Covering School Books Adventure for this Year

I just want to share with you the book covering adventure we had this year. My son Alex has Asperger's and it's important for him to be able to quickly identify his books at school and also for him to feel special, so each year I do something original. I decided to turn this tiresome task into an art experience!

This year I used my recycled butcher's paper that I got in my scrapbooking supply parcels and we sprayed it with some Glimmer Mists and a Dylusions Ink. I then covered the books with this, then finally covered with contact. I also created on Microsoft Word a banner for his name and grade, to be attached onto his books.

You can see Alex spraying the paper in this photo. The old dog bed frame (that I hadn't gotten around to dismantling yet) made an excellent holder for the paper; and he had fun creating original arts of work.

I thought it would use a lot of spray, but it used surprisingly little.

This photo doesn't really show the finished books to their best, but it was fun to see his pile of rainbow books all lined up ready to go to school.




















Best always to you.

Bye for now,
Janelle

A Plethora of Flowers

Continuing on with my kit making projects, I finished a card set from Manor House, who make some beautiful flowers. This set was bought at the Brisbane Expo back in June and I've only now got to finish them.

I've always enjoyed using flowers on my cards (a bit difficult when making masculine cards - but sometimes sacrifices have to be made! :) These cards rely on beautiful card toppers and papers from Graphic 45 (Secret Garden Collection) and a whole range of different flowers, delicate laser-cut frames and leaves from Manor House. I love the look of them - too bad they'll only be hand delivered!



As you can see these cards were super easy to make, but I like the contrast between the lovely vintage images and the big bold floral arrangements.

The papers used were well suited for the flowers supplied. Since they were double sided papers, there was a selection of the card toppers side, and on the back was an orange/white small gingham print. There was also a floral paper (used as background on this card) that I cut out some of the feature flowers. On the reverse of that was the lavender (used as the frame on this card). Lastly there was an all-over lemon spot with dog-roses printed on it, with a green, white spot and floral icon print on the back. 

On this card I ran out of the lavender print, so had to substitute it with some purple cardstock. I like the extra depth the card has because of it.

I wrapped some silken twine around these cards and tied bows; as well as machine-stitching around the edges of the background papers. You can't see it well in the photos.
















 These cards were edged with some gold glittered paper that I cut with a fantastic die set from We R Memory Keepers called It Kits - Edge It. It has a collection of 7 dies and they're those lovely ones with the foam pieces so that paper doesn't get stuck.



That's all of my card kits for the moment. What I'll be doing next is completing some of the cards that I've made for my commissions (as for each commission I have to do cards in stages of completion for photographing) and it's a waste to have almost completed cards hanging around gathering dust. I'll change some of them slightly too, just to jazz things up.



Anyway, bye for now,

Janelle
    :) 

Heartfelt Creations Majestic Morning Cards

Hi to you all.

I've been busy fiddling with some of my stash over the school holidays (don't tell my husband - he thinks I'm cleaning up my stash). I've been making up some of the kits that I haven't had time for last year. (I'll post photos of them in the next few days.) But ... I couldn't help myself buying the latest Heartfelt Creations Majestic Morning Card kit (as well as some other of their bits and pieces) because of the gorgeous bright colours they've used in this collection. I don't know if you are familiar with Heartfelt Creations, but their papers and stamps etc are usually more muted, antique in their colours; so this collection is a lovely surprise.

I also love using kits when I'm not making cards for commissions, because I get to try out someone else's style and I don't have to think too much - they're like a card-making holiday!




Anyway, I'll start with the card my son appropriated to give to his "girl"friend for her birthday party last weekend. (They've been special friends since Prep and they've always said they will get married when they're older. Even now (just finished Year 5) they still have a special regard for each other and it's lovely to see the bond they share.)

I had to colour and shape the flowers for this card. They are a new design called Majestic Blooms and can be used to create chrysanthemums,  carnations, grevilleas, etc. The sentiment stamp is great - by stamping twice, you can get the ring and then the banner that threads through it. You can't really see it in the photo, but the ring is raised with foam tape and the banner is shaped. Around the edge I placed drops of glue and then sprinkled with glitter. 

This second card used similar techniques as the previous card. Everything was precut which made it super quick and easy.

The centre oval is raised on foam tape and the flowers were coloured and shaped before being adhered in place. The centres of the flowers uses a glue dob with "brown gala glitz" sprinkled over top. This mixture is amazing as it has a variety of metallic looking spheres and mica shards; and really looks like a collection of stamens when it's dry.







I didn't realise how wobbly my line of glue and glitter was when I outlined the plaid area. IRL it doesn't really look that bad. I should have used a fine tip on my glue.

The images and colours on the card toppers are gorgeous and made such easy cards. Even without the added flowers etc.

This was the most simple of the cards as there was only one flower to create.

The dots around the green shape are the glue and glitter again. Looking at Emma Lou's video again, I could have just spread little smears of glue and glitter all across, or even a spritz of glimmer mist to add a little more texture.

This last card I'm going to give to my Mum as a condolence card, as she's got a funeral tomorrow for a dear friend she's known for almost 60 years. I'll find a little "memories" tag to tuck under the sentiment and then attach a nice verse inside.

Even though it's bright and colourful, I think it's appropriate because there were so many fun times had with that family when I was growing up, and that's what we should remember.




I hope you've enjoyed my precis of this card kit, and now I can try out some of my own ideas using the paper and stamps I bought that match. Yey!





Anyway, bye for now,

Janelle

Is anyone Psychic?

Just a quick post today to wish you all a Happy New Year.

I can't believe we're already 5 days into January. I've not been doing too much lately as it's been too hot. Not just summer hot ... but unbelievably HOT!!! Yesterday it reached 37.5 degrees Celsius in our kitchen with all of the doors and windows open (apart from the bedrooms where we have air-conditioning).At the small aircraft airport (about 20 minutes away) it reached 43.5 degrees. You should have seen our dog playing with the large ice cube my husband put in his water bowl - it was puppy heaven!

