Flowerpot Thank You Card - Green with Orange

I drew the pot of flowers to create a thank you card for friends who hosted a lovely dinner party. My layout and green-with-orange colors were inspired by this card from Cristina's My Paper Secret blog.

I scanned my drawing and printed it on Neenah solar white card stock. I colored it with Copic markers G21, G24, YG63, YG23, E44, YR04, YR07, YR09, and V09. The orange stripes are Copic multiliner. The end is rounded with a 1-3/4" circle punch (inserting the end of the card stock into the punch from the bottom, instead of from the side).

The colored card stock is Paper Source leaf (light green) and PaperTrey Ink orange zest (orange). The button is a 3/4" circle of orange zest with 1/8" holes, made shiny with ultra-thick embossing enamel (UTEE). In real life, it's less red. I sewed it onto the card with green embroidery floss. My sentiment "thank you very much" is computer-printed in green ink with "Lucida Handwriting" font.

I made a few more of these for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (094)

Kraft Card with Browns - Miss You

One of my favorite cards, another medallion band layout. I love the many stripes, the different browns, the twill ribbon texture, the dark pinked square placed diagonally, the impression of extra layers from the frame and lines drawn directly on the kraft. It reminds me of a postage stamp with cancellation lines. And the stencil font seems just right for the "miss you" sentiment.

It's a year-old design, but I didn't post it then, because my scans and photos made the colors look so very wrong. The sentiment circle looked like a garishly bright pink, instead of the real-life lovely soft orange.

Yesterday I made a few more cards with this design. I decided to try again with posting it, and I managed to adjust my scanned colors fairly well. Not perfect - in real life, the circle's color is more like the twill ribbon - but the overall effect is close enough.

The solid color card stock is PaperTrey Ink kraft (card base), dark chocolate (dark pinked square under sentiment), and melon berry (pale orange). My homemade striped paper is Neenah classic cream with lines of black 0.5 Copic multiliner and Copic markers E09, E11, E15, and E25.

I computer-printed the sentiment "miss you" with dark brown ink in Stencil font (outline), and then I colored in the letters with E25. The 3/8" twill ribbon is colored with E11 and thin stripes of E15. The coloring on the kraft base (frame and outer lines) is E29 and E15. Circle punch is EK Success 1-3/4".

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (029)

Pastel Plaid with Black Stitching

Another variation of my "medallion band" design. Simple but effective, I think. For more cards with this basic layout, click on the label at the end of this post.

I used a leftover strip of hand-drawn plaid paper, which I layered onto some soft green and blue. For contrast, I added a black sentiment and some black accents: black dots on the scalloped circle, a black line around the yellow sentiment circle, and black zigzag stitching.

It was hard to scan the colors; in real life the solid card stock is paler, and the solid blue is less turquoise. My card stock is Paper Source leaf (green) and PaperTrey Ink blueberry sky (blue) and lemon tart (yellow). The circle punches are 2" scalloped and 1-1/2" plain. The plaid was drawn freehand with Copic markers G40 and custom colors B2000 and YYR2000 on Neenah solar white card stock. I used Copic multiliner to draw the black line and dots.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (054d)

Cobalt Stitched Card with Pink Diagonals

Scrap strips of pink, stitched with white onto a dark blue card base. I like the diagonals and the strong contrasts. And of course, I like using some scraps!

The card stock is PaperTrey Ink hibiscus burst (light purplish pink), raspberry fizz (dark purplish pink), and berry sorbet (orangey pink) on a Paper Source cobalt (very dark blue) base.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (093)

Stitched Card with Multicolor Pennants

Pennants and sentiment in seven colors, stitched with black thread on kraft.

To make the pennants, I folded white cardstock, then cut triangles (with the fold at the top) approximately 1/2" wide and a bit less than 1" long. I colored them with Copic markers and stitched with black thread and a white bobbin. Normally I would use a matching bobbin, but I like the effect on this card with the specks of white visible.

The sentiment "Celebrate!" is computer-printed on Neenah solar white card stock with Stencil font (black outline only), expanded spacing. I colored the letters with the same Copic colors as the pennants: R29, BG05, YR09, B24, V04, G17, and Y19. My card stock is PaperTrey Ink kraft (card base) and pure poppy (red sentiment layer).

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (092)

Yellow Card with Turquoise Vine and Polka Dots

A bright, happy card with turquoise polka dot flowers and flower buds on a leafy vine.

I used two new items (new to me, anyway) to make this card. I really like both of them.

