Quick Cards - It's Christmas (again) and Snowflakes

I managed 2 quick cards today!


The first one was made really quick, partly because it just involved stamping same image repeatedly, and partly because it is not my own original idea. In other words, I copied someone's design.
Unfortunately, I cannot remember where I got this design from. I had waited for some time for the Zinnia stamp set to come and in that time, I have lost the information on the original designer. I am terribly sorry that I cannot give credit where it's due.


This card uses the pattern stamp that comes with the Zinnia set, stamped repeatedly and embossed. Next comes the ribbon and lastly the tag.  Pearls were added to the pattern, and in this card, they form an essential part of the design because they balance and pull the card together by providing the match to the tag and ribbon. I kept the colour scheme simple, focusing on just red, black and white.

My second quick card is my own original design :)
In the Snowflake set, there are 3 snowflakes of different sizes. I used the largest one to stamp the background. Next I stamped and embossed the 3 snowflakes on white paper, cut and layer them. Finally, I topped it up with a lace ribbon and button, and added the sentiment at the bottom.

Thanks for viewing!


Supplies:
Stampendous
CRS5050 Zinnia 
CRS5014 Snowflakes
SSC1068 Christmas Wishes


Paper: DCWV Box of Cards - The Christmas Combo & The Winter Combo

My Card was Eye-Spied!

I was super excited when I received an email from Melanie from Basic Grey saying they wanted to use my card for their Eye-Spy feature in their blog.


Well it was the first time for me - being featured. I was practically jumping with joy!


On Saturday 19 November 2011, true enough, the post was launched and there was my card! 
It's a milestone for me.


Check out the blog - Basic Grey Eye-Spy.


Thanks for viewing!

Holly Bunch

My 3rd quick card! This was inspired by Jillian Foster's blog.


This time I used more stamps. All the papers started in plain colours, with the patterns added in by stamping alone. The trick to get this is really to try out the different color inks. Using shades of the same color gives a subtle pattern, like the green on green pattern on the card base. For more dramatic pattern, try using contrasting colors, like the music score on the cream paper.

Thanks for viewing!


Supplies:
Stampendous!
CRS5021 Romantic Border
CRS5015 Holly Stocking
R103  Music Score
SSC1068 Christmas Wishes


Paper: DCWV Box of Cards The Christmas Combo

It's Christmas in Blue

So here is another quick card - I finished it in 1 hour! This one is inspired by Kim's layout.


Some of the images have been accentuated with dimensional glaze, eg the pattern surrounding the sentiment. I've also applied Frosted Lace (Stickles) on the snowflake swirls in the background.

Getting a hang on simple quick cards! Hopefully I will have a good run of it and have a stash of christmas cards by the time it comes around so I can send some off.


Thanks for viewing!


Supplies:
Stampendous!
SSC1068 Christmas Wishes
CRS5014 Snowflakes
CRS5018 Snowfall Pair Set


Paper: DCWV Box of Cards WinterCombo

Christmas Bird

Everywhere, at every blog, photo stream/album, you will see christmas cards! 
Well, I might as well join in and make use of the colossal amount of inspiration out there.


This card was inspired by Taylor Usry's post. I used her layout idea and incorporated my new Stampendous! stamps. The colours are kinda christmasy but the card can actually be used for any occasion.

Supplies:
Stampendous!
CRS5016 Pine Drift Set
SSC031 Timeless Tags
CRV237 Lone Bird


Paper: BasicGrey Nordic Holiday


Thanks for viewing!

Birdcage

So I recently got my hands on some birdcage stamps. I have been avoiding getting them as I always felt they feel somewhat depressing - a bird trapped in a cage. However, after seeing a card made by Nina B for her sketch challenge, I decided it was time to explore birdcages.


Not surprisingly, my card turned out in dark muted earth colors, though I tried to keep the sentiment light. All in all, it's not too bad and I am rather pleased with the result.

Materials used:
Stampendous! 
SSC 1075 Birthday Cages
SSC 1097 Birthday Bouquet
CRR 116 Geo Bubbles

Lily Pad Cards October CCC

I was feeling good as I had completed the samples for my classes - felt relaxed for the first time in weeks!
Checked my email and behold! Lily Pad Cards Oct CCC is on!


Here is my card for the CCC. I think I only managed the layout/sketch option.
These cats (from Penny Black) had been sitting in my stash, all stamped and coloured, for years I think. I remembered I used to have some ready just in case I needed to make a fast card.

I had participated in Lily Pad Card's CCC 3 times now and this will be my 4th. So far I have received 3 international cards! It's very exciting to receive and see the creations from others. Feels good to know we all share the same passion!

Lily Pad's September CCC

It has been really hectic for me these past weeks and as a result, my creative juices have suffered. No surprise there for any crafter!
However, managed to squeeze sometime to make a card to submit for Lily Pad's CCC. If you are interested to know more about it, pls visit their blog by clicking here.

I could not manage the energy to include all the options (colour, sketch and theme), but got enough to follow 2 of them, the sketch and the theme (friendship).
Here is the card.

The deadline is 16 Sep 2011 so there is still time to submit your entry!

The Cheater (or Smarter) Way to Matching Papers

I was browsing through Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft (Aust) magazine the other night, looking for inspiration, when I happen upon a beautiful card using layers of die cut frames.  I decided I would try the layout and set off looking for matching papers to do the layers.

After sorting through the box of leftover papers (I'm sure every paper crafter has one), I could not find any suitable matches. So I turned to my paper stacks and set about again, and discovered why buying papers in stacks are the easiest way to match papers, because stacks are made up of matching papers (that's why they are in stack - duh!)

So next time a need for matching papers arises, reach for the nearest paper stack and you won't go wrong!

Anyway, here is the card that I made. I used DCWV Baby Boy stack (updated), and the stamps are from Hero Arts (front), Stampendous (inside) and Penny Black (flower on the inside). For inks - Versacolor (pigment, black), Distress Ink (Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap and Tumbled Glass).

 

Sentimental

One of my favourite stamps of all time - Penny Black's "To You..." (2004). I think it just perfectly fits any birthday card. I love the writing style and the alignment of the stamp, in a square and not ordinarily in a straight line.

I submit this card for One Stop Craft Challenge - Sentimental, featuring sentiments as the main focus of the card.

Crafty Calendar Challenge (Aug 2011) - Hot Colours

So I decided to enter another blog challenge!  Here is my submission for The Crafty Calendar Challenge for Aug 2011 - Hot Colours.

I had initially wanted to make the Dahlia (Stampendous! Jumbo Cling Dahlia set) in layers, but somehow got deviated to layering it with Circle Doily (Hero Arts) and unexpectedly, an award ribbon (You're the Best set from Hero Arts). The sentiment is from Stampendous Friendship Assortment set (clear).