I've also been searching through my house looking for a gold chain and diamond enhancer that I've lost/misplaced/left it where I shouldn't/can't for the life of me remember where I put it. If any of you out there are psychic, please tell me where to find it???! I'm going crazy as it is a combination of a couple of birthday gifts (including the enhancer which was my husband's present to me for my 50th just 5 months ago). 

I've also been doing some tidying up of my craft stuff and one of the things has been finishing off cards that I'd started and not finished or decided to make out of the scraps I had piled up. the card I'm showing today was one I made a while ago, but I didn't like how it turned out, so I pulled it apart and I've had the pieces floating around for far too long. Once I found my double-sided adhesive sheets (another thing I had lost but now have found), I decided to complete it how I think it should have been done in the first place. Get that??? :)

I didn't change it much at all - just changed the background from white heat embossed flowers with a plain outlined rectangle to the glittered rectangle and the remainder of the card white. (I wish I could work out how to photograph my white cards so they look white. Any ideas?) I love the effect of the glitter and IRL it really shows the shadows formed from having the flower and leaves raised with foam tape.

Anyway, that's all folks!

Bye for now,
Janelle

Merry Christmas to You All!

Well, yep. I missed another couple of days, didn't I? I just find it difficult to do a post every day. I seem to run out of time. Well come to think of it - that's been my story all year. I've just run out of time!

Anyway, I'm posting the remaining cards I made this Christmas. (There were others, but I posted them before photographing them. Not bright!) I'm not going to discuss each one as they mostly use the same stamps, dies and papers that I've mentioned previously. Here they are.

       

            

            

I will mention the Christmas Tree die used on the last card. It is from Hot Off The Press and worked really well with the Heartfelt Creations Collection. Plus a reminder for next year - start making the Christmas cards in August and don't used rhinestones - just glitter glue. They still ended up costing me a fortune in postage, as once I added a rhinestone, the cost went up "to protect them from damage from the machines".

Finally I want to say to all of my readers a sincere "Merry Christmas" and thank-you for your support this year. It has meant so much to me to know there are people who care about me, especially through some of the hard times I've had this year. To those of you who have sent Christmas wishes, thank you. You are all wished the very best for the holiday season and I hope that next year is prosperous, happy, safe and healthy for you and your families.

I'm sending you some Christmas roses. May they brighten your day.

Love to you all,
Janelle
:)

Days 6 & 7 Christmas Cards for You

Hi again to all!

I'm including four cards today as I've missed a day - sorry!

My first card used a card topped from the Heartfelt Creations Christmas Card Paper Collection, which was so pretty on its own; but I jazzed it up with a die-cut greeting using the Cottage Cutz Homemade Christmas Gift Set and some red rhinestones.

This image is so lovely IRL.

This second card used the second run of the die cut sentiment I created for the card on Day 2, using the die from Cottage Cutz Homemade Christmas Gift Set . I used a card topper from Heartfelt creations, but the background paper came from Couture Creations.

I finished the card with some chocolate rhinestone strings; once again trying to stick with my "less bulk - less postage" concept for this year.

For this third card I really let loose! 

The cream cardstock was dry-embossed with a Couture Creations embossing folder called "Wild Poinsettia" which I thought appropriate since I added a smaller bloom from the Heartfelt Creations stamp and die collections. The leaves were die-cut using some leaf dies from HOTP, which worked well with the border cut from Spellbinders.

I also applied a strip of steel grey glitter using a strip of double-sided tape.

The last card for today was based on a die from Heartfelt Creations called "Banners and Trees". I die cut 4 trees, folded each one in half and glued the edges together to create the 3D tree. This idea came from Emma Lou Beechy, but she uses 5 trees. Even though it looks bulky, the tree can be folded down fairly flat for postage; and then spring back once it's reached its recipient. 

I also used a background label from the Spellbinders Majestic Labels Twenty-five. The glittered star was from the Banners and Trees set; cut from cardstock that had double-sided tape applied to it and then glittered after cutting. You can't see it very well, but the tree was cut from some pearlised cardstock, so it adds some nice texture to the card.

I'm enjoying my cards display and I hope you are seeing something to inspire you as I go along.

Lastly I must congratulate my friend, Therese Calvird, on a wonderful collection of bright floral cards in the latest edition of Australian Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft. These cards are totally delicious and have got me thinking about creating some floral cards after Christmas. Well done, Therese. It's always lovely to see you get the recognition you deserve.

Anyway, bye for now.

Love, Janelle

Day 5 - Christmas Cards for You

The days are going too fast - I keep forgetting if I'd ready done the next post or if it's yesterday I'm thinking of. :) CFS brain! 

I'm back again with two more cards, made mainly using the Heartfelt Creations Christmas Card paper Collection, stamps and dies.

This first card was very easy to do as it used one of the card toppers, but I cut out the bracketed panel, stamped the greeting on to a white panel that I attached to the card front and then added the frame and the fussy-cut bird on a limb with some foam tape to add interest. (You can't see that part clearly in the photo, but the depth looks good.) I then added some rhinestone strings around the square. I then finished with a little glitter glue snow on the pine needles.

This second card used a piece of the B side of one of the papers. I then cut out an oval from some patterned scrap, stamped the greeting and coloured with Copic markers.

The die is from Spellbinders Majestic Labels Twenty-five. I used a purpley-grey cardstock, which was the closest I had to the grey-blue on the paper. I love the unusual colour combo and the red rhinestones somehow stop the card from being boring. 
What do you think?

Anyway, that's all for now. See you again tomorrow.

Love, Janelle