• For my clear rounded dots, Viva Decor gloss gen pen (transparent). At first it looks rather milky, then dries very clear. Takes several hours to dry (overnight to harden completely), but for me, still easier than fiddling with the self-adhesive round stones. My local scrapbooking store carries the Viva Decor pens, but didn't have this one.
• For my blue wavy line, the stitch-doodle-dot mini (6x6") plastic template TCW131s The Crafter's Workshop. (Scroll about 2/3 of the way down the TCW page to see it.) The template (stencil) is thin and very flexible, and I found I needed to hold it down firmly for best results. Craft Critique (one of my favorite websites) has two helpful reviews here. I bought my template at a local craft store. It's also available on line from Ellen Hutson.

Other materials: The card stock is PaperTrey Ink harvest gold (yellow), Paper Source pool (aqua), and my own polka dot PowerPoint file, printed on Neenah solar white. The vine, leaves, and lines are drawn with B14 Copic marker. The punches are 1/4" circle punch and 1/2" EK Success flower punch.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (091)

Multicolor Stripes and Sentiment on Blue Card

I had a few strips of homemade striped card stock, left over from my Summertime Words card. So I made a "Thinking of you" sentiment with the same colors. An offset layout with dark mats and white lines ... just a nice, simple note card.

Making my own patterned papers and sentiments in PowerPoint is easy, though it does need some patience. I like it because I can adjust the colors and sizes to go with whatever I'm working on. And it's fun to find an artistic use for my otherwise boring office-acquired software skills.

My card stock is Paper Source cobalt (dark blue mats), Paper Source lake (medium blue card base), and Neenah solar white (printed strips). The white lines are drawn with my favorite white pen, Signo Uni-ball gel impact. The sentiment and stripes are computer-printed. The font is American Typewriter bold, expanded, and the dots are large-font periods - something I'll try again for polka-dot patterns.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (090)

Turquoise Pennants Card

Today's card is monochromatic. Long pennants and a double line of embroidery floss.

My pennants are strips of card stock, and the ends are shaped with a 1" circle punch (stars strip) or square punch (other strips). Technique: To get a negative punch shape (stripe and dot pennants), insert the end of the strip from the side of the punch. To get a positive shape (star and sentiment pennants), insert the end of the strip from the bottom of the punch. Hard to explain, but easy to do.

The card stock colors are Paper Source peacock (dark turquoise base), PaperTrey Ink aqua mist (pale aqua) and PaperTrey Ink Hawaiian shores (medium turquoise). The turquoise embroidery floss is very old Star brand. I used a 1/16" punch to make the holes for the floss. The sentiment "~Thinking of you~" is computer printed with dark turquoise ink in Lucida Handwriting font. My stripes, dots, and stars are also computer printed (PowerPoint) with the same ink.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (089)

Pink Card with Gray and Coral

This card's layout is the weekly Sketch Challenge #80, from Operation Write Home's Stars and Stamps blog. Simple and sweet. The colors reminded me of the pink-and-gray plaid blankets from my 1950's childhood.

The card stock is PaperTrey Ink sweet blush (light pink), berry sorbet (coral), and smokey shadow (dark gray). The flower is from Hero Arts (Hero Hues Art Flowers - white and cream assortment), colored with Copic markers R00, R32, and RV10.

Technique: My flower center is tiny dots of smokey shadow, punched out with a 1/16" hole punch, adhered and covered with a puddle of Ranger Glossy Accents, which I also pulled out partway into the petals. To place the dots on the Glossy Accents, I gently poked each dot with a needle.

The sentiment "Miss you" is computer-printed on sweet blush card stock, in American Typewriter font (expanded), with a dark gray outline and coral fill. After printing, I colored over it with R32 to deepen the color. In real life, the sentiment matches the berry sorbet card stock nicely. I added a smokey shadow layer under the small sweet blush sentiment piece, to set it off from the (also sweet blush) card base.

I cut the scallops with Fiskars "cloud" edger scissors. And I finally gave in and bought a Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers) to round my corners. It worked a lot better than my little green corner rounder punch, which was struggling on the heavier card stock weights.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (088)

Heart Tag with Stripes Card - FTL #151

For my inspiration, see Natasha's sample card for Fall-To Layout #151 on the Clean and Simple Stamping blog. I really enjoyed working with this layout and color combination. Other than using A2 instead of a square shape, I stayed very close to the sketch dimensions.

My solid colors are Papertrey Ink dark chocolate (brown card base), harvest gold, and scarlet jewel (wine). For my striped pattern, I drew lines on Neenah classic cream with wine Copic multiliner and Copic marker R59. The borders on the gold layer are also drawn with wine multiliner and R59.

I also used my Fiskars "imperial" paper edger (scissors), 1/4" office supply hole punch, and EK Success 1" heart punch. The triangle at the top of the tag = the cutout from the bottom. (The horizonally striped piece covers the join.) My "string" is a very narrow strip of cream card stock.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (087)