cardmaking

by

Creating Cards with Vintage Postage

A friend passed on a fantastic collection of vintage postage stamps last year, and I’ve been slowly working my way through them. Some of the postage came loose in bags, while others remained attached to envelopes. I also received an album filled to the brim with postage from around the globe.

It’s time-consuming soaking the stamps in cool water and letting them dry to remove the paper and adhesive, so I’ve been soaking them in batches. Eventually, I made it through the entire collection. Now it’s all about the fun of making cards.

I have the equivalent of a shoe-box full of postage. It’s been fun hauling out the stamps when the mood strikes to make greeting cards and the occasional bookmark. I’ve sorted most of the stamps by color, though a few fell into themes like flowers, birds, airplanes, and even various Olympics.

Here are my atest cards: 

Mike is a private pilot, a hobby he picked up during COVID. I enjoyed making him this card for his birthday.

My sister, Sharon, loves purple, so this card featured royal purple on the cover and a softer shade of purple on the interior. There had to be a cat, of course.

I made this ‘thinking of you’ card for a fellow gardener, using floral postage. These are some of my favorite stamps.

One of my favorite challenges this year is this teal card designed to emulate a bookshelf. I put a small frame around the owl to make it look like a picture on the wall near the “books.” The two shelves are cut from triangle-shaped postage.

For a bit of background, Kate, who blogs at Tall Tales of Chiconia, invites quilters from around the world to contribute a square or two for a fundraising quilt for the Trudy Crowley Foundation in Australia. Kate provides a clever theme and quilt title each year. She assembles the squares, adds a backing, and quilts the masterpiece. The teal quilt is donated and auctioned to benefit ovarian cancer.

I made this card for Kate using the same guidelines as this year’s “Tealing All Our Stories” theme. Please have a look. The quilt is gorgeous —treat yourself to a peek at the link above.

And finally, this autumn-themed card for my friend who gifted me all the stamps.

by

ScrapHappy Halloween Cards

I never thought I would say this, but I’ve finally exhausted the majority of my Halloween paper scraps. Sadly, crafting stores in my area are closing at a rapid clip. We’ve lost The Paper Source, JoAnn’s, Beverley’s, and my long-time favorite, Creative Escapes.

Shopping online has its benefits, but I miss the pleasure of looking at paper and embellishments up close, holding them, comparing colors and features while chatting with the creative women working or shopping at the store. I feel the loss.

I’ve loved Halloween my whole life, so making cards has been a natural extension of that. These card styles lend themselves well to scraps, and they’re fun to make.

Without further ado, here are this month’s scrappy, not to mention spooky, cards. Thank you for stopping by.

Halloween card three circles
Halloween card scrap strips
Layered Halloween card, scraps

If you would like to share your own crafty creations, please get in touch with Kate.

You can take a look at other ScrapHappy posts at the following links:

Kate, Eva, Sue, Lynda,

Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 

Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,

Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,

Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 

Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,

Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,

Hannah and Maggie

by

ScrapHappy for Paper: Cards and Craft Kits

I have several scrappy projects to share this month. I’ve been in the groove, so to speak. At the end of this post you’ll find links for other participants of Kate’s monthly ScrapHappy challenge.

First up, crafting kits for our Little Free Library. These kits are part scraps and part up-cycling.

It’s summer holidays here, so children are looking for things to do. I started with a stack of envelopes that I’ve had for years. I had ordered Christmas cards with our return address printed on the envelope. Instead, they mailed plain envelopes. Without any prompting from me, the return-address ones arrived the following week. All these years later, I still have a stack of unused envelopes, which led to the creation of these crafty card kits.

I cut half of the envelope flap and sealed it shut, then trimmed the other half and closed it with washi tape for a “secret compartment”. I folded the envelope in half, then cut scraps of yellow paper to use as the cover. I used one of my tag dies to cut the white paper, stamped it with black ink, and colored the image with markers as a sample, but left it for the crafter to color it themselves.

The second card uses the same envelope but with the flap at the bottom to make pockets. I cut three shapes for the cover and added an iridescent butterfly to the kit. I hope the children enjoy them.

Next up, a thank you card for my friend and neighbor. Val brought me a box of chocolates from the Big Island of Hawaii. I made her card using leftover glitter paper and the front of an envelope I would have otherwise tossed, with an island-themed vibe.

