#7 Card for a Rainy Day

I am grateful my family members sometimes come card-shopping at my house. Recently, I had a request for a get well card. I thought I didn't have any made and would have to whip up something, but it turns out I had several tucked away. I made a series of three or four similar to this one last year from a Sheetload of Cards design.

If you are getting rained on today, I hope tomorrow is sunnier.

Papertrey Ink cardstock, buttons, baker's twine, sentiment stamp, and cloud die,
K & Company printed papers,
my wool felt and ticket.

Card #6 CPS Sketch #234

I just made this Halloween Bingo card yesterday afternoon. I figured since I'm working mostly from other designers' sketches right now, I might as well work on a current sketch and share it. I'm currently obsessed with Halloween cards. I have black and orange bits and pieces all over my work area. I made a set of cards and a bunch of tags, and I'm still going strong.

I couldn't wait to use that glittery swirl on a card. I don't consider myself a glitter girl, but I was drawn to the flourish die and the glitter paper. I am really pleased with the results, and I'm looking forward to adding some glittery swirls to Christmas cards in the near future.

The sketch is vertical, but I created my card horizontal. Now that it is finished, I think it works either way.

This is a postcard, but I just found an almost-perfect sized glassine envelope to protect it for mailing!

The Girls Paperie Toil & Trouble printed papers,
DCWV solid paper,
Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes die and paper tape,
Recollections glitter paper and spider punch,
Inkadinkado spider web stamp,
Cavallini & Co. Vintage Number stamps,
my vintage bingo card.

#5 More Art, Less Craft?

I often have trouble calling my card-making Art, especially when I base the design on someone else's sketch. I recently read an article about this very dilemma, and the author wrote something to the effect that if you make a technique your own, own the work, put your own spin on the design, it is Art. If you are simply following directions or recreating from an example, it is Craft. Even the cards I make completely from my own brain still feel like Craft. I suppose I aspire to be an Artist. Maybe someday I will arrive.

I created this in the past month as a wedding card. It is 5x7 inches, larger than most cards I make. The background is a page from a 1930 play script called "Oh, Promise Me!" Scraps of cardboard, sheet music, mulberry paper, with large button, twig, and linen thread comprise the focal point. Machine stitching and letter beads frame the collage of textures.

Card A Day #4

This is one of my very own layouts, created to show off the plastic tab and employ a button closure. I love cards that DO something, cards that are a little more interactive. The two tags hang free on the safety pin for more moving parts. I love that diner stamp; used postage has been a favorite embellishment for some time now. My label on the back tells me I made this back in 2009, and it is the last one of its kind in my stock. I will send it off as a birthday card this month, and then maybe I'll make some more.
K & Company printed papers,
Papertrey Ink cardstock, buttons, and sentiments,
additional embellishments from my collection.

Interior 1

Interior 2

Card A Day #3

Fun but bulky paper-covered buttons pop off this monochromatic card I made sometime last year. To make the buttons, I used a kit meant for making fabric-covered buttons and dampened the paper to make it more flexible. I snipped off the button shank and added self-adhesive foam mounts. I like to make my own embellishments whenever I can. I am often disappointed in the quality of the ones available for purchase. I love tabs, buttons, and layers of paper on my cards, as I am sure you will see be the end of the month! This design is from "The Cardmaker's Workbook" by Jenn Mason. I hope it's masculine enough to use as a boy's birthday card because it is going in the mail soon.

September Card-A-Day #1 and #2

I am making a lot of cards these days. A lot. I still have plenty in my stash, but I'm on a roll. I collected so much great paper, I really want to turn more of it into beautiful mail. I am going to challenge myself to post a card I have made, recently or one from my stash, each day this month. Considering my posting record so far, this is truly a challenge! If I have time and a good memory, I will include materials and links. (I have no affiliation with any companies, except I buy some of their stuff.) I guess I better post two today to make up for yesterday. Wish me luck!

I made this one last year and listed it for the opening of my Etsy shop. It didn't sell after relisting, so this month it will be a birthday card for a friend.
Based on a CPS sketch from sometime last year, it's a one-of-a-kind.
K & Company papers with added rubber stamping and inked edges,
my vintage lace, button, and machine sewing.

I made this one (and a bunch more in a similar style) a few weeks ago, with envelopes to match.
Based on one of my favorite Sheetload of Cards sketches "Just Off Centre."
Cosmo Cricket Love Earth papers,
Papertrey Ink felt, die, buttons, and twine,
my burlap, vintage ric rac, and machine sewing.

The New Face of Mail

Exchange Faces from Georgia via IUOMA

Over a month since my last post? Good grief! I have received and answered quite a bit of mail in that time. I finally had a chance to put my Letter Writers Alliance bag to good use. (I have the original, not the snazzy new one.) I enjoyed a week's vacation at the beach with family and spent much of my quiet time writing cards and letters on a large, shady front porch with a tall glass of iced tea. It was lovely!

Exchange Faces from Viviana via IUOMA

Today is the first day of school, so we will be settling back into that routine. I hope to post here more often now that I don't have to share the computer for a good part of the day. And I hope to make and send some more good mail once I finish scrapbook pages from last school year! (Every year I try to keep on top of the school papers, and every year I put it off till the last possible minute!)

From Monika in Poland via PostCrossing

Before I sign off for today, I had to share this fabulous article from Felt & Wire, mentioning several of my favorite postal people and projects. Enjoy, and happy mail day!