Two Cards with Stripes and Circles

..

Two similar cards, using up some (very old) patterned paper, for this week's Sketch Challenge #106 on Operation Write Home's Stars and Stamps blog. The paper is, well, not very subtle, which is why it got so old in my stash. I just let it be itself.

Card details:

• Card stock (left) is Papertrey Ink (PTI) Hawaiian shores (medium aqua) and Paper Source (PS) peacock (dark turquoise), and reverse side of striped paper (light red). Card stock (right) is PS curry (gold) and spruce (dark green), and reverse side of striped paper (light green). I don't know the name of the striped papers.
• Circles are a combination of EK Success circle punches and PTI 2.5" limitless layers circle dies. Starting from the center: 5/8" punch (medium aqua or gold), 1" punch (dark turquoise or dark green), 2" scalloped punch (striped), 2-1/4" plain punch (dark turquoise or dark green), PTI die (medium aqua or gold), and PTI die (light red or light green).
• The bottom of the banner is scalloped with Fiskars clouds edger scissors.

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." (128)

Green Three-Panel Card

These pale-green-and-white patterned papers were hard for me to work with. So pale. Bland, if not blah. But the three-panel layout brings out a bit of their charm. The sentiment is printed on the paper's reverse, using the strip left from cutting the panels. So I can feel good that I used it all up. See bottom of post for a different color and placement of the sentiment strip.

I don't know the names of the patterned papers, which came in the packet from Operation Write Home, as explained in an earlier post. I used Hero Arts grass (bright green) for the card base and the sentiment's base layer. The sentiment is computer-printed in Papyrus font with green 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." (068)

Lavender Card with Blue Stripes, Dots, and Rectangles

Rectangles, dots, stripes, and lines. A "modern" flair. I enjoyed playing with just a few shapes and lines. No sentiment, just a note card.

The papers are Paper Source violet (card base), Hero Arts cerulean (dark turquoise), an unknown polka dot paper, and a homemade striped paper (Copic markers and multiliners on white). I used a Copic multiliner (0.3) to draw purple lines around the shapes.

The striped paper was left over from this card. My layout was adapted from these cards.

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." (067)

Purple Stripes - Diagonal and Square

Two purple cards. They are the same, except for the placement of the layered square element - diamond (diagonal) above, and square (not diagonal) below.

The solid color card stock is Hero Arts iris (purple card base), Papertrey Ink simply chartreuse (yellow green layer), and the back of one of the patterned papers (dark purple layer). I don't know the name of the patterned papers, which came in an assortment from Operation Write Home, as explained in an earlier post. My sentiment "Hello" is computer-printed with purple ink in Lucida Calligraphy font (bold).

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." (066)

Brown and Aqua - Medallion and Band Design

I've done quite a few cards with this basic layout. A band of patterned paper, layered or ribboned, and a layered medallion for the sentiment. It makes me happy for simple note cards.

In this variation, I placed my medallion off the edge of the band, instead of centering it on the band. For more variations, click on "medallion band" at the end of this post, or in my label list to the right.

Today's card began with the patterned paper - aqua with cream and brown. Then a lighter brown for the card base, a darker turquoise for the mats, and a matching cream for the sentiment. I love the way the colors work together.

My solid color card stock is Hero Arts mocha (brown), Paper Source peacock (dark turquoise), and Neenah classic cream. I don't know the name or maker of the patterned paper - I'm still working my way through that little stack of patterned papers from Operation Write Home, as explained in an earlier post.

The sentiment "Thinking of you" and the dotted circle are computer-printed with turquoise ink. The font is Papyrus. The circle punches are 1-1/2" and 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." (054c)

Red, White, and Blue Pinwheel Card

A pinwheel in red, white, and blue. ... Edited April 6, 2011: I'm linking my card to the April 5 Pinwheel II tutorial on Operation Write Home's Stars and Stamps blog. Two things I'd like to point out for visitors from the OWH post: I added a square red layer behind the pinwheel to set it off, and I used 3 circle punches to make my center element. Now back to my original post...

It's the same pinwheel design that I've posted previously, but it looks a bit different because I added a red layer behind the pinwheel. Click here for all my pinwheel cards, including a link (on the first card) to an easy-to-use tutorial on Sheryl's Crafting Corner blog.

