Sunshine Card on Blue - Embroidery Floss

Two colors of embroidery floss and a tiny paper flower for the sun. A paper cloud for the sentiment, "You ... are my sunshine."

The sun's rays are strips of 1/8" Scor Tape with two full strands of embroidery floss. The sun's circle is a spiral of embroidery floss laid down on a 1 3/4" circle punched from a sheet of Scor Tape. At its center is a tiny paper Hero Arts flower with a self-adhesive gem, colored with Copic markers Y38, Y21, and Y000.

The paper cloud is Neenah, cut out freehand, edged with Copic marker B41. The card stock is Papertrey Ink Spring Rain (light blue) and Neenah Baronial Ivory, edged with Copic marker Y38. The font for the computer-printed sentiment is Apple Chancery.

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." (010a)

Two Warm Fuzzies Cards - Baby Yarn

Two cards with "Warm fuzzies to you." One is a simple collage landscape with horizontal strands of baby yarn (above), and the other is purple with a criss-cross pattern of yarn (below).

To see the yarn's original purpose, click here - baby booties. Though I've knitted a few pairs over the years, I have plenty of yarn leftover to use on cards.

For the first card, the yellow, pink, blue, green, and white yarn is adhered on the back with Scor Tape (and a vertical strip of 1/8" Scor Tape on the front center). The colored card stock is from Papertrey Ink - lemon tart, spring rain, aqua mist, and kraft. The sentiment is computer-printed in blue ink with "Lucida Handwriting" italic font. I used a sky blue Copic Multiliner to draw a blue frame on the base layer.

The second card has diagonal strands of the same yarn across the center of the card. The sentiment is computer-printed in purple ink on a 1-3/4" lavender circle with "Lucida Handwriting" font. To attach it to the card, I used 1/16" thick foam dots in the "corners" of the X of yarn. The colored card stock is Papertrey Ink plum pudding (purple) and lavender moon. The frame was drawn with purple Copic Multiliner with V04 Copic marker.

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." (007)

Two Red Cards with Lists

Two cards with lists, one with a "to do" list (enjoy, smile, have fun, laugh, celebrate) and one with a "reminders list" (I love you, x's and o's, I miss you, little hearts, and You're in my heart -always). Updated October 10, 2010: Click here for a newer version that is not handwritten. Handwritten sentiments are no longer accepted for Operation Write Home cards.

Technique: For both cards, I used an old 1/4" hole punch (from my 3-ring binder days) to create the top of my little notebook page. I drew a line on the back, 1/8" from the top, with marks along it spaced 3/8" apart. That helped me to position my "half punches" consistently.

I drew the lines with Copic red and turquoise multiliners. The turquoise lines are spaced 1/2" apart. I think colored pencils would also work well for the lines. I used a Copic marker (Y13 or BG45) to highlight the words in each list. The red layer is Papertrey Ink pure poppy card stock.

For the "to do" list card (above), I used some leftover yellow seam binding for the ribbon. The flower is a Hero Arts white paper flower, colored with my Y13 Copic marker. A button (clear button colored on the back with Copic R29) and embroidery floss form the center of the flower.

For the "reminders" card (below), the ribbon is 1/2" and 1/4" twill tape, colored with BG45 Copic marker. The 1/4" twill tape is threaded through the button and around the 1/2" twill tape, then knotted on top. Unfortunately my scan is a bit out of focus, due to the button... looks like I need to learn to photograph my cards. My next learning opportunity! Added September 13, 2010: Later on, I realized the button would be much too thick for mailing, and I replaced it with a punched button shape (not shown).

I made several of each design, all 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." (006)

Welcome to my new blog, Mostly Markers - Cards

Welcome to my new blog, "Mostly Markers - Cards." I see it as a companion to my current blog, "Mostly Markers," which is now dedicated to my non-card drawings. I put links in the headers at the top of both blogs, so it's easy to go back and forth.

All my greeting cards are now posted here. If they were previously posted on "Mostly Markers," I kept their original posting dates. In other words, go back to older dates on this blog, to see cards created before this post.

Why a new blog? Lots of reasons. I think it will simplify my blogging. Some of my labels for drawings don't make sense for cards, and vice versa. Cards have their own aesthetic and charm, and I think it's interesting to keep them together. Etc.

