Cards are thoughtful and wonderful happenings to give and receive. I have often thought a stash of homemade cards would be the right thing to have. This past week's Mother's Day and an upcoming gathering of the clan to celebrate a cousin's 85th birthday were the impetus to do it.
I had a package of bought blank cards and matching envelopes. I gathered my supplies.
The first card is a light weight Lutradur stamped with permanent ink. I use a double sided tape (1/4 inch) to hold it down. The coloured lines are stripes from card stock and again adhered with double sided tape (1/2 inch).
I did not use anything but the white card for the background as I kept the look simple.
Next I used a scrap of Lutradur that I'd practiced drawing with crayons on. The grand kiddies luv snail mail. It needed to have the colours deepened and I used a variety of markers.
I would rather 'draw' on a scrap and then
fiddle with placement later. Takes the pressure away from that
commitment to a blank white square, don't cha know! ;}
It looked a little forlorn in the centre of this card as the Lutrador didn't cover the whole surface so I added some washi tape borders. Remember when you fuss over the process that it is the thought that counts and the journey is progressive. ;^)
I had a piece of medium weight Lutradur that I had embossed on the Bigshot. I wet it and used Distress Paints to create a soft wash of colours.
When it dried I positioned a stamp I'd prepared and cut out.
This is more sophisticated and I think pop dots should hold the flower. Very quick and satisfying.
My thoughts turned to some dark Lutradur. I wanted some glimmer. The Radiant Rain nozzle was plugged so I just brushed some on.
After it dried I ran it through the Bigshot. I'm thinking I can get two cards with this particular process.
This is okay but... I need to bump up the glimmer, perhaps a more opaque one. Two works if the die is a bit smaller sized for the card and if I hadn't thrown away that wee bit between the branches. ;)
Next I stenciled a feather onto another piece of Lutradur that had a swipe of some kind of acrylic paint on it.
To show the translucence of the Lutradur I fixed it to patterned card stock. Fun!
Lastly, I had another piece of Lutradur that had some spray on it and I masked off a flower and sprayed again.
A little addition of some washi tape and another card for the stash. I try to keep them plain so I can use them for most occasions. I could have done a few more but it was time to quit procrastinating and finish up the primary project for the week. :)
Now I'm asking for help because the 12 inch square pages for the portfolio book each tell a story. The current page is about helping with chores and
needs to include past and present. At some point I'll give a nod to the
future. It also needs a wee bit of data. Everything I put in has a purpose, at least to my mind. But that is a lot for one page. :O
I started with a sheet of Lutradur that had photos printed on it. They were too faint so I gessoed, painted, stenciled and sprayed the Lutradur. The large piece wasn't going to do it so I divided it up, divided some more and spread them around to act as a corral for all the wildness in the middle. Trimming and shuffling things around and taking stuff off and putting stuff back. ??? I thought about it while I fiddled with cards.
"He who hesitates is lost.", to quote my dear ol' Dad! It is what it is.
Ah, a final tweak. I'll be adding a wee white "photograph' border around the page. This one will finish 12 1/2 inches square. Good enough. Ten more to go. Mother may need some more help! :~)
