Cards for the Card Drive #7

Hello! 

 I hope you've got all your Christmas cards

done and mailed or ready to go soon.

This is the last post in the

Caring Hearts Card Drive

series.

Today I'm showing you the last card style

I made for the drive.

A few years ago I found a great deal on this

patterned card stock and I love it.

I got it at Tuesday Morning,

25 sheets for something like $2.99.

I love it so much, but I don't use it a lot,

I guess I just don't want to run out of it.

I pulled it out and created this simple card.

I used a couple different colors of mats as well

as card bases.

I thought it needed a little extra pop so I heat embossed

the sentiment with clear embossing powder over the

VersaFine Onyx Black

to give it some shine.

If you haven't made your cards yet and want to,

this is a very simple design to make.

I did them in assembly line style,

cutting all the pieces at once, then stamping and

assembling all the sentiment pieces.

Having everything cut, stamped and ready make it go

very quickly and easily.

You can see I made quite a few of these style.

I ended up with 107 cards.

I had an extra panel and needed to use it, then I 

had an extra card base and had to use that, then there was

an extra mat and on and on.

So my 100 cards turned into 107,

but that's okay, I know they will bring smiles to someone's

face this Christmas season.

And here is what 107 cards all in envelopes looks like.

All packed up and ready to be sent out.

I can't wait to get the cards that I will deliver to 

"my homes"

Vera Yates

heads up this card drive every year.

If you want to be involved, be sure to 

keep an eye here next October for info

or follow Vera's blog

Ling's Design Studio

She usually posts the info in October and cards

can be mailed in during the month of November.

This is a huge undertaking,

last year these ladies collected and sent out

over 22,000 cards for delivery to nursing homes.

This year we are all hoping to top that,

they are collected and distributed in 

The USA,Canada, Australia and this year

they added the UK.

Thanks for stopping in to see my cards.

I truly enjoyed making each and every one of them.

Come again soon,

you never know what you might find on 

Kristie Kreates.

Note the links are only to give a reference so you can

see what the products are.
I didn't necessarily purchase from these sites,

except where specified,

and you may find better prices elsewhere,

I am in no way promoting any particular site.

More Inspirational Quote Projects

 Hello all!

My last post was about some inspirational quote projects

that I made for our scrapping/crafting studio.

Today I have a few more to show you.

This is one of the walls at My Happy Place.

The banner at the top says CREATE,

I made that banner quite a while ago and it was 

hanging in a different spot, so we moved that over on

this wall.

The background of this piece was created

 with watercolor crayons.  I colored a few colors onto

my craft mat, added water and 'smooched' the 

watercolor paper into the color to pick it up.

After it was dried I used my light box to 

trace the words and painted them with 

pearlescent watercolors.

I adhered the project to a piece of matting and strung

the ribbon through holes around the sides and to make

the hanger.

This one was done by stamping the flowers onto

Bristol Paper.

I love the smooth surface of this paper for coloring.

I used VersaFine Onyx Black ink for the stamping,

did the coloring with my Fantasia Colored Pencils.

The words were painted with pearlescent watercolors.

This last piece was the start of my whole

"journey" into making these projects.

It started with this inspiration

from Kristina Werner.

As I said in my last blog post,

It's all about 

Inspiration not Re-creation.

I'm not as talented as she is,

so I used my light box to trace 

the words that I had printed onto a 

piece of computer paper using

pearlescent watercolors.

(Can you tell that I love them?)

The background was made 

with the 'smooching' technique I 

mentioned above using Distress Inks.

Thanks for stopping by today to see what I've

been up to.

I hope you'll come again soon.

I have one more project to show you in this

"series" ..... well, until I get some more done that is.

I hope you are enjoying them and have gotten some 

inspiration from them.

Until next time:

Make Pretty Things!

Note the links are only to give a reference so you can

see what the products are.
I didn't necessarily purchase from these sites,

and you may find better prices elsewhere.

I am in no way promoting any particular site.

Inspirational Quote Project

Hello crafty people!

Today my post is pretty photo heavy as I'm going to 

show you how I went about making this project

(click on any of the pictures to see them larger)

Recently I've been working on some pieces with 

inspirational quotes on them.

I'll be posting them as I get them done, I have

several in the works right now.

The first thing I did was decide which flowers I wanted

to stamp and color.

I stamped onto a 12"x12" piece of white card stock

with Onyx Black Versa Fine Ink

and did all the coloring with colored pencils.

I stamped my first flower, which is an old one from 

Stampin' Up, into the upper corner of the page.

I also stamped it onto 

Inkadinkado Masking Paper, cut it out and used it as

a mask.

I had stamped the images I was going to use onto 

scrap card stock, colored them and roughly cut them out.

This way I could position the image and see where 

I wanted to stamp it.

I then laid the stamp over the cut out image and closed

the cover of my MISTI tool on the stamp to pick it up.

Placing the stamp over the cut out image also will prevent

any stray ink from getting where I don't want it.

As you'll see, most of the stamps were used more than 

once and that stray ink can ruin a project.

Here you can see where I used masking.

