Rainbow Thanks on Tan Stripes

A die-cut "thanks" with Copic coloring.  I like the soft, weathered "country" effect of all the colors together.  The Copic colors look muted and a bit uneven (in a nice way) on the letters cut from fine linen (tan) card stock.

My inspiration came from Nichole Heady's recent "Thanks All Ways" post, where she used a rainbow of Copic colors on kraft.  Click here, then scroll about 1/3 of the way down through her post to see her card.  Thank you, Nichole!  

Card details:

•  Card stock is Papertrey Ink fine linen (tan), ripe avocado (green), ocean tides (blue green), and stripes from the fine linen pattern pack.
• Dies are Papertrey Ink chevron stripes border dies (for the ocean tides edge) and block alphabet upper.
• My Copic colors - similar to Nichole's in effect, but not all the same colors - are R08, YR07, Y38, YR95, BG75, and B66.  In real life, the orange (YR07) looks less red. 
• Technique:  Die cut the letters on a strip of card stock, and save all the pieces, including the little triangle from the "A."  Cover the back of the negative cut with scor-tape, and now you will have sticky tape in the letter openings.  After coloring each letter, place it back into the negative cut.  Note, the "H" and "S" look somewhat symmetrical, but there is a top and bottom, so be careful when placing them.  Press down firmly to adhere.  Then remove the scor tape backing to adhere it to the card base or layer. 
• Technique:  For more on how I line up my letters for die cutting, click here.  It's not perfect, but it's the best method I've found so far. 

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." (192)

Brown Tree with Dots

A lovely and simple autumn card. 

Card details:

•  Card stock is  Papertrey Ink canyon clay (rusty orange), dark chocolate (brown), rustic cream, and polka dots from the melon berry pattern pack.
• I placed a layer of Papertrey Ink clear card stock behind the treetop leaf cutouts.  It's not visible in the picture, but in real life, it adds a very nice sparkle to the leaves.  
• I drew the grounding line with brown Micron pen. 
• Dies are Papertrey Ink trendy tree tops and double-ended banner.  
• The sentiment "Miss you..." is computer-printed in brown ink with American Typewriter 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." (191)

Triangles in Orange and Brown

 

My card today is for the August "masculine card" challenge sponsored by Our Daily Bread Designs (thank you, ODBD!) to benefit Operation Write Home.  The triangles in autumn colors make a strong, simple effect. 

Card details:

•  Card stock is Papertrey Ink classic kraft, orange zest (orange), terra cotta tile (deep rusty orange, not so red in real life), dark chocolate (brown), and rustic cream.
• The triangles are cut with Papertrey Ink heart-2-heart #5 die.  This die cuts four triangles at once, and they are beautifully aligned, so it's easy to use the negative cut as a frame.  (For this card, I cut with the die twice to make eight triangles.)
• My sentiment "Thinking of you" is computer-printed in orange ink with brown outline, using Papyrus font (small caps).  The double triangle shapes above and below the sentiment are also computer-printed in Webdings font, typing "8 7" on the keyboard.

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." (189)

Cloudy Blue Sky with Red Bird and Banner

A cloudy blue sky, a red bird, and a banner.  I started with inspiration from this post on Cristina's My Paper Secret blog.  Though my card went off in a different direction, I would not have tried it without seeing her card.  So, thank you, Cristina!  

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white and Papertrey Ink spring rain (light blue), blueberry sky (medium blue), enchanted evening (dark blue), pure poppy (red), and polka dots from enchanted evening pattern pack.
• Dies are Poppystamps simple banner, small bird from Wplus9 folk art florals, large and small clouds from Papertrey Ink heart-2-heart #6, and the curvy label (B) from Papertrey Ink fabulous frames.
• I added a dot of Copic cobalt multiliner. to the bird's eye.
• I colored the banner line between the flags with a Sanford Uni-ball white gel impact pen.  In real life, it picks up the white of the clouds and adds a nice contrast.
• The sentiment "I miss you ..." is computer-printed in red ink with American Typewriter font (expanded spacing). 

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." (190)

Vase with Maple Branches

An interior scene with a large vase of autumn maple branches.   The window looks out on a blue sky with clouds.   I really, really like this card.  Colors, patterns, shapes, layout, overall effect, just really nice. 