I made my blue card stock from white Neenah, colored with B24 Copic marker. Technique: Coloring with Copics is very smooth, so it's a great way to make a small piece of card stock when I don't have the color I want. On the squares behind the pinwheel, I colored just the edges that are visible. Be sure to color first and let it dry, before attaching the layers!

The red card stock is Hero Arts punch, and the white card base is from Papertrey Ink - a very sturdy card base that I use on almost all of my cards. The sentiment "Celebrate!" is computer-printed in red and blue ink using Lucida Calligraphy font (bold). For the center of my pinwheel, I punched circles in 1/4", 1/2", and 3/4" sizes. I don't know the names of the patterned papers.

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." (046c)

Yellow and Orange Note Cards

Simple note cards, made with scraps of patterned paper. See end of post for card details. 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." (063, 064, 065) 

 

Card details:

• Sentiment "hi" is computer-printed with orange ink using Prestige Elite Standard Bold font. The dotted lines that border the sentiments are also computer-printed.
• Solid color card stock is Hero Arts daffodil (yellow card bases), Hero Arts mandarin (orange card base), Hero Arts cerulean (turquoise rectangle), Papertrey Ink orange zest (dark orange circle), Paper Source curry (gold strip and circle), Neenah classic cream (strip and circle sentiment), and Neenah baronial ivory (square sentiment). I don't know the names of the patterned papers.
• Punches are 1-1/4" scalloped circle (sentiment), 1" square (sentiment), and 1-3/4" and 1-1/2" (plain circle layers).

Aqua and Cream Pattern Card

Shades of aqua with cream. Quiet and restful - maybe too quiet. But I like it. In real life, the colors all flow nicely with each other.

The patterned paper is unidentified - it's from my Operation Write Home paper packet, as explained in an earlier post. The rest of the card stock is Neenah classic cream (sentiment circle) and Papertrey Ink ocean tides (gray-green card base and larger circle) and aqua mist (light aqua center strip). The stripes are Copic marker BG72. The sentiment "Thinking of you" and dotted circle are computer-printed; the font is Perpetua Titling MT Light. The circle punches are 1-1/2" and 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." (054b)

Two Pinwheel Flower Cards

Large, cheerful pinwheel flowers. Please believe me - in real life, the orange pattern and solid colors truly look nice together! ... Edited April 6, 2011: I'm linking my card to the April 5 Pinwheel II tutorial on Operation Write Home's Stars and Stamps blog. For visitors from the OWH post, I linked this to show how a corner rounder punch can give a different effect. You can round just 2 corners of each square, but until you get used to the assembly process, it's safer to round 3 corners (placing the unrounded corner in the pinwheel's center). As I learned the hard way. Returning to my original post...

The flower petals are 1-1/4" squares with rounded corners (using a corner rounder punch).

Click here for my traditional pinwheel card with a link to Sheryl's excellent tutorial.

On the left side, my card stock is Hero Arts lilac (light purple) and iris (medium purple) with Hero Arts poppy (yellow), pine (dark green), and celadon (pale green). On the right side, I used an unknown patterned paper and Papertrey Ink melon berry (a lovely light orange that, unfortunately, my scanner sees as pink). My sentiment "Hello" is computer-printed with green ink in Lucida Calligraphy font.

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." (046b)

Green on Green Card

A green on green card, using a criss-cross patterned paper from my Operation Write Home paper packet, as explained in an earlier post. I thought it needed "something more," but after trying a few ideas, I decided to leave it as is.

The solid green card stock is Papertrey Ink new leaf. I don't know the name of the patterned paper. The circle punches are 1.5" plain and 2" scalloped. The ribbon is colored with G24 Copic marker. The sentiment "Thinking of you" and the dotted line are computer-printed with green ink. The font is "Perpetua Titling MT Light."

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." (054a)

Pink and Green Pattern Strip Card

A simple note card with a bright strip of apples, hearts, and flowers on a double mat. Today I made seven cards like this, using up another A2-sized piece of patterned paper from Operation Write Home, as explained in an earlier post. Each strip of pattern was a bit different. See below for another example.

The card base is Papertrey Ink (PTI) spring moss (light green), and the mats are PTI raspberry fizz (pink) and simply chartreuse (medium green). I don't know the name of the patterned paper. My sentiment "Hello" is computer-printed with "asparagus" ink in "Handwriting Dakota" font.

