A blog devoted to the cards I make in my tiny upstairs space. When my sister stays there, she calls it an "artist's garret". I'm not an artist, but am an enthusiastic cardmaker - hence the title "Cardmaker's Garret".
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Thursday, 19 December 2024

Masculine Christmas and Poinsettias Embossed and Stamped

Cardz 4 Guyz wants a masculine Christmas card. 


I started with the background - used a circle die to cut a round mask for the moon and a hilly slopes die for the snowy ground (both cut out of masking paper). Then splattered masking fluid on the sky for snow. Then sponged with two shades of blue Distress ink, leaving it lighter around the moon. Once the ink was dry, I removed the paper masks and rubbed off the masking fluid. I die cut the buildings and trees out of black cs and added them to the background. Finished off by using white gouache on a fine paint brush to add snow to the roofs.

My second card today is for Can You Handle the Pressure (dry embossing with an optional theme of poinsettias - I went with this theme).

I stamped and watercoloured the candle / poinsettia image, trimmed it with a square die, popped it up on fun foam on a square of off white cs that I'd run through a floral embossing folder that could well be poinsettias.

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Make an Impression sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Chipped Sapphire and Dusty Concord
Paper - white and black cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - masking fluid, masking paper, SSS Winter Village dies, circle die, hilly slope die, Dr Phil Martin's bleed-proof white gouache

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Stamplorations
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, square dies, Sizzix embossing folder

Saturday, 14 December 2024

Window, Window Box, and Greenery

Peace on Earth's new mood board reminded me that I haven't used my window dies for ages.  So using the bottom left image (see mood board at end of post) as my inspiration, I created this card:


I used a dp for the background that reminds me of the rustic wood in the mood board image.  I die cut the window and window box twice and glued them together for more dimension.  Using Distress Frayed Burlap, I randomly sponged them to give them a rustic look.  I stamped the sentiment on the bottom of the window box with the same ink.  I die cut lots of bits of greenery and glued them under the window box.  And backed the window with a bit of dp.

We'd love to have you join us at Peace on Earth, either with a card inspired by the mood board or an "anything Christmas" card.  There's lots more inspiration by our wonderful design team over on the challenge blog.











Supplies:
Stamps - SU sentiment
Ink - Distress Frayed Burlap
Paper - cream cs, scraps of green and cream cs, patterned papers
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box window and window box dies, Sizzix greenery dies

Friday, 13 December 2024

Christmas and Winter

My Time to Craft Christmas challenge's theme is Lights (candles, lamps, etc.).


A simple stamped and watercoloured image, bordered in red, popped up on fun foam on a panel embossed with stars.

Shopping our Stash wants to see "Winter not Christmas", My Time to Craft wants "Something Snow Related", and Stamping Sensations  wants "Winter".

I stamped a large snowflake background stamp in Versamark and then went over it with a couple of shades of Pan Pastels (a product I rarely use).  I trimmed the panel, popped it up on fun foam on a cream card base, and stamped and heat embossed a sentiment on a strip of the same cream card stock and popped it up on the panel.

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - unknown candle stamp, Stampendous sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, square dies, Sizzix stars embossing folder, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - unknown snowflake background stamp
Ink - Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - cream cs, mixed media cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Pan Pastels, embossing powder, fun foam, rectangle dies


Thursday, 5 December 2024

Watercoloured Winter, Peaceful Ornament, and Grungy Birthday

Two more Christmas cards and one birthday card today!  

First, for ABC Christmas Challenge "W is for Watercolouring", Stamping Sensations "Winter", and Four Seasons "Winter" (the top left image on their mood board inspired me to pull out an old stamp that has a rustic wooden cabin as part of it).


The image is stamped, watercoloured, and added to a kraft cardbase.  Then I went over the snow lines, the snow on the fences, trees, and roof with a quickie glue pen and added glitter.  I put the sentiment inside as I didn't want to cover up any of the lovely image.

Next up for Addicted to CAS "Ornament":


A friend and I regularly go for tea at a little French bakery / coffee shop and the pastries are served on gold cardboard holders that I carefully clean and recycle to make large ornaments for cards. In this case, I dripped a couple of shades of red alcohol inks on the round part of the pastry holder and spritzed with rubbing alcohol to get it to run and cover the round part. When dry, I added a dove die cut from white glitter cs and a branch cut from green shimmer cs. I embellished with three little stick-on gold glitter circles and some matching gold glitter strips for the ornament's hanger. I let it all take centre stage on a plain white card base with just an added stamped and heat embossed sentiment. 

A male friend has a birthday coming up so I had my usual struggle to make a masculine card.  I'm linking it up with Sweet Stampin' "It's our Birthday" - they are celebrating the 15th year of their challenge.  And also Seize the Birthday "Masculine".

I found the stencilled piece in my unused background box - it was very intensely orange and I didn't like it, so I watered down some gesso and painted over it to lighten it up.  I stamped the Tim Holtz image in black and edged around it with Tea Dye Distress ink.  Then cut a rectangle out of the stencilled piece and layered it over the stamped image as a frame.  Added a birthday sentiment to the top of the frame.

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Northwoods
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, kraft cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, quickie glue pen, glitter

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - A Muse sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Gold, red alcohol inks
Paper - white cs, white glitter cs, green shimmer cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Impression Obsession dove die, recycled pastry holder, gold embossing powder, Anita's Glitterations gold strips and dots

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Tim Holtz man, unknown sentiment
Ink - various orange Distress inks, Distress Tea Dye, Versfine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Spellbinders rectangle die, clock stencil, gesso