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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Tuesday, 22 September 2026

Reindeer and Rabbit

Christmas Kickstart wants a reindeer, Christmas Cards All Year Round wants something that starts with R or S, and the Penny Black Saturday Challenge wants us to use a Penny Black die.

A very CAS card - a kraft card base, die cut reindeer (cut twice - once out of white shimmer cs and once out of scrap, glued together for more dimension), die cut sentiment out of white shimmer cs, and die cut tiny bits of greenery out of green shimmer cs to make a wreath around his neck, with tiny red gemstones for berries. I also used a red gemstone for the dot over the "i" in the sentiment as I lost the little die cut dot.

Inkspirational wants "furry friends" and Sweet Stampin' wants a CAS card.

I used one of the adorable Anita Jeram images.  Simply stamped and watercoloured, trimmed with a lacy scallop rectangle die.  I mounted it on a green card base that perfectly matches one of the presents in the image and lets the green show through the lacy scallops.

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Supplies for card one:
Paper - kraft, white shimmer, green shimmer
Size - A2
Accessories - Penny Black reindeer die, Memory Box sentiment die, Sizzix greenery die, tiny red gemstones

Supplies for card two:
Stamps - Anita Jeram (Colorado Craft Co.)
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, green cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Reverse Confetti lacy scallop rectangle

Saturday, 19 September 2026

Candy Canes with Pine Branches

Peace on Earth challenge has a very delicious-looking mood board.  I chose the bottom right image for my inspiration.

I stamped the image and sentiment on watercolour paper, and then watercoloured it with regular watercolour paints on most of it, but shimmer watercolour paints on the ornaments and ribbon.  I trimmed the panel with a rectangle die, bordered it with metallic gold cs, and added it to an off-white card base.

There's lots of other tasty-looking inspiration from the rest of the Peace on Earth Design Team.  Take a look at our mood board and see if it inspires you to join us.
 



It's also being entered in Sparkles Christmas Challenge "include something sweet".

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Supplies:
Stamps - Stampendous candy canes, Rubber Soul sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, dull gold metallic cs, off-white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, metallic watercolour paints, rectangle die

Saturday, 12 September 2026

Background Blues and Window, Wreath, Wood

The second card is for AAA Colourful which has a colour board of shades of blue.  We can use any of the shades we like - I went with the paler ones and tried to get a similar swirly blend of colours as on the colour board.

The background is a blend of blue acrylic paints on mixed media cs.  I used rustic white cs for the die cut panel and the card base, and stamped the sentiment in dark blue.

My other card is for Tic Tac Toe.  I picked the diagonal line that reads woodgrain, free, and die cut.

I made a small wreath with various green dps and the Martha Stewart pine branch punch. I put some pearl embellishments on it. Then layered it on a die cut window and a piece of wood grain cs. I used a square green card base and added a small vertical sentiment.

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Twilight
Paper - mixed media cs, rustic white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - unknown die, blue acrylic paint

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Rosie's Roadshow sentiment
Ink - Distress Frayed Burlap
Paper - wood grain cs, white cs, various green dps
Size - 5" square
Accessories - Martha Stewart pine branch punch, window die, pearl embellishments

Saturday, 5 September 2026

Gold Angel

For the new Peace on Earth challenge, I was inspired by the top right image on our mood board to use an angel and keep the colour scheme gold and white.

I stamped and heat embossed the angel and sentiment in gold, trimmed it with a square die, layered it on some gold and white dp, and then added all that to a white card base.

Here's our mood board.  Check out how the rest of the Design Team was inspired by it over at Peace on Earth.



I'm also linking it up with Try It on Tuesday "Emboss It" challenge - the angel is heat embossed.

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Supplies:
Stamps - Inkadinkado angel, Penny Black sentiment
Ink - ColorBox gold
Paper - white cs, gold and white dp
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - gold embossing powder, Spellbinders square dies

Thursday, 3 September 2026

Sentiment Sticker with Snowflakes and the Sport of Show Jumping

First up for Jingle Belles - use Christmas stickers, whether images or sentiments.  The challenge reminded me that I have a lot of stick-on sentiments that I never use so pulled them out of a dusty drawer and used one on this card.

I used a round gelli plate, various snowflake stamps, and various shades of blue ink for the background.The gold snowflakes were stamped and heat embossed once the gelli plate print was dry.  I used a gold sentiment sticker to tie in to the gold snowflakes.  I must remember to use those stickers more often!

And then a non-Christmas card for The Sisterhood of Crafters "Sports".   I went with the sport of show jumping!

 
The image is by a well known British cartoonist, Thelwell, who did wonderful cartoons of very naughty ponies and small children.  
 
It's stamped and coloured with coloured pencils, and then I added Nuvo Crystal Glaze to the water the pony is about to jump into (or the child is going to fall into!).  I've stamped Happy Birthday inside it and I'm giving it to a good friend who is an avid rider.

 

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - various snowflake stamps
Ink - gold and various blue inks
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - gelli plate, gold embossing powder, gold sentiment sticker

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Isobel Craft Collection Thelwell stamps
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white and kraft cs
Size - 5.75x5"
Accessories - coloured pencils, Nuvo Crystal Glaze
 


Tuesday, 1 September 2026

Woodland Bunny

I've got a very CAS card for CAS Christmas "Woodland Critters".  I chose one of the adorable Anita Jeram images featuring a rabbit and his little bird friend.

Simply stamped and watercoloured.  Then trimmed with a rectangle die.  I took a smaller sized thin frame die and cut it to fit around the image but leaving a border of white.  Then I cut the same size thin frame out of green cs.  I put it back together with the green thin frame in place of the white one and tossed the white one.  I put the panel on fun foam to create a bit of dimension.

Check out the other Design Team members' cards over at CAS Christmas and then come and join us with some woodland critters.

I'm also adding it to Christmas Cards All Year Round "Something Starting with R or S" (I have R is for rabbit) and the NBUS Challenge (it's the first time I used the rabbit stamp).

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Supplies:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. Anita Jeram image and sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white and green cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, SSS thin frame die, Spellbinder rectangle die