I've really enjoyed creating cards again. As I wrote in the header above, they are small collages - mailable art. Along with the lines, shapes, and colors that I love about drawings, cards also feature textures and dimension, not to mention layout and construction challenges. They are just plain fun to do. So while I'm adding more drawings to my original blog, I'll be adding more cards here.

Orange Card with Beads

The idea (and the beads!) for the bead "ribbons" came from a friend who designs and makes beautiful bead jewelry. She really liked this card, so I gave it to her.

At the top of the card, two lines of amber and brown colored seed beads (size #11) just fit on the 1/8" Scor-tape. The Scor-tape wasn't quite enough to fully secure the beads, so I left them on the cotton thread, which is taped to the back of my pale yellow top layer. The thread keeps the beads in position, and then they hold very well to the Scor-tape.

At the bottom of the card is a third line of the same seed beads (also on thread and adhered with Scor-tape) in a narrow gap between two 1/4" strips of twill tape.

The paper flower's center is made from seed beads, gently pressed into a little mound of Ranger Glossy Accents. I placed a few thin lines of Glossy Accents along the petals, to go with the shiny center. The black "frame" was drawn with a Copic 0.5 multiliner, also used to write the sentiment. (008b)

• Embellishments: White Hero Arts paper flower and 1/4" white twill tape. Both colored with Copic marker YR04.
  
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Perfect Match card stock - Orange Zest and Lemon Tart, from the 2009 cardstock sampler - cut to A2 size (4.25 x 5.5" when folded.)
• Words: Thinking of you...
  

Two Cards with Large Punched Dots

Two cards featuring my 1/2" and 1 3/4" circle punches. For the first card, on the left, I wanted to try "windows" in my top layer, with little drawings on white paper underneath. For the second card, on the right, I used the two large punched-out circles and other scraps.

Both cards were made for 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." (005a-b)

• Copic marker colors used: Left card: YR09,14, BG05,45. In real life, the two blue-greens look less alike than in this scan.
  
• Copic marker colors used: Right card: E09 to edge the cream layer; black lines (and dots in flower centers) drawn with 1.0 Copic multiliner
• Paper: Left card: Top layer with punched "windows" - Papertrey Ink Perfect Match card stock (Terra Cotta Tile, from the 2009 cardstock sampler); Middle layer with drawings - Neenah; Base layer - Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select note card, A2 or 4.25 x 5.5" when folded.
• Paper: Right card: Top layer - cream Neenah, adhered to Papertrey Ink kraft card base
• Embellishments: Left card: the "ribbon" is a strip of Neenah, colored with BG45 Copic marker
• Embellishments: Right card: Cream colored paper flowers by Hero Arts; Punched circles, "ribbon" strip, and 1/4" punched flower centers are Terra Cotta Tile (pieces leftover from left card).
  
• Words: Left card: "Thinking of you always" Computer-printed using "Papyrus" font in small caps
  
• Word: Right card: "Thinking of you" Computer-printed using "Brush Script Std Medium" font
  

Sun and Flowers Card - Punched Dots

A bright sun and flowers from punched dots of orange, pink and magenta paper, with sketchy lines and coloring added for the petals, leaves and sun rays. I made my bright paper by dripping a little Copic refill ink in several colors onto a Ranger alcohol ink applicator felt, which I then dabbed and twisted onto the white Neenah card stock before punching out the dots.

On my card, the flower petals are pale pink, but it's hard to see that on the computer screen.

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." (003)

• Copic marker colors used: RV02,17, YR04
• Punches: EK Success circle punches, 1/2" and 1-3/4"
  
• Paper: Dots punched from Neenah, adhered to an A2 card base (4.25 x 5.5" when folded)

Sunshine Card - Embroidery Floss

Another card experiment, this time with cotton embroidery floss. I have several dozen skeins of different colors, bought 25 years ago to try some freehand art embroidery, another one of my unsuccessful non-marker art attempts. So I decided to try using it like ribbon on a greeting card. And one thing led to another.

