Recessed panel focal point...

I'm up again over at the Scrapbook Expo blog with another cardmaking post! I had fun just watercoloring the other day and playing around with a floral design of my own. I decided I really wanted a simple design to accent the painting, so I turned it into a recessed panel and raised the top and bottom panels. This really added some white space, and allowed the watercoloring to be the focal point!

Here you can see from the side view, the raised panels...
I am loving painting and can't wait to do more of it!!

The sentiment is Friendly Flowers by Papertrey Ink.
Swing by the Scrapbook Expo blog to read more about my process! Have a great day!

Calligraphy and watercolor go hand-in-hand...

Calligraphy is so hot in stationery these days, so I'm extremely happy that it's making its way into card making as well! Here I've used the Calligraphy Classics stamp set, along with some watercoloring/painting of my own.

To make these, I started off stamping the sentiment in a lighter pink color, then used a wet paintbrush to paint over it. When dry, I stamped the sentiments again over the top in Pure Poppy. The leaves were painted by myself with a teal watercolor paint and a tiny bit of gray and black mixed in. Before I did the leaves, I actually stamped 2 flowers with the Paper Clippings: Thinking of You stamp set.

Swing by the Scrapbook Expo blog to read the tutorial!

Hope you are having a great day!

Creative Cardmaker: Coloring pages for cardmakers...

Coloring pages for adults seem to be all the rage right now… I mean, really, who doesn’t like to color? It’s so relaxing and reminds me of my childhood love of art! I’ve recently discovered that now cardmakers get to color, too! Check out these neat card-sized paper packs with different designs you can color in with Copic Markers, colored pencils, etc., so much fun: this one is called Fancy Pants Sentiments Coloring Pages by Papertrey Ink. They have others, including a feather-themed pack, a butterfly pack and more. And when you are done coloring, you get to send your finished artwork to someone special in the form of a card!

I’ve chosen this particular sentiment, because I had these tulips all stamped and ready to go, and this “Miss You” coloring sheet has a nice open space in the lower left corner where I can add my tulips. So this one, it is! I’ve also grabbed some Copic markers from my collection that I thought would go well with the colors in the tulips.

What I learned is that I’m not the best colorer in the world, but I had a lot of fun with it, and it sort of turned out with an “artistic” look. I used the R39 Copic Marker to color in the “Miss You,” then shaded around the words with R20. The swirls were colored in with BG10, then shaded with two greens on the ends, YG11 and YG63.

What do you think? Will this be a trend you’ll try? See the Scrapbook Expo blog for the finished product!

Creative Cardmaker: Do the Splits...

In my Creative Cardmaker post over at Scrapbook Expo today, I'm talking about splitting your card fronts! I have been noticing this as a trend quite a bit lately...it's not really a new technique, but I really wanted to give it a try! It's a great little spot to house a sentiment and really draws your eye to it!

The card front is actually just cut with a paper trimmer, but Papertrey Ink has these really cute Sentiment Splits dies that are shaped with curves and fun shapes that will cut a little spot for your sentiment also!

The Peonies on Parade were stamped and embossed with white embossing powder, then colored in with Papertrey Ink ink pads: Lovely Lady, Raspberry Fizz, New Leaf and Ripe Avocado inks. I stamped the ink pads onto an acrylic block, then painted them onto my flowers with a tiny bit of water. I used the Big Hugs stamps and dies for the sentiment and Soft Stone cardstock in the background.

Please stop over to Scrapbook Expo's Weekly Scrapper blog to read more!

Creative Cardmaker: Stitched Banners...

Want a quick and easy way to add a focal point to your card? Create a stitched banner! If you have a sewing machine at home, you can make a stitched banner in a FLASH!

The papers I used were from an older Studio Calico card kit, but you can use any scraps you have on hand! The butterfly punch is by Martha Stewart and the stamped saying is from the Make It Market mini kit: Lovely Laurels by Papertrey Ink.

The center butterfly is punched out to create a negative look, and the front panel of the card is popped up slightly. I always like the balance of something being centered on the card, yet the randomly placed butterflies add a little bit of unexpectedness to it as well.

You can read more info about this card and the stitched banner technique over at the Weekly Scrapper blog! See you again tomorrow with another Papertrey countdown post! 

Creative Cardmaker: Liquid Gold Gilding...

Happy Tuesday! Today over at Scrapbook Expo's Weekly Scrapper blog, I have a step-by-step tutorial for you on using Liquid Gold Gilding paint on cards with a quick and easy design. These cards literally took me only a few minutes and don't use many supplies at all...one sentiment stamp, paint, paintbrush, an old pencil and a black ink pad. Stop over to read more!

