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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Monday, 16 August 2021

Rainy Day Cards

I haven't been creating or blogging lately as we have had such a wonderful sunny summer and I just want to be outdoors - either puttering in my garden or sitting in the shade with a good book or down at the barn with the horses.  But today it's rained all day so that got me inspired to go into my craft room.  And I needed to get a couple of cards made.

First up a friend's birthday.  He's a keen birdwatcher so I always make cards with birds on them for him.

I made a smooshed background with blue and green Distress inks.  When dry I stamped the collage stamp and sentiment on it in black.  I restamped the collage image on a scrap of white cs and fussy cut the bird and glued its legs onto the stamped bird on the background and popped up its body with foam tape.  I went over the little berries (or flowers or seedheads - not sure what they are) with a Stardust gel pen.

It's going off to The Male Room where they want a masculine birthday card:

 

Then a card for one of my sisters who loves blue as much as I do:


The wildflowers and the background for the sentiment was created with a couple of shades of blue brushos and lots of water spritzing on watercolour paper to get a nice wash.

I die cut the wildflowers from it and used a piece of it for my background for the stamped and heat embossed sentiment. I set the sentiment behind a die cut peek-a-boo frame.

It's linking up with Less is More:
 

We're back to sunshine tomorrow so I'll probably be heading back out into the garden - lots of beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini ready for picking, and all the flower beds need a good tidy-up.

  







Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Carabelle "Dream Wings"
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, various green and blue Distress inks
Paper - mixed media and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Stardust gel pen, foam tape

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Tim Holtz wildflower dies, MFT peek-a-boo frame, blue brushos, clear embossing powder

13 comments:

  1. your bird card is great for a bird watcher, I'm sure your friend will love it and your sisters card is a perfect match with die cut and sentiment. I can't believe how perfectly the sentiment fits in the window :)

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  2. Two beautiful birthday cards, Susan. I love your mixed media bird card and so will your bird watching friend. Your sister will flip over all the Gorgeous Blues on her card. Simply beautiful CAS card design. LOVE the perfect sentiment for the window too. Happy to hear you have been able to spend so much wonderful time in your gorgeous flower, berries and veggie gardens and at the barn, my friend. Love and Hugs...Nancy

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  3. This bird and background are perfect for a masculine card, Susan! Love it! The bright blue flowers are so pretty and I love the sentiment! Don't overdo it in the garden, my friend!

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  4. Both cards are so vibrant and I like the way you left the bird on the masculine birthday card un-coloured showing of that fabulous smooched background x. The blues on your sisters card looks so striking and so very beautiful. Enjoy your garden and your time outside Susan and great to see you blogging x.
    Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a kind and friendly comment, which I appreciate x.

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  5. Two lovely birthday cards Susan. Aren't you happy we had rain ... not only for the garden, but so you could have some creative time! :) The bird card for your friend is awesome. LOVE the colours of the smooshed background. The bird is awesome and stands out with your fussy-cut image over top. And the stardust pen adds a bit of sparkle. Love it!

    Julie is going to love her blue card. :) You two have so much in common. Love the beautiful sentiment and the gorgeous wildflowers. She will love this card ! xx

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  6. Smashing makes, loving the "shades of blue"

    Kathyk

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  7. Two beautiful cards, Susan ! Fabulous smooshed background for this beautiful bird. But you stole my heart with your blue card. It's also my favourite colour and I love so much the contrast with the white. Gorgeous CAS design too. Thanks so much for sharing and for playing along at Less is More.

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  8. Two super cards Susan. I love your blue one with die cut wild flowers, perfect for our challenge at Less is More. Thank you for sharing with us.

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  9. Both cards are beautiful, Susan! The bird looks handsome against the beautiful smooshed background with the collage image stamping!
    I love the blue shades for the window background and the wildflowers! I'm sure your sister loved the card too!
    Hideko xx

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  10. Beautiful birthday card! Thanks for playing at TMR challange. Goga

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  11. That blue and green combination is so beautiful on the bird card. A perfect card for your birdwatching friend. Those blue wildflowers grabbed my heart. That shade of blue is gorgeous against the white and I love that frame for the sentiment.

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  12. Beautiful card! Thanks for playing at The Male Room blog challange

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  13. Great card - love your background.

    Thanks for joining us at The Male Room Challenge.

    Helen x
    (DT)

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