Technique: All the floss is adhered with Scor-tape, an extremely sticky double-sided tape. For the sun's rays, I used 1/8" tape - just wide enough for 2 full strands of floss side by side. Then for the grass, I used a horizontal 1/2" strip and placed little U shapes of floss across it. All pressed down firmly.

The center of the sun is a small round plastic "gem" embellishment, tinted with orange Copic marker. Around that, I laid down a spiral of light yellow floss, streaked with Copic, on Scor-tape on top of a scrap of card stock, then more Scor-tape on the back of that, all cut into a circle and pressed down. (010b)

• Paper: Top layer - Neenah; Card base - Papertrey Ink Perfect Match card stock (New Leaf, from the 2009 cardstock sampler) - 4.25 x 5.5" when folded.

Bright Dots and Wavy Lines - Four Cards

When a friend saw my first "bright dots and wavy lines" drawing, she said it would make a good card, and she was right! Click here for the first drawing, and here for another more complex version.

For these cards, I used PowerPoint to print a page with varying sizes of circles up to 1/2". The wavy lines are freehand. The frames (middle layer) and ribbons ( 3/8" grosgrain knot or 1/4" silk bow) are colored with the same Copic marker colors as the circles. I used my Copic black multiliner (brush medium) along the edges of the middle layer. The sentiments "Thinking of you" are computer-printed using "Lucida Calligraphy" font.

I made these cards in four different color combinations (two at top of post, the other two below) 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." (002)

• Copic marker colors used: Top left B24, Y15, YR04, R24, G14; Top right V12, G21, B41, Y21, R32;
  Bottom left BG72,75, E11,33; Bottom right Y11, G40, YR00, RV10, B000 .
  
• Paper: Neenah for dot and frame layers, on an A2 card base (4.25 x 5.5" when folded)
  

Twelve Cards for Operation Write Home

Edited November 2010: Originally, half of these designs had handwritten sentiments. Since September, when Operation Write Home requested "no more handwritten sentiments," I recreated them with computer-printed sentiments, replacing the ones that were posted here. The new versions are all very similar to the handwritten originals, except for the blue cards above. The Love You" on the left is handwritten. The "Love You" on the newer card on the right is computer-printed with "Curlz MT" font in a dark blue outline, then hand-colored with Copic markers B05, B24, and B01.

Now, back to the original post from June: Last weekend I decided to create some greeting cards 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." I've made 12 cards in total - all different, except for the yellow Psalm 23 card, where my watercolor background was enough for 2 cards.

It was fun to try so many combinations - ribbons, colors, styles, buttons, drawings, vellum, backgrounds, lettering, and more. A great way to increase my repertoire of card techniques! And all for a good cause. I hope my cards will bring a smile to the senders and the recipients.

Except for the colored card stock (Papertrey Ink), the colors were done with my Copic markers, including the various colored ribbons and buttons. (001)

Turquoise Stripes Card

Straight lines, wavy lines, and long streaks of color. After I finished this drawing, I thought it would make an interesting greeting card, but didn't want to use the original. So I printed my scanned image, reducing it by about 1/2 inch in height and width. See below for the finished card.

• Copic marker colors used: BG05,32,45, B01,06,41
• Drawing paper: Neenah, cut down to 4.25 x 5.5"
• Greeting card ribbon: White 5/8" woven-stripe ribbon, colored with B21 marker and edged with BG32. I tied a knot in the middle and cut a V in each end with sharp scissors.
  
• Greeting card paper: Top layer - printed onto Wausau cover stock; Middle layer - Papertrey Ink Perfect Match card stock (Enchanted Evening, from the 2009 cardstock sampler); Base layer - Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select note card, 4.25 x 5.5" when folded.
  

Birthday Card with Yellow and Violet Flowers

(See bottom of post for inside of card.)

For many years, from childhood on, I created greeting cards with my own art work. I used crayons, yarn, paints, markers, collage, sequins ... anything and everything.

Now, with some basic paper crafting tools and supplies, I'm beginning to try my hand at card making again.

This birthday card uses my 2009 daisy drawing. I printed the line drawing and the words onto Neenah card stock, hand-colored them with my Copic markers, layered them onto yellow card stock, and embellished with ribbon and pearls. See below for materials, as well as an easy technique for the dotted background and purple edge.