I embossed the paper to suggest water drops, with a special thank you to World Wildlife Fund for the complimentary gift wrap and a cool envelope for card-making.

Over the weekend, I created the following card using a prompt from a Facebook card-making group. Natalie is all about clean and simple cards with a lot of white background. She presents sketches to the group as a starting point, and we build upon them from there.

I used a textured white paper as a background, then cut circles from the patterned mailer. After applying green and orange oxide ink to a scrap of white paper, I cut the shapes with one of my dies. I had just enough of the remaining scrap to create a sliver-thin border.

Please join us with your scrappy, crafty creations by contacting Kate for more details.

Kate has provided these links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at).

Kate, Eva, Sue, Lynda,

Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 

Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,

Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,

Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 

Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,

Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,

Hannah and Maggie

by

Making Cards with Playing Cards

I’ve been playing around with different card ideas, inspired, in part, by an oversized deck of playing cards purchased at a hardware store. I don’t know why you would want to play cards with a deck this size; however, making cards from cards is fun.

I asked Sharon if she had a favorite number (three), and I knew she loved purple. It’s been her favorite for as long as I can remember. I had fun making her a card.

My friend Kristi’s birthday lands on August 4, and the color red floats her boat. This card was another fun challenge.

Finally, my friend and Pilates instructor loves pink and the number seven. I made a pocket for the card using velum, attached washi tape as a tab along the card’s top, and embellished it with various stickers and rub-on decals. I learn something new with each card.

Moving on from the playing cards, I’ve been challenging myself to use up these fabric-textured rolls of Washi tape. I bought two boxes with four different-sized rolls per box several years ago, but each roll has far more than you typically use. It lingered in a small bin for a while. I pulled it out of the drawer a few months ago and started crafting cards with the Washi tape as a focal point.

I backed the washi tape with paper, die cut three circles, then placed them on white card stock before embossing them with a subtle dandelion image.

A vertical stripe of butterfly Washi tape runs the length of the card. I cut a pink butterfly with a black silhouette and placed it on a subtle background.

This card went to a bird lover. I used an intricate die to cut the floral Washi tape, then placed it on a light blue background. The bird is a transfer from 49 & Market.

Two more cards using Washi tape.

Back to playing cards, my latest card is for a friend I’ve known since high school. Bonnie collects vintage Coca-Cola memorabilia. My artist friend Marcia gave me a vintage Coca-Cola playing card a few months ago, commenting that she knew I would find something to do with it. Indeed, I did.

I used a sheet of paper given to me a few years ago with a sewing pattern theme for the base of the tri-fold card, then used the playing card as a focal point. Scraps of red Swiss dot paper reminded me of sewing clothes in the day, and the yellow paper looks like linen if you squint your eyes. Score one for paper scraps. My paper supply has significantly dwindled, so I’m pleased when the right color and texture turn up.

by

In a Vase on Monday: Carnations and Sweet Peas

It’s that time of year when my garden fills with blooms, and I wish I could slow down time. Nature is something else, eh?

Today’s featured vase is a birthday gift for my longtime neighbor and friend, Jasmin. I used a container from an orchid that’s moved to a larger pot. The white provides a nice contrast to the flowers, which include purple, white, and lavender sweet peas, cuttings from the Pittosporum, emerging Nigella damascena, and Dianthus caryophyllus, also known ashybrid carnations, including ‘Georgia Peach’ and ‘Key Lime Pie,’ and the tiniest little flowers from Brunnera macrophylla.

I crafted a card to go with the flowers using a die designed by Eileen Hull to emulate postage.

I’ve been saving a stamp from the Philippines (Jasmin’s country of origin) to use on her card.

I added a birdhouse transfer, something she collects, and rounded out the other spaces with flowers. Jas is a gardener, too.

I’m grateful when bloggers come up with ideas to share mutual interests and to support each other’s creativity.

Thank you to “the Cathys” for inspiring this Monday series. You can visit Cathy at Rambling in The Garden at this link to see several stunning vases worldwide.

by

ScrapHappy: A Balm for the Soul

My recovery from hip replacement surgery is going well. Without needing ice packs and elevated limbs, I could comfortably sit at my crafting desk to make a few ScrapHappy cards. Thank you, Kate, for bringing us together for these monthly challenges.