Card details:

•  Card stock is Paper Source curry (gold) and Papertrey Ink fine linen (beige), orange zest (bright orange), terra cotta tile (deep rusty orange - not so red as it looks on the screen), dark chocolate (brown), spring rain (light blue), blueberry sky (medium blue), enchanted evening (dark blue), stamper's select white, stripes from fine linen pattern pack, and damask from enchanted evening pattern pack.
• I used both dies and punches, as follows: Papertrey Ink mega gracious vases die, Papertrey Ink fabulous frames die (A, middle frame), Memory Box puffy clouds die (medium cloud), Savvy Stamps branch die, Martha Stewart ribbon bow punch, and Recollections maple leaf 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." (188)

Flower Vase with Orange and Teal

A simple scene with a vase of flowers on a table.  Lots of nice little touches, like the vase embossing and white faux stitching.  I really like the finished card.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source (PS) and Papertrey Ink (PTI). 
• The card base is PTI ocean tides (muted teal). Embossing folder is Lifestyle Crafts diamonds and dots.
• The dark teal vase and background layer are PS peacock (dark teal).  The vase is die cut with one of the PTI mega gracious vases dies.  The embossing folder is Sizzix berry splash.
• Technique for vase:  After die cutting the vase shape, I moved it around in the embossing folder to find a nice pattern.  The plastic folder was easy to see through and position the pattern on the vase. 
• The table base is PTI dark chocolate (brown), with a table cover of PTI Hawaiian shores (aqua) from the 2009 bitty dot basics patterned paper.  The table cover is die cut with one of the PTI fabulous frames (B).  I added some faux stitching with a white gel pen. 
• The little heart is PTI terra cotta tile (deep rusty orange, not as red as it looks on the screen); it's the wing cutout that was left over from the bird in this card. 
• The flowers are PTI terra cotta tile and summer sunrise (yellow).  The sun-shaped die is PTI ad sense, and the flower centers are from a 1/4" hole punch.  I edged the yellow flower with Copic YR27 marker, to help it stand out more on the background.
• I drew the flower stems with Copic 0.3 turquoise multiliner.
• The light orange background is PTI melon berry. 

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." (187)

Brown and Rust with Leaves

A note card in autumn colors.  All the textures and shapes work well together.  

Card details:

•  Card stock is Papertrey Ink canyon clay (rusty orange), terra cotta tile (deep orangey leaves - not so red in real life), dark chocolate (brown), rustic white (sentiment square), and stripes from the fine linen pattern pack. 
• Die cut (striped layer) is Papertrey Ink fabulous frames (small inner cut from the A frame).  I also used a small Recollections punch for the leaves and Fiskars corkscrew edger scissors for the end of the brown section.
• I added some shine to the leaves with a Sakura clear glaze pen.
• The embossing folders are Stampin Up square lattice (placed diagonally) on the brown, and Tim Holtz Sizzix stripes on the base layer.  
• The sentiment "Hi" is computer-printed in brown ink with "Cooper Std Black" font (expanded spacing).  The square borders are also computer-printed.  The inner border looks yellowish in the picture, but matches the canyon clay color in real life.  

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."  (186)

Hexagon Patchwork - Red, Yellow, and Blue

A pattern of hexagons, bright prints on white.  It reminds me of an old patchwork quilt.  Thank you to Monica K, who sent me a batch of hexagon die cuts to play with!  

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink summer sunrise (yellow sentiment layer), stamper's select white, and several pattern packs: pure poppy (red) stripe, enchanted evening (blue) gingham, and summer sunrise bitty dot.  The six punched dots on the hexagons are pure poppy, summer sunrise, and enchanted evening.
• Note: the gray is background, not part of the card. 
• The red line is drawn with Sanford Uni-ball gel impact pen.  
• Dies are Papertrey Ink hexagon cover plate and double-ended banner (white sentiment banner).  The small dots are punched with a 1/4" hole punch.
• The sentiment "Thanks!" is computer-printed in blue ink with American Typewriter font (bold, expanded spacing).

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." (185)

Thanks Banner - Red, White, and Blue

A very simple card with red, white, and blue patterns.  The rounded corners finish it nicely.   I like how the "thanks" ribbon seems to be cinching the blue banner.  (Note: the gray background is not part of the card.) 

Card details:

•  Card stock is Papertrey Ink pure poppy (red), stamper's select white, enchanted evening 2009 bitty dot basics, and gingham from the pure poppy pattern pack.  
• Dies are Papertrey Ink ad sense (banner, A) and fabulous frames (ribbon label, B). 
• The corners are rounded with 1/2" corner chomper.  
• The sentiment "Thanks" is computer-printed in blue ink with "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." (184)

Two Apples and a Pear

I tried this card with two different bases, both shown here.  I like them both.  It was fun to create a little scene with the fruits, frame, and banner.  Maybe a fruit stand display, maybe a gift box, maybe just a few cute shapes and patterns.  And a "sweet" sentiment to go with it. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink rustic cream (sentiment layer), pure poppy (solid apple), new leaf (bright green apple leaves and banner), ripe avocado (dark green pear leaf), harvest gold (yellow card base), and several patterned papers: 2009 bitty dot basics simply chartreuse (pear), fine linen pattern pack stripes (frame), and pure poppy pattern pack gingham (apple) and bitty dot (red card base).
• Dies are Papertrey Ink fruit fusion: apple, fruit fusion: pear, and the large outer frame A from the fabulous frames collection.  Also Memory Box smallest leaf from tender leaves and Poppystamps simple banner.
• I colored the stems with E25 Copic marker.  The pear die has two leaves, and I trimmed off the leaf on the other side of the stem.  
• The yellow card base is embossed with Lifestyle Crafts diamonds and dots folder.  
• The sentiment "You are so sweet ..." is computer-printed in American Typewriter font (expanded character spacing, "sweet" in bold font) with red and brown 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." (182)

Purple Flowers on Green

A flowery "hello" note card for this week's Complementary Colors challenge on the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps blog.  I used all three complementary colors on the color wheel - greens, purples, and a touch of orange.  (Yes, in real life it's orange, not red.)

