TSSC97--Sort of

I think I should just call this day "Mary Jo Monday," since most of my Monday posts are inspired by her wonderful sketches. (Check out her blog for all the details.)

I didn't follow this sketch exactly, just sort of, kind of. I think she wanted the card to be square, but since I'm posting it in my Etsy shop, and a rectangular card is easier to mail, I didn't do square.

I followed the layer and the rounded corners, up until you get to the focal image. Then there was supposed to be another rectangle. I was planning on putting the snowflakes down in a vertical line, but they looked better "blowing" across the card. So that's that. :)

You can't tell from this picture, but the snowflakes are sparkly too, with dazzling diamonds embossing powder.

I'm not sure if I will get anything else posted this week, since Thanksgiving dinner is at my house.

Have a wonderful week, and great Thanksgiving day! Eat lots...I know I will!

Sense Of Time

This card has a slightly masculine feel to it, but yet, I don't think it has to be given to a man. The sentiment says, "An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth."

I'm not always a big fan of sayings like this, but I do really like this one. I think because life is so busy, it's nice to think of just enjoy time.

Both of the clock centers have a brad in them, giving it slightly more dimension.

The brown cardstock has been dry embossed, and then sanded. It looks a little like suede. A great all occasion card for anyone!

Embossed Snowflakes

It's not too often that I pull out my heat gun, and heat emboss. It's a messy business, and I usually end up with fine, embossing powder all over that place. Once in a while though, it's worth the effort.

This card is like a gently falling snow. Each of the flakes is stamped on glossy white cardstock, and then sprinkled with clear embossing powder. Once the powder melts, you have a slightly raised image.

After that, I rubbed different shades of blue over the cardstock. The embossed images resist the ink, so they stay their orginal color.

The metal tag frames "joy," which is covered in an irridescent, sparkly embossing powder. It reflects the light just like fresh fallen snow.

She Keeps Me Going

I was going through a little bit of an unmotivated phase. I didn't know what to make, and therefore, I didn't feel like trying. Mary Jo, has inspired many of my cards with her wonderful sketches though, and that was were I started today.

This layout is for her Monday Sketch Challenge.

Make sure you check out her blog, to get all the details, and see what she's come up with.

At first I did not have any words on the front of this card, and it just didn't look finished. Once I added the sentiments though, I was happy.

I was having so much fun, that I made another card with the same layout:

And since I still had some time until the kids arrived home from school, I made a card with last weeks layout. I really meant to play along last Monday, but never had a chance to sit down and make the card. So, better late than never!

Thanks so much Mary Jo!

I love this fun flower peeking out of the corner. This stamp set is called Pick a Petal, and comes in different pieces. You can pick which petals, and which center to put together.

I don't know how well it shows up in this picture, but there is a "doodly" (I'm sure that's not a word, but I think you get what I'm saying) swirl in the corners.

A great thank you to send to someone you love, or even just like :).

Mini Thank You Notes

I made these mini thank you's with other Etsy sellers in mind. They are the perfect size to jot a handwritten thank you to customers, and stick it in with their order. Nothing too fancy, or fussy, but still pretty cute, in my opinion :).

One of My Favorites

This is one of my favorite cards. I love the colors (it shows the colors in my house), and the style. It may be too "fussy" for some, but not me.

The focal image is stamped on watercolor paper, and lightly watercolored. Nothing too bold, just a soft glow. The red cardstock behind it has a french script stamped on it, but then it was misted with water to "blur" the image, and "age" the cardstock. The celery card stock was also aged, and almost looks liek a piece of suede.

The chocolate cardstock has 3 seperate background stamps on it: french script, diamonds, and aida cloth (mesh).

Here's a close up:

The only sentiment on the card is "joy," so it would work for many different occasions.

Mini Notes

These mini notes are so much fun to make. They are perfect size for a lunch box note, a small gift note, or thank you card. Each one is covered with patterned paper, and then I add some coordinating felt flowers, and a colored brad. A piece of ribbon finishes it off.

The brown in the photo show darker than it actually is. It's really more of a chocolate brown. I also made a set of these in celery, olive and blue. Both of them are in my Etsy shop.

Batik Snowflakes

I love this vibrant background against the white snowflakes! It reminds me of sitting by a warm fire, with snow gently falling outside the windows.

Since there is a lot of moisture used to produce this background, I used a piece of watercolor paper. That is much thicker than regular cardstock, and much more absorbant.

First, the snowflakes were heat embossed onto the paper, using clear embossing powder. Then I used 4 different hues of blue ink, and added them to the paper with a very wet watercolor brush. They blend together , but the embossed snowflakes repel the ink, so they stand out so well.

Not that I'm ready for snow yet, but I do love the way it looks...on a card. :)

It Looks So Simple

There are times when I finish making a card, and think, how could it have taken me so long to make.

This card is a perfect example. I spent about 45 minutes on it. There is no special technique involved. I didn't have to think about the layout, since I used Mary Jo's Monday Lunchtime Sketch.

What happens is, even though I have a general idea of what I want to card to look like, I end up spending loads of time working out the little details. For example, I stamped a script background on the olive piece, and I tried it both with the writing running straight across, and then overlapping and at an angle. I decided to go with the angle. But then I decided to add the butterflies over the script, so I had to redo stamp it lighter, so the butterflies would show.

You know what though, that is really one of the things I love about making cards...all the time spent on the details. It's what makes each card unique and individual. I never know exactly how the card is going to turn out until I'm finished. So while I look at a card and think, it looks so simple, there is a lot of time and love that goes in to each one. :)

Make sure you check out Mary Jo's blog to see what she's come up with this week. I'm sure it's as wonderful as always!