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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Showing posts with label dove. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dove. Show all posts

Friday, 30 October 2026

Glazed Wings and Spaniel with Bells

Another dove card ready for my best friend to buy at my Christmas card fundraiser.  It's for Double D's "wings" challenge and Rudolph Days challenge.


I had my embossing glazes out on my desk and decided to play with them.  I sponged a background with Bundled Sage Distress ink and then stamped the dove and sentiment and coloured the flowers and leaves on the dove with markers.  I then rubbed Versamark over it and added Bundled Sage embossing glaze and heat set, thinking I'd leave it all one colour.  But there was not enough contrast with the dove so I did another sponged background with Speckled Egg, stamped and coloured the dove on it, rubbed Versamark over it, and added Speckled Egg embossing glaze to it.  Then fussy cut the dove and glued it on top of the green one.  I cut the panel with a label die before mounting it on the card base.

Jingle Belles wants Christmas animals.  I used an old stamp of a cocker spaniel wrapped in sleigh bells.

It's coloured with coloured pencils blended with Gamsol to get nice shading on the dog (the bells are coloured with a silver metallic pencil). I trimmed it with a fancy label die and then sponged around the edges with Antique Linen - except it came out grey as the sponge I used was dirty! I popped it up on fun foam.

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Fun Stamper Journey dove and sentiment
Ink - Versamark Onyx Black, Distress Bundled Sage and Speckled Egg
Paper - white cs
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - Tombow markers, label die, Distress Bundled Sage and Speckled Egg embossing glaze

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Creative Images
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Antique Linen
Paper - off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, Gamsol, silver metallic pencil, Sizzix label die, fun foam

Friday, 23 October 2026

Peaceful Wings and Favourite Things

The Double D challenge wants "Wings".  My best friend always asks me to make some Christmas cards for her with doves on them so thought this was a great opportunity to use a dove die with its wings wide open.


I sponged a blue background, then stamped the branches and sentiment in black.  The dove is die cut twice out of white cs and glued together for more dimension.

Next up is a card for the Word Power challenge where the sentiment has to be the focus of the card.  It is going to a good friend whose favourite things in the world are dogs, books, and coffee so when I found this sentiment stamp, I had to get it just to make a card for her.

I created a background with grey ink through a stencil, stamped the sentiment in Barn Door red ink, and heat embossed it with Fired Brick embossing glaze. Then trimmed it with a rectangle die. It needed more interest so I cut a thin frame out of the rectangle, and then cut another one out of red cs and inserted it into the gap. I popped the panel up on fun foam for more dimension.

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - A Muse sentiment, Penny Black branches
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, various blue Distress inks
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Penny Black dove die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Technique Junkies sentiment
Ink - Distress Barn Door, light grey ink
Paper - white and red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Distress Fired Brick embossing glaze, Spellbinders rectangle dies, SSS thin frame die, grid stencil, fun foam

Thursday, 18 June 2026

Summer Cottage Garden and Dove Flying High

A card for Shopping Our Stash's "Summertime" challenge and Allsorts "Garden" challenge:

Stamped, coloured with coloured pencils, trimmed with a pierced dot rectangle die and layered over a pink rectangle so that the pink shows through the pierced dots.  Then bordered with some floral dp, and added to a yellow card base.

I used the same floral dp to line an envelope:

 
It's going to a friend who just bought a new house.
 
Try It On Tuesday's challenge is "Flying High" - something that flies high in the sky.  I made a peace-themed Christmas card with a dove flying high among the stars.
 
I sponged silver ink through a star die, leaving space on the bottom right corner for a stamped heat embossed sentiment.  I covered a piece of scrap cs with double sided tape and added blue / silver gilding flakes.  Then die cut the dove out of it.
 
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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps -
Ink -
Paper -
Size -
Accessories -

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - unknown sentiment
Ink - silver
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Sizzix Delicate Wings dove die, Cosmic Shimmer Blue Ice gilding flakes, star stencil, silver embossing powder


Thursday, 16 April 2026

Blue Doves


Blue is beyond all colours in being my favourite colour - I love all shades of it.  So for Can You Handle the Pressure "Blue on Blue Monochromatic", I have this card in a pale aqua blue:

I embossed my background panel and then gently swiped ink over the raised part of it.  I die cut the sentiment out of a scrap of cardstock, and then before I removed them from the cardstock, I rubbed the same ink over the embossed words and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder.

Both my best friend and I love peace doves as a theme for Christmas cards and have to make several every year for her to buy at my fund raiser each year so while I was making the above card, I decided to make a second peace dove card.  This one is going to Shopping our Stash "Sparkle" and to the Snippets challenge.

A very quick CAS card!  The dove, the leaf, and the sentiment were die cut out of scraps of different colours of glitter cs and out of scraps of white, glued together for more substance, and added to the card base.

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Supplies for card 1:
Ink - Mama Elephant Winter Blue
Paper - white cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Couture Creations embossing folder, TH sentiment die, clear embossing powder

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - white shimmer cs, two shades of blue glitter cs, white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Penny Black dove die, Memory Box peace die


Sunday, 12 April 2026

Sparkling White Dove and Masculine Gears


The ABC Christmas Challenge wants to see "an image only",  52 Christmas Card Throwdown wants "all white", and Shopping Our Stash wants "sparkle".  I made a card to fit all three.  And I used a little square embossing folder I haven't used since 2014 (I went back and looked at my Splitcoast Stampers gallery) so I'm entering it in The Neglected Stuff Challenge as well.