• Copic marker colors used: flower petals - Y11, V000,04, RV10; centers - YR14, V04; leaves and stems - YG91 base, YG23, G14,40, RV91; background - V000, Custom color YYR2000; edge - V04
• Technique - Background: Press down with the Copic marker brush tip to make dots of color all over your background. If you have Copic "original" type markers (my favorite type), you can do this technique with a cotton swab (such as a Q-tip). To put ink onto your swab, either use a few drops from your Copic ink refill bottle (easiest), or if you don't have a refill, press the chisel tip of your marker (pointed down) onto the tip of the swab (pointed up) for just a few seconds. Most of the swab will still be dry, but the tip will make dots of color.
  
• Technique - Edge: Using the chisel or brush tip (not the fine tip), run the marker along the thin edge of the card stock. (Be careful not to let your marker slip off the edge; you don't want it to mark the front of your card stock.) Play with it a little to find the right speed and pressure. Go fairly fast with an even speed, for a thin, straight-looking edge like my card front. Go more slowly with an uneven speed, for a thicker, less regular edge like my card interior. I like both effects - it's up to you how you want it to look.
  
• Card base: Papertrey Ink Perfect Match card stock (Lemon Tart color, from the 2009 card stock sampler) , cut down to A2 card size (5.5 x 4.25" when folded)
  
• White layer for flowers and words: Neenah and Wausau, cut down
• Ribbon: yellow ribbon received as "thank you" gift with order from Ellen Hutson
• Pearls: white 5 mm Hero Arts from Ellen Hutson - tinted with V04 Copic marker
• Words: Wishing you a very happy birthday!
• Font: Desdemona 48 point. Click here for a Google docs link to my Word document with these words (4 sets per page) which you can download, then edit as desired, and print. I assume you will need to have the Desdemona font already on your computer. (It was included as part of my Word program.) Note, when you view it on Google docs, you will not see the correct font, but (if you have Desdemona) it should be ok after downloading.
  

Orange Pattern Card - Rescued

I made the patterned paper with two hand-cut rubber stamps (a circle and a square) and three colors of liquid watercolor ink. I wanted to rescue it from my scrap pile, and so today I used it for a birthday card. Posted for Illustration Friday's word for the week, "rescue."

• Copic marker colors used: G14 and BG49 on ribbon
• Watercolor pattern: Dr. Ph. Martin's radiant concentrated watercolors - 1A lemon yellow, 3A persimmon, 12A juniper green. For more information about the watercolors, including my color chart, see this post.
• Stamped with: Hand-cut stamps made from Staedtler Mastercarve Artist Carving Block.
• Ribbon: White twill ribbon (3/8") colored with G14 (darker along the edges) and a center stripe of BG49.
• Paper: Top layer- Neenah; Middle layer - Papertrey Ink Perfect Match card stock (Orange Zest, from the 2009 cardstock sampler); Base layer - Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select note card, 4.25 x 5.5" when folded.

Geranium Birthday Card

I made this card for a friend's birthday. At her request, I colored my May 2009 geranium drawing for her, using soft colors.

• Click here for the geraniums with their original coloring.
  

I used the "before coloring" scan of my May 2009 drawing, shrank it by about 1" in both height and width, printed it on a full sheet of Neenah, and colored it. I then cut it down to size for the top layer of the card. See below for more details.

• Copic marker colors used: V000, R000,00,32, RV10,17,32,91, G000,07,21, YG21,23,63, Y19, YR15.
• Ribbon: White satin ribbon colored with RV32. The bow looks very flat from the scanner, but in real life it's more rounded.
• Paper: Top layer- Neenah; Middle layer - Papertrey Ink Perfect Match card stock (Berry Sorbet, from the 2009 cardstock sampler); Base layer - Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select note card, 4.25 x 5.5" when folded

Daisy Card

This card started when I drew a 4x6 line drawing, then scanned it and pasted it into Powerpoint, 4 on one 8.5 x 11" page. I printed it out and colored each set of daisies in bright colors. (Shown below.)

About a week later, to make a thank-you card for a friend, I printed one onto a 3.5x5 Crane note paper, and colored it in lighter colors. (Shown above.) The dotted ground and background were inspired by Michelle Wooderson's post on coloring a galvanized bucket.