Covered Journal

Good morning!! This is not for Heart 2 Heart Challenges...I wasn't quite done my card, but check back on Friday.
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I needed a new journal for church since I filled the other one. I unwound the wire, covered the journal, punched holes, and then rewound the wire back on.

Because I'm using it at church to write in, I didn't want to many layers etc. Can you believe it...not a foam square in sight. But I did finish it off with some ribbon. The verse I typed up on computer and printed it onto Colonial White CS. I stipple brushed Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edge, and then used the stamp pad around the edges.

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Here's a close-up of the image by Thomas Kincade. I used Nestabilities Curved Rectangles and cut the shape out of Colonial White CS. I then used the Nestabilities as a stencil and stamped the image (so that the colonial white border would remain), and then stipple brushed Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the inside edge to give it that vintage look (with the Nestabilities still in place).

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Recipe: CTMH PP-Bella & Veranda, CTMH CS-Colonial White, Cocoa & Smokey Plum, CTMH Ink-Petal, Thomas Kincade Streams of Living Water, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Nestabilities-Curved Rectangles & Fleur De Lis, Martha Stewart Layered Arches, CTMH Satin Edge Organdy Ribbon, Pearls, Liquid Pearls Lavender Lace.

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Enjoy,

Deneen

Thomas Kincade Card

I was asked to make a card for a friend at work who is going through a difficult time. I thought this Thomas Kincade scene was the perfect fit, quiet and peaceful.

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Card Size: 5" x 7"

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I think I used every Copic I owned, lol:) I was very happy with how it turned out. For the sentiment inside the card, I attached it towards the top of the card so that there was more room for all of us to write a little something.

Recipe: CTMH CS-White Daisy, Garden Green, New England Ivy, Colonial White & Desert Sand, CTMH Ink-New England Ivy, Garden Green & Desert Sand, CTMH SS-Live Inspired & Comforting Thoughts, Thomas Kincade Stamp-Make A Wish Cottage, Nestabilities-Fancy Tags, Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop Border Punch, Foam Squares, Pearls, CTMH Satin Edge Colonial White Organdy Ribbon.

Enjoy,

Deneen

Cards With A Gate That Opens, w/ Tutorial!

Wow! What an exciting week for me, if you haven't heard me whooping and hollering from Manitoba yet, I was chosen as Guest Designer over on the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog! I posted about it yesterday HERE!

And in celebration, I whipped up these cute cards to share with you...........ahhhh, ya caught me, lol, I'm not quite THAT good. But I am really excited to share these cards with you...I haven't shared a tutorial with you in a while, and thought it was about time.

So without further ado, here are these cute, cute, cute cards that feature a gate on the front!!! The tutorial for how to make them is at the bottom of the post, so be sure to scroll down. Oops, almost forgot to mention that the idea for this came from a site called B craft E, they sell templates...only in the UK.

All card sizes: 4.25" x 5.5" ....it was difficult to stop at one, so many options with this card!

Card #1: Welcome to my house!

Aren't ya just tickled pink with the possibilities! The gate does lie flat on the card, but to photograph it standing up, the gate wanted to swing open a little.

I did some paper piecing with the CTMH SS Around the Block, sponged the clouds for the sky, used CTMH B&T paper for the hills, and finished it off with a tree from CTMH SS Four Seasons.

Recipe: CTMH PP-Evensong, CTMH CS-White Daisy, Olive, Tulip, Buttercup & Cocoa, CTMH Ink-Black, Crystal Blue, Bamboo, Garden Green & Outdoor Denim, CTMH SS-True Friends, Around the Block, Four Seasons, Foam Squares, Copics, Martha Stewart Grass Punch.

Card #2: Nestled in the woods.

I wanted to show that you can use the gate in the other direction. You could extend the gate a little...because it doesn't quite reach across the whole card. The white gate seems a little stark against the cottage, but I love the look of a fresh white fence/gate. I think I may distress the edges a little next time.

Recipe: CTMH CS-Smokey Plum, Grey Flannel & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Black, Cocoa & Desert Sand, CTMH SS-Live Inspired, Thomas Kincade Make A Wish Cottage, Copics (too many to name)
Card #3: At the farm.

I used CTMH SS Weathered Backgrounds on Bamboo CS, because not all fences are white. My daughter loves horses, so I borrowed her stamp set.

Recipe: CTMH CS-Chocolate, White Daisy & Bamboo, CTMH Ink-Chocolate, Black, Olive & Crystal Blue, CTMH SS-Beautiful Things, Racoon & Friends, Foam Squares, Copics, Liquid Glass. The horse SS I'm not sure where it is from, my daughter didn't keep the packaging.
Card #4: Welcome here!

