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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Sunday 27 December 2020

Made in Minutes Christmas Card

I hope all of you who celebrate Christmas had a good one, albeit strange and low-key in this Covid year.  We're all missing get togethers with friends and family, but beating back the pandemic is worth the sacrifice.

I've got a Christmas card that came together very quickly - one of those you need to make last-minute when you get a card from someone but you haven't given them one.



I stamped the inchies and punched them out. The are popped up on fun foam, as is the background dp.

I'm linking up with AAA Cards : "Made in Minutes and Optional Twist Christmas".

And also linking up at Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge 393.  I used a snippet of white cs for stamping the inchies and a leftover snippet of decorative paper.

And the Christmas Kickstart Challenge "If It's Christmassy, Link It Up".

Enjoy the quiet peaceful days between Christmas and New Year's - always one of my favourite times of the year.








Supplies:
Stamps - Darkroom Door Christmas Inchies
Ink - Memento Rhubarb Stalk
Paper - Gina K Pure Ivory cs, Graphic 45 dp
Size - A2
Accessories - 1" square punch, fun foam

Monday 21 December 2020

Vintage Santa

I made a last minute card today for neighbours who brought me a plate of their delicious Christmas baking and a card (never had a card from them before!) so made this to thank them and to reciprocate the card.  Their house is full of vintage things so I pulled out a vintage Santa image.

Simply stamped in black on PTI's Vintage Cream cs, with a dull gold shimmery border and a few matching dull gold gemstones.  Definitely a QCAS - quick clean and simple card.

I'm linking up to the following:

Day of the Month Card Club - "Santa's List Day"

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - "Any Challenge Featured This Year" - I went with Santa. 

     









Supplies:
Stamps - Deep Red Santa, A Muse sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocture
Paper - PTI Vintage Cream, dull gold shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - dull gold gemstones

Saturday 19 December 2020

Poinsettia with Embellishments

I'm still making Christmas cards.  I got so far behind with making them this year because of my heart attack, so for those of you who sent me a card but didn't get one from me, this one is for you!!  I'll do better next year!

 
I placed the poinsettia stamp in my MISTI, tapped it with Versamark, then lightly brushed Magicals over it, spritzed with water, and stamped onto watercolour paper.  I was able to get a couple more prints from it.

I added the heat embossed sentiment strip and popped the panel up on fun foam on a red shimmer card base - it's hard to see the shimmer on both it and the Magicals, but it is quite lovely.  I was going to use sequins to embellish it for The Flower Challenge, but just wasn't happy with the look so went with gemstones instead.

It's getting linked up over at The Flower Challenge "Add Embellishments".


and at The Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Anything Goes".

I'm not sure if I'll get another post done before Christmas - if not, Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.








Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black poinsettia, SU sentiment
Ink - ColorBox white
Paper - red shimmer and black cs, watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - Magicals, white embossing powder, fun foam, gold gemstones

Wednesday 16 December 2020

Silver Berries

I don't often do colour challenges but I really liked this one at The Paper Players:


Here's my card:


I stamped the image in black on watercolour paper and first tried a silver watercolour paint on the berries but it wasn't silvery enough so went over it with a silver metallic pen.  Heat embossed the sentiment in silver and bordered the panel with silver cs that has a nice sheen to it.  Popped it up on fun foam for some dimension.

And here's a photo taken with different lighting to bring out the shine of the silver.



Thanks for stopping by today!








Supplies:
Stamps - Magenta bird, Rubber Soul sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, white cs, silver cs
Size - A2
Accessories - metallic silver pen, fun foam, silver embossing powder

Thursday 10 December 2020

Sheep in Woolly Sweaters

Back in July, Jane (of Purplejet Loves Crafts) created an adorable card using two sheep in woolly sweaters.  See her card here.  I fell in love with the image and went searching for it but sadly it is discontinued.  Jane kindly stamped a few off for me and mailed them.  Here's the first card I've made from them:

 

I coloured the image with coloured pencils, including a metallic gold pencil for the big star and the stars on the red sweater. I went over the stars with Wink of Stella and over the snowflakes on the blue sweater with a Stardust Glitter gel pen for some shine and used a dark gold shimmer cs for the card base.

52 Christmas Card Throwdown is asking us to choose any challenge from 2020.  I chose "Winter Sweaters".


       

I've also posted it at Splitcoaststampers for two of this week's challenges - the CAS Challenge "Sweater Weather" and the Ways to Use It Challenge "Inspired by a Song".  The sentiment is two lines from the carol "The First Noel".







Supplies:
Stamps - Inky Doodles Christmas Jumpers
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - white cs, dark gold shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, Stardust Glitter gel pen, stitched circle die

Wednesday 2 December 2020

Masculine Christmas

The Cardz for Guys Challenge is asking for a traditional masculine Christmas card.  I went with a snowy scene in the woods with a cabin.


My stamp seemed perfect for one of the trendy slimline cards that everyone is making these days but I made a smaller version as I have a bunch of envelopes that are 6 7/8 x 3 5/8".

I stamped the image and watercoloured it., trimmed it and popped it up on fun foam on a cream shimmer base, and added a sentiment banner to one side of it.








Supplies:
Stamps - Old Island Stamp Co. cabin, Rosie's Roadshow sentiment
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - watercolour paper, cream shimmer cs
Size - small slimline - 6.25x3.25"
Accessories - Yasutomo shimmer paints, fun foam, foam tape

Tuesday 1 December 2020

Painting with Shimmer Paints

I have some much neglected, but very beautiful, Yasutomo Pearlescent Watercolour Paints and thought they'd be perfect for a Christmas card.


I stamped the Penny Black winter scene and watercoloured it with pearlescent paints. It has a wonderful shimmer but I couldn't capture it very well in the photo.

I've just got time to sneak it into the Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Anything Goes" before it closes.








Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black, Make an Impression sentiment
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - watercolour paper, shimmer copper c
Size - A2
Accessories - Yasutomo Pearlescent Watercolour Paints