Card details:

•  Card stock is Papertrey Ink lavender moon (lavender), plum pudding (purple), spring moss (light green), simply chartreuse (medium green), orange zest (orange), and lavender moon patterned paper from the 2008 bitty box basics collection. 
• Dies are My Favorite Things jumbo squiggle (green strip) and Memory Box fancy blossoms (larger 2 flowers from the set of 3).  
• The orange flower centers are punched with a 1/8" hole punch.  I used Ranger glossy accents to give them some shine and dimension.
• My sentiment "Hello" is computer printed in "Lucida Calligraphy" font with green ink and a purple outline. 

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." (181)

Orange Star Hello on Aqua

I like the mix of angular stars with grid lines and a script hello, and the strong energy of the colors.  

Card details:

•  Card stock is Papertrey Ink orange zest (orange), summer sunrise (yellow), aqua mist (aqua), and summer sunrise patterned paper from the 2008 bitty box basics collection.
• Dies are Savvy Stamps Dies hello, My Favorite Things stacking stars (yellow stars), Papertrey Ink seeing stars (orange - medium star from set of 3), and Papertrey Ink super star borders (orange stars strip, and tiny orange star above hello, from the center of the hollow stars strip).

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." (180)

Blue Birds with Grass and Sky

Playing with a few new dies (and some older ones) to create this sweet scene.  Birds, grass, flowers, sun, clouds, and a blue sky.  I like it a lot.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink spring rain (light blue), harvest gold (yellow), new leaf (green), blueberry sky (medium blue), and stamper's select white. 
• Dies and punches are EK Success 1-1/4" scalloped circle punch, Papertrey Ink double-ended banners die, Impression Obsession birds die, Memory Box fancy blossoms die (smallest flower), Memory Box puffy clouds dies (medium and large clouds), and My Favorite Things fresh cut grass border die.  
• The birds' eyes are dots of Copic 0.3 cobalt multiliner.
• The sentiment "Happy thoughts of you" is computer-printed in "Lucida Handwriting" font in blue ink with green dots (large-font periods in Courier font).

Like most of my cards, I made this one 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." (178)

Layered Flowers with Many Colors and Patterns

With a variety of patterned papers, dies, and punches, I made a batch of ten layered flowers, each a bit different from the others.  With a banner of gingham paper, the flower makes a colorful note card for one of our troops, deployed overseas, to write home on.

Card details:

•  Card stock for the card bases is Papertrey Ink aqua mist (top card), lemon tart (yellow) (middle card, below), and rustic cream (bottom card).  
• Dies and punches are EK Success scalloped circle, plain circle, and small flower, and Papertrey Ink notched flowers, flower fusion #2, flower fusion #3, and chevron border (for the end of the banner), and Spellbinders Nestabilities big scalloped circles LG.  I also used a 1/4" hole punch for the flower centers.
• The "leaves" are small triangles of Papertrey Ink ripe avocado (green) and simply chartreuse pattern pack (gingham).
• The patterned papers for the flower layers include Papertrey Ink Dearest Jane (brown text on cream) and pattern packs in aqua mist polka dot, enchanted evening (dark blue) damask, pure poppy (red) bitty dot, melon berry (light orange) stripe, and raspberry fizz (bright pink) tea leaves.  To find them, type pattern pack in the Papertrey Ink store's search bar.  
• The sentiment "Love you, miss you" is computer-printed in green ink with Chalkduster 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." (175)

 

 

Red Gingham and Stripes with Pink

Nice patterns and textures for this red and pink card.   Three monochromatic cards in a row!  But my next post will be a card with many colors and patterns.

Card details:

•  Card stock is Papertrey Ink sweet blush (pink) and pure poppy (red), with gingham and stripes from the pure poppy pattern pack. 
• Die is Framed Out #4 (cut from gingham), layered on a plain red rectangle. 
• Flowers were punched with an EK Success small daisy punch.  The pink flower centers were made with a 1/8" punch, and I added some Glossy Accents for shine and dimension.  
• The embossing folder is Stampin Up! Square Lattice.
• The sentiment "Hello" is computer-printed with red ink in Stencil Std 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." (173)