We have a snow day today, so I'm getting started on my Papertrey Ink goodies for this month that will be released on February 15th! Check out these pics of Kati with our neighbors! :) The girls are thrilled to get a day off today! We've gotten over a foot of snow, and it's still coming down. Enjoy your day!

Creative Cardmaker: Quick cards in a pinch...

Today is another Creative Cardmaker post over at The Weekly Scrapper! I'm showing a quick way to create birthday cards in a pinch..."repeat a sentiment". Super easy, and you can die cut the words ahead of time to have on hand. I'm always in a pinch for a birthday card at the last minute, so here's a quick idea.

Stop over to The Weekly Scrapper to read more about these cards. I used the Wet Paint III stamps and dies by Papertrey Ink and several of their cardstocks and clear sequins by Pretty Pink Posh. Have a good day!

Creative Cardmaker: Adding unexpected dimension to cards...

Good morning! I'm up with another Creative Cardmaker post over at Scrapbook Expo's Weekly Scrapper blog. Today I'm talking about adding unexpected dimension to your stamped backgrounds, so break out your stamps and dies, and let's get started!

I've used Papertrey Ink's Quilted Summer stamp set for the flowers and stems, the Scripted stamp set for the sentiment, and the Life Is Beautiful dies to cut out the butterflies. For inks, I've used True Black, New Leaf, Pure Poppy and Aqua Mist.

Head over to the Weekly Scrapper to see the full tutorial!

Link me up if you give this a try. Would love to see how it inspired you. 

Have a great day!

Danielle

Creative Cardmaker: Adding contrast to your backgrounds...

I usually love using white backgrounds on my cards, but with fall arriving here in Colorado, I’ve been in the mood to be different and try some fall colors against a darker background. I love the contrast the darker background gives! 

Fall is a great time to mix up your colors and try a few new color palettes! For inspiration, try looking for autumn wedding color combinations on Pinterest; there are so many beautiful pictures to inspire you.
I've used the Big Hugs dies and Vintage Linens stamps and dies by Papertrey Ink, as well as the Luxe Gold Adhesive Paper.

Stop over to the Weekly Scrapper blog to read more about these cards and my process, and hopefully be inspired to try a dark background on your next card. See you next week with another Creative Cardmaker post!

Creative Cardmaker: Using fabric swatches...

I have a new post up all about adding fabric swatches to your greeting cards over at the Scrapbook Expo Weekly Scrapper blog, hope you'll swing by and check it out...

I’m always on the lookout for something fun and different to use on my projects, so when I saw these little swatches, they stole my heart and were very inexpensive. I bought several different bundles of these 2.5″ x 2.5″ squares by Moda (Marmalade, Happy-Go-Lucky, and Aspen Frost). The designs were modern, cute, tactile and colorful… just what I love! I had to figure out a way to use them on my cards. 

I've used a white-on-white technique in the background to add some texture, but allow the fabric swatch and sentiment to be the focal point with the Cover Plate: Circles die and the words are cut from Wet Paint Cuts and Wet Paint Cuts III dies.

Stop by the Weekly Scrapper for the full tutorial!

Creative Cardmaker: Use up those scraps...

I've got another quick tutorial up today at the Scrapbook Expo blog, the Weekly Scrapper. Hope you'll swing over to see a fun way to use up your scraps!

I've used a Dear Lizzy 6x6" paper pad from her Lucky Charm line, along with twine and some stamped sentiments from the Mat Stack 3 Collection by Papertrey Ink.

Swing by to see the full tutorial. :) Then pull out all your favorite little scraps and put them to good use!

The Creative Cardmaker...

I am so excited to announce that I will now be hosting a weekly blog column over at Scrapbook Expo's blog, the Weekly Scrapper! Each week, I'll post a handmade card or two along with techniques, videos and so much more to help inspire you in your card making. Hope you'll stop by!

Today I'm up with my first post. I've been asked a few questions on how I made the multi-colored embossed sentiments in my April 15th blog post, so I thought that would be a fun place to start. I'll share with you tips and techniques on how to achieve this multi-colored embossed effect.

Swing over to the Weekly Scrapper blog to see this new tutorial on achieving a fun look with these powders on your cards... and stop back each Tuesday for more card making ideas and inspiration!

And I have one more thing to tend to. I completely forgot to choose a random winner for the Craftsy class giveaway... Congrats Marianne-g! Please send me an email at dflanders71@hotmail.com to claim your free Craftsy class!

marianne-g said...

I've been a fan of your cards for years. I would love to take your class.

July 10, 2015 at 8:25 AM