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." (053)

Quilt Pattern Card - Brown with Blue and Red

My first attempt at a quilt pattern card. Nine one-inch squares, with a tenth square cut into triangles. I like it a lot. In real life, the colors look deep and rich. No sentiment seemed necessary.

It was inspired by Sherry Hickey's quilt card, posted on her blog Bits of Cheer. Thank you, Sherry! She included a link to a video tutorial that explains the technique. It was easy to do with a 1" square punch (EK Success) and a 1.5" Xyron sticker maker.

My solid-colored card stock is Papertrey Ink dark chocolate(brown) and Hero Arts punch (light red) and cerulean (blue). The patterned paper is from Operation Write Home, as explained in an earlier post. I colored my 1/2" faux button (punched from Craft-a-Board) with Copic markers B41 and B01. The knot is brown embroidery floss.

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." (052)

Two Damask Cards

Two cards with damask patterned paper from Operation Write Home, as explained in an earlier post. For me, the damask pattern has an elegant, somewhat formal look, and I tried to keep that feeling in the finished cards.

The aqua card has a middle layer of Papertrey Ink aqua mist card stock, which I edged with my Fiskars "imperial" scissors. The base layer is Paper Source lake. The sentiment "Hello" is computer-printed on a 1" circle of Neenah classic cream, using "Edwardian Script ITC" font (outline) in blue ink. It is matted on a 1-1/4" scalloped circle of aqua mist.

The brown card has a base layer of Papertrey Ink dark chocolate. The 3/8" grosgrain ribbon was colored with E43 Copic marker. I edged the damask strip with E44 marker. The sentiment "Thinking of you" is computer-printed on a 1-1/2" circle of Neenah, using "Lucida Calligraphy" font in brown ink with a light beige background, edged with E43 marker. In real life, all the brown colors go together well.

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." (051)

Turquoise Card with Cocoa and Aqua Plaid

A very simple layout. I love the colors together. It didn't seem to need more.

This is another card using the packet of patterned paper from Operation Write Home, as explained in an earlier post. I made six of these cards with two A2 sheets of the plaid paper. The base layer is Papertrey Ink Hawaiian Shores. The 1/4" satin ribbon is colored with Copic marker E71. The sentiment "Hello" is computer-printed with cocoa-colored ink in Lucida Calligraphy font.

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." (050)

Purple and Yellow-Green Card - Squares and Circles

Here's another card using the patterned paper I received from Operation Write Home. Yesterday's post tells the story.

This time I chose two coordinating papers - one with stripes and one with a circle pattern. I also used the yellow-green solid color on the reverse of the circle pattern paper. It's the same layout as yesterday's card, inspired by this week's Fall-To-Layout 122 on Clean and Simple Stamping.

The purple card base is Hero Arts iris. I don't know the name of the patterned paper. My sentiment "Thinking of you" is computer-printed with Lucida Calligraphy font in purple ink. The circle punches (EK Success) are 1-1/4" scalloped and 1-1/2" plain, to make the embellishment on the striped square, and 2" scalloped for the sentiment. I also placed a 1/2" shiny clear epoxy dome sticker on the center of the embellishment.

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." (049 b)

Avocado, Orange, and Aqua Card - Squares and Circles

It was a lovely surprise to receive a packet of patterned card stock - many different patterns and colors - from Operation Write Home. One of my cards was randomly chosen from a recent challenge on the OWH Stars and Stamps blog.

Since I love working with solid colors and drawing my stripes and plaids as needed, I've never purchased "designer paper." So it will be fun to play with this assortment. All of it is precut to A2 size (4.25" x 5.5"), which makes it easy for me to work with.

I picked an interesting pattern and some coordinating solid colors. My layout was inspired by this week's Fall-To-Layout 122 on Clean and Simple Stamping. I'm happy with the result - bright and cheerful. I was able to make four cards like this with two pieces of the patterned card stock.

The solid-colored card stock is Papertrey Ink ripe avocado (card base), orange zest, and aqua mist. I don't know the name of the patterned paper. The circle punches (EK Success) are 1-1/2" and 2" scalloped. My sentiment "Thinking of you" is computer-printed with Papyrus font in avocado 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." (049 a)