Recipe: CTMH CS-Bamboo, Tulip, Colonial White & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Black, Desert Sand & Outdoor Denim, CTMH SS-Flower Pot & Around the Block, Foam Squares, Martha Stewart Eyelet Lace Punch, Copics, White Organdy Ribbon, Vellum.

Gate Tutorial:

Step 1:

I forgot to mention that I made the picket is made by cutting off the corner, I measured 1/4" down each side and cut from that mark to the middle of the top of the picket piece. Hope this is making sense.

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

Hope you enjoyed, and are inspired by the cards today!

Deneen

{Edited}

I just saw an awesome card using this template! Go check out Melanie's card, she made a fence with barbed wire, totally awesome.

Thomas Kincade Cards

Time for some more Thomas Kincade cards, and a couple of techniques. I prepared these for a card class at The Scrapbook Cottage, they were alot of fun to make.

Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

For this card, I used Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint (clear). I stamped CTMH Chocolate Ink on cream CS, cut it out using Nestabilities, and then painted it with the Crackle. I let it dry about 10 minutes, and then helped it along with my craft heater. In the areas I spread the Crackle a little too thick, the craft heater actually made the Crackle bubble.

Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

For this card, I stamped the image in black, and then coloured it in with Copics. Silly me didn't keep all my recipe info (before sending it to Sharon, hi Sharon), so I don't have a list of the colours I used. To make things easier to colour, the path and the brick wall are coloured in with a base coat first, and then highlighted with other colours. I used a white gel pen to add flowers along the bottom of the greenery.

Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

This card was alot of fun. I stamped the image on vellum, and then coloured the back with Copics. To finish off the card, I cut the shape out of the card, and attached the vellum piece on the front, I then covered up the edge by attaching a border with foam squares. (I used Nestabilites Labels Twelve).

Here's a shot with the light shining through the vellum.

Enjoy,

Deneen

Thomas Kincade Cards

Sharon, from The Scrapbook Cottage, asked me to do some techniques to show off the gorgeous Thomas Kincade Stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms. So here are 2 I did for her.

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The first card I used showcased chalking. It may seem overwhelming at first, but the ladies were surprised at how quick the actual colouring took.

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Here are some tips...I like to chalk the lighter colours first, then chalk in the green trees and plants, select a light base colour for the wall, then take a chisel tipped paint brush and fill in some individual bricks (with different colours like brown, rust, red etc.), I also use the paint brush to fill in the areas the chalk applicator (sponge or pompom) miss. You can take a chalk eraser and add areas of highlight, for this picture there wasn't as much to highlight as some others that have clouds and grassy areas. I also use my finger to lightly rub in the chalk as I go along, I find that I don't need to seal it with anything in the end.

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This is the Spotlight Technique. It's fairly straight forward...ink and stamp your image on a piece of CS, now ink and stamp the area you're spotlighting (for this one it is the fisherman) on a lighter piece of CS, trim the spotlighted piece (I used an oval, you can use any shape), match it to the larger image and adhere. (Excuse the black edge, it was a new stamp pad and was very juicy, it ended up soaking in alot and making the edge jagged)

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Enjoy,

Deneen

Thomas Kincade Card

I can hardly contain myself...lol!...two of my favourite things, together at last {sigh}---cards & Thomas Kincade!!

I took a Burnished Velvet Technique at my LSS (The Scrapbook Cottage...hi Sharon!) and one of the stamps we used was this Thomas Kincade winter scene--The Night Before Christmas--by Cornish Heritage Farms.

Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

I knew I wouldn't be walking out that day without this stamp.

Some information on the Burnished Velvet Technique. (Source: Wikipedia)

(I tried quickly to see if there was a website/blog for these ladies just before I posted, but I didn't have any luck...if there is, feel free to let me know, thanks.)

The Burnished Velvet Technique was developed by two women in Vancouver, Canada, Deanna Pannell and Haroldine Wingfield.

The Burnished Velvet technique involves applying ultrafine glitter to one side of double sided sticky tape, then burnishing the glitter with the fingers. The burnishing brings out the glitter's natural sheen plus prevents colors from running together if two or more colors are used in a masking technique.

Here's a close-up of my card & the Burnished Velvet Technique:

It's a difficult technique to photograph, but IRL it's breath taking and will illict oh's & ah's. Later this week I plan to post another card using this technique, so check back.

Recipe: CTMH CS-Moonstruck, Dutch Blue & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Moonstruck, Cornish Heritage Farms SS-Thomas Kincade The Night Before Christmas, Sookwang Double Sided Tape, Crystal Glitter Ritz Cool Highlight, White Organdy Ribbon

Enjoy,

Deneen