The above photo is kind of dark - it was hard to photograph it to get the sparkle.  Here's one is different light that doesn't show the sparkle as well but is less dark.


I embossed the little square embossing folder on white cs and 
then went over the raised parts with a Quickie glue pen and added clear glitter. I trimmed around its edges, backed it with fun foam, and added it to a white shimmer card base.

I needed to make a birthday card for my nephew.  He's a thoughtful kind of guy so I always try to include one of my inspirational sort of sentiments.  And it's in light blue and brown for the Cardz 4 Guyz challenge.

I spritzed various metallic sprays on mixed media cs and when dry, die cut the gears. I glued them to another piece of paper of mixed media cs and stamped the sentiment, then trimmed the panel and sponged blue/grey Distress inks around the edges and blank areas to tone it down. Add it to a light blue card base and stamped a vertical sentiment in the remaining space.

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Supplies for card 1:
Paper - white cs, white shimmer cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Cuttlebug dove embossing folder, Quickie glue pen, glitter, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Peddlar's Pack vertical Happy Birthday, TH inspirational stamp
Ink - Archival Jet Black, blue/grey Distress inks
Paper - light blue cs, mixed media cs
Size - A2
Accessories - gears die cut, various sprays


Friday, 20 March 2026

Blue and White Christmas and Belated Flowers

A couple of cards just in time for some challenges!

52 Christmas Card Throwdown wants blue and white cards - my favourite colour combination!

I made a background by sprinkling blue Brushos on watercolour paper and spritzing with water.  When dry, I trimmed it with a pierced dot rectangle die.  I die cut the dove and sentiment from the same white cs as the card base.

The Paper Players want a clean and simple card featuring florals. 

Stamped, coloured with coloured pencils and blended with a bit of Gamsol, trimmed and mounted on a red card base.

  










Supplies for card 1:
Stamps -
Ink -
Paper -
Size -
Accessories -

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps -
Ink -
Paper -
Size -
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Friday, 5 December 2025

Dove's Wings, Masked Snowflakes, and a Horsey Thanks

52 Christmas Card Throwdown's Stash challenge wants us to use our stamps.  The ABC Christmas Challenge is "w for wings".  I went with a beautiful dove stamp where the dove has his wings spread wide.


I stamped the bird and sentiment on watercolour paper in dark blue and heat embossed. I watercoloured the bird with light blue paint. Trimmed the panel with a square die, and cut the next size up of square dies out of blue glitter cs. I die cut three small snowflakes out of the centre of the blue glitter cs, then layered the dove panel onto the blue glitter cs, and glued the three little snowflakes on the dove panel. I used an off white cs for the card base as it matches the watercolour paper better than white cs.

Try It on Tuesday wants to see snowflakes.  

I used a mask to create the snowflakes.  I laid it on watercolour paper, then sprinkled blue Brushos over it, spritzed with water, patted dry to prevent colour seeping under the mask, and lifted the mask.  I let the panel air dry and then trimmed it, added it to the card base, and framed it with a die cut frame, cut twice and glued together.  I had a burgundy glitter die cut sentiment sitting in my UFO box and like the contrast it added.

A third card for today as I needed to make a thank you card for a friend who took me out for my birthday.  It's going to Sisterhood of Crafters who want to see Thanks.


 My friend has a horse so a card depicting a horse is perfect for her.   I sponged a background with various blue Distress inks, then cut the die cut out of a square of white cs, layered it over the background, and added a simple sentiment.

    

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Technique Junkies
Ink - Versafine Clair Twilight
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs, blue glitter cs
Size - 5.5" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, clear embossing powder, tiny snowflake dies, Spellbinders square dies

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - off white cs, watercolour paper, burgundy glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - TCW Winter Wonderland snowflake mask, blue Brushos, Impression Obsession frame die, Penny Black sentiment die

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Memory Box sentiment
Ink - Distress Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire
Paper - white cs
Size - 5.25"square
Accessories - Starlit Studio die, Spellbinders square die

Tuesday, 11 November 2025

Favourite Things Dove and Leftover Dove

Shopping our Stash new challenge is "A Few of My Favourite Things".  They want us to use two or more of our favourite crafty things.  I love blue and white as a colour scheme, peace (and peace doves) as a favourite theme on Christmas cards, die cuts, a CAS design, and interesting ways to border or frame a focal image (I especially love stitched effects in die cuts for framing).


I die cut a stitched border opening in the card base and added a piece of decorative paper behind it.  I die cut a dove out of the leftover bit of cs and attached it to the decorative paper, popping up the wings with dimensional tape.  I stamped and trimmed a small sentiment in blue.

Jingle Belles wants to see "Holiday Leftovers" - bits and pieces that were too nice to toss, leftover die cuts, etc.  I made another dove / peace themed card.


I had this lovely white feather, the die cut dove, the stamped sentiment, and the inverted scallop circle sitting on my desk leftover from projects that never used them.  I put them all together for this card.  The cardstocks don't match - the dove and the background for the sentiment are white shimmer cs and the rest is plain white cs. The sentiment is heat embossed.

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Simon Says Stamp sentiment
Ink - Distress Stormy Sky
Paper - white cs, Echo Park dp
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Memory Box dove die, MFT square stitched frame die, dimensional tape

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Art Impressions sentiment
Ink - Versamark
Paper - white cs, white shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - feather, Spellbinders inverted scallop die, Impression Obsession dove die, platinum embossing powder