I have an inordinate amount of green paper scraps spanning many shades, solid and print. I managed to work four green scraps into three cards. I will continue to challenge myself to use more. I have an unappealing shade of leftover green paper from a paper pack that I will never use, so it went into the “scraps for testing ideas pile,” allowing me to cull the useable greens.

samples of green paper scraps

The first card incorporates two shades of green and a blueish background from a Halloween pack, believe it or not. As I’ve challenged myself over the years, I’m more confident about mixing the unexpected. It’s fun.

components of card
card made using green and blue paper scraps

Once or twice a year, I receive a coupon mailer from a clothing company called Tommy Bahama featuring beautiful tropical art, something I can’t bear to toss. I set the envelope aside and waited for inspiration. This month, I incorporated the front and back of the envelope into two cards.

Tommy Bahama Envelope with tropical flowers

This first card uses a cutout from the front of the envelope, set behind a trellis die-cut using a green scrap. I inked a piece of white paper to get the shade of blue I wanted, then sandwiched the trellis, orchid, and blue paper, matting a sliver of purple to tie the colors together.

paper scraps used to assemble card
white paper covered in blue ink
Hello Spring card

The final card uses the back of the tropical art, one more green scrap (yay), purple scraps from my sister, and a butterfly transfer to tie it together. I enjoy using up what I have, repurposing when I can, and, most of all, creating cards to send to friends.

Tommy Bahama Envelope with tropical flowers
three dimensional card using green and purple scraps, butterfly transfer

These are difficult times. If you’ve been looking for a way to reduce stress, creative outlets like card-making, sewing, knitting, gardening, painting, or writing are a balm for the soul.

three dimensional card using green and purple scraps, butterfly transfer
Hello Spring card
card made using green and blue paper scraps

Here’s a list of contributing scrap-happy bloggers:

Kate, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 
Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 
 Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,
Tierney, Hannah and Maggie

by

ScrapHappy for Last Year’s Calendar

Thank you, Kate, for bringing us together for these monthly scrap-happy challenges. Kate and Gun have hosted this blog hop for a decade. Impressive, eh? Forget your troubles, come on get scrappy.

My contribution this month uses scraps of velum and several pages from last year’s The Old Farmer’s Almanac calendar to create three greeting cards.

I used two pieces of heavy white card stock for the body of the card, then adhered a pretty section of the calendar to the card front. These illustrations by artist Kristen Kest are too pretty to toss.

I ran both layers through my nifty die cutter, then scored the top and glued it to the back layer.

I stamped a couple of sentiments onto scraps of velum (I love using velum) and added them to the front of the card. Making these cards was quick, easy, and fun or in Kate’s parlance, scrap-happy.

I have a few more pages of the calendar to craft with. I hope to get to that next month.

Old Farmer's Almanac art by Kristin Kest
Old Farmer's Almanac art by Kristin Kest

Thanks as always, Kate.

Here’s a list of contributing scrap-happy bloggers:

Kate, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 
Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 
 Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,
Tierney, Hannah and Maggie

by

October Falls Away

October left town on Friday, foisting the reality of November and the most significant election of my lifetime, November 5. I’ve kept busy all month with organizing clients and social engagements, spending time with friends and family, and trying to avoid the news.

Unseasonably hot temperatures kept me out of the garden the first week of October. It’s hard to fathom triple-digit days at a time when the angle of the sun says fall, not July.

I celebrated my birthday on October 2, and we had fun handing out candy on Halloween. Mike carved three beautiful pumpkins for the front deck. Soon, they’ll join the compost bin. The seeds are outside for the squirrels to enjoy or to plant a pumpkin for next year.

This year, I polished off the last of my Halloween paper and ephemera, making cards for friends, seasonal bookmarks, and craft-making kits next to the children’s Little Free Library. I offered seeds from my garden as well.

My friend Marcia gave me a treasure trove of vintage postage, so I had fun making a few pumpkins.

There are plenty of tasks in an autumn garden, and we’re finally enjoying the cool weather needed to get things done. I’ve been pruning where appropriate and removing spent annuals. The anemones grew tall this year, with the extra weight of blooms, bending them in a gentle arch to show off a snowy white skirt. I removed the flower stalks from the lower garden but left a pair of tall plants to go to seed. The hummingbirds will be along in a few months to harvest the seed fluff for their nests.

A second round of nasturtiums arrived on the scene, flaunting lovely saucer-sized leaves and a limited number of orange and red flowers. Nasturtiums self-seed in the spring and summer, dying off by the middle of July. The fall variety has proliferated in a section planted with freesia. They’re lovely.

This morning, I planted forty spring bulbs, a mixture of double yellow narcissus and grape hyacinth. I replaced the leggy coleus growing in a pot along our deck with cold-weather cyclamen. We enjoyed a light rain overnight, refreshing the garden and the stale air.

In the wee hours of Sunday, the US ends Daylight Saving Time (DST) or Falls Back. Here’s hoping this isn’t a metaphor for what could happen if this country doesn’t vote for Democracy. I’m cautiously optimistic for a better way forward.

“There’s no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter.” – Barack Obama

by

Crafting in Circles

Crafting in circles

As hobbies go, crafting greeting cards is an easy and creative outlet. Cards can be simple or complex, depending on the mood and available supplies. I’ve been a letter-writer my whole life, so there is a practical side to making cards. I’m increasing my output by trying different styles or techniques to avoid bogging down with the same thing. I’ve watched hours of videos over time, and through them, I’ve learned techniques, but my aesthetic doesn’t quite fit the mold. 

In truth, I don’t fit the mold either, and I never have. I embrace my uniqueness and carry on.

To inspire myself, I’ve been creating cards featuring a circle. Focusing on the shape allowed me to limit my choices, which I found freeing. 

Here’s an interesting data point:

“The circle has been known since before the beginning of recorded history. Natural circles are common, such as the full moon or a slice of round fruit. The circle is the basis for the wheel, which, with related inventions such as gears, makes much of modern machinery possible. In mathematics, the study of the circle has helped inspire the development of geometry, astronomy, and calculus.” – source Wikipedia

Today, the circle is the basis for the following cards:

Card features two layers of vellum circles, a rub-on transfer, a repurposed folder and paper.
I cut the center circle from extra-wide Washi tape, adding a sentiment and a simple background.
This card features one-and-a-half circles. I love this pack of paper. I embossed the background. Technique: use a sanding block on the embossing to reveal the white paper backing.
Three circles using scraps. I lined up strips on a sticky label, then cut it to shape. The larger ring is cut from the same scraps. A hummingbird rub-on transfer flies over the top.
This card features three circles cut from a paper pack of botantical prints. The pale green paper is cut with a die, and the botanical print repeats behind that. Technique: inking edges for depth.

Another nice thing about this hobby: you can pass the time when it’s 105F outside. Our current heatwave has continued for twelve days with average temps 90F or above. Some of the plants are wilting and a few are showing signs of stress with burnt leaves. On the plus side, the tomatoes seem to be thriving and most of the succulents are getting by. It’s going to be a long summer.

by

ScrapHappy June Cards

On the 15th of each month, Kate invites bloggers to join in the fun of creating something from scraps. Participants create with fabric, metal, paper, and sometimes all three. If you have something to share made from scraps, please join us. You can contact Kate, linked above, for details.

I’m sharing three cards this month: two made from a reflective folder once used for school papers and a collage card.

My friend Mary Ann, also a cardmaker, gave me the folder and challenged me to create with it. Her scrap became my scrap; now it’s a pair of cards.

I love this sort of challenge, though I’ll admit that the intense shine and reflection of the folder gave me pause. It worked out in the end, though, and I had fun.

The pink card is my beginner’s attempt at collage. I follow a fabulous collage artist in Canada, and she inspired me to give it a go. You can take a look at Wilma’s gorgeous work here.

For the background, I used scrapbooking paper passed on from my sister featuring dress-maker patterns. I inked similar paper before die-cutting it into flowers. The pink sewing machine comes from a leftover piece of gift wrap. I used a few odds and ends of rub-on decals to add a bit of green and light pink. I want to study this medium in more detail to continue making this card style. It’s fun.

The following bloggers enjoy taking part in ScrapHappy. Click on any of the links below to see what they’re creating.

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 
Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 
 Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin, Amo, Alissa, 
Lynn, Tierney, Hannah and Maggie