When I masked off a flower, then stamped over

it with another flower, then removed the mask,

the original flower appears to be in the front.

(Here is a video that explains masking much better)

I just started coloring before I realized I hadn't taken 

a picture of the project with just the stamping on it.

Here it is, before I colored it.

I started by coloring a first layer of color.

This way I could plan out my colors then go back and

do any shading and intensify colors.

Here is what it looked like once I was finished

coloring the flowers.

Now it was time for the quote.

I printed the quote I wanted onto white card stock

from my computer.

I taped it to my light box and taped the project 

over it using Post It Tape.

Once I turn the light box on, I could see the lettering

and traced it.  Sometimes I put paints right to the

project, but since I wanted to use colored pencils, 

I felt it would be easier to trace it with pencil.

I traced all the lettering with a light hand.

Here is a close up of the traced quote.

Even though I used a light hand, I do wish I had 

used an even lighter hand.

Some of the pencil was a little darker than I needed,

it only had to be dark enough that I could see it to 

go over it with the colored pencil.

I think my project turned out nice.

I haven't decided how I will hang this project,

but I'll get that figured out soon and let y'all know.

Thanks for stopping in today to see what I've been up to.

I hope you'll let me know what you think of my project, 

and I hope you've learned something and/or been inspired

in some way.

Come again soon. 

Until then, make something pretty.

All the stamps are from my stash,

the ones I know are:

The flowers in the lower left corner 

"Poppy" from Our Daily Bread Designs

The roses in the lower right and upper left 

"Rose" from QKR Stampede

The 3 along the bottom

Anna Griffin Parrot Tulip Stamp

very old, I couldn't find a link for it.

Note the links are only to give a reference so you can

see what the products are.
I didn't necessarily purchase from these sites,

and you may find better prices elsewhere.

I am in no way promoting any particular site.

Real Beauty

Hello visitors!

Today I have a layout that I'd like to show you.

I happened to find some 12" x 12" watercolor paper a

few weeks ago and snatched that right up.

It is Master's Touch which is the

Hobby Lobby brand.

I have wanted to do some stamping and watercoloring 

on some scrapbook layouts, but hadn't seen any of the right 

sized watercolor paper.

I decided to do a layout of my beautiful daughter.

She is not only beautiful on the outside, but on the

inside also.

Here is the layout I made.

The pictures and the title are both matted with some

green paper from my stash, it matches nicely with the

ink I used ,which was

Crushed Olive Distress Ink.

The rose stamp I used is

"Rose" from QKR Stampede 

and were stamped with Versa Fine Onyx Black ink

which is water proof, so is perfect for watercoloring.

I colored all the roses with watercolor crayons.

I have 2 brands, Lyra and Neo-Colors

I love using watercolor crayons, they blend so beautifully.

The "baby's breath" is

"Tiny Baby's Breath" from Biblical Impressions.

I used my MISTI tool to do all the stamping

and it worked beautifully.

I hope you will try doing some stamping and/or watercoloring on 

your scrapbook layouts.

Thanks for stopping by today,

come again soon.

Until next time, try something new!

I'm Here For You!

Hi all!

Today's card was made with a couple stamp sets

that I picked up at a good price when I was shopping at

"Tuesday Morning"

I don't know if you have this store in your area,

but I'll tell you I just love it.

You never know what you'll find there and the prices

are great.

The sentiment stamp was in a pack of 6 small sets

at the price of $.99 for them all.
I found 2 of these packs and only had 2 or 3 duplicates.

For that price, how could I go wrong?

These little sets are usually at least $1.00 a piece,

and I got 12 for $1.98!

The chevron was from a different set and I 

stamped it onto a piece of white

card stock with 

Color Theory Inks from Studio Calico

onto water color paper.

The texture of the water color paper resulted in

the distressed look of the chevrons.

I used my MISTI stamping tool and I know

I could have made them more "uniform"

but I loved the distressed look,

I think it goes well with the look of the sentiment

that I used.

I cut the chevron piece down to fit the card and 

adhered it directly to the card front.

The sentiment says
"needed you to know I'm here for you"

and was stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink

The inside is left blank to write a personal note.

I really love how this card turned out.

A nice clean and simple card.

Thanks for stopping in today,

now go check out what they have at 

Tuesday Morning,

you never know what you'll find there,

just like you never know what you'll find at

Kristie Kreates,

so come visit again soon.

Kitty Cards

Hello everyone!

Today I have 2 cards I made, a little different,

yet mostly the same.

Someone very close to me was diagnosed with breast cancer

recently and I wanted to send a card letting her know

I'm thinking of her.

I made this "big hugs" card for her and wrote a personal

note inside.

The cat image is stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black  ink,

using my MISTI stamping tool.

I colored the cats, on both cards, with 

colored pencils and blended with Gamsol.

The background was painted by scribbling some

water color crayon onto an acrylic block and 

mixing it with water, then painting it on with a

water brush.

  I also made the envelopes since the cards are

not a standard size.  I used my

 Envelope Punch Board

to make the envelopes for both cards.

This second card I made for my Aunt Marilyn who

will be 93 at the end of September.

She loves cats and I know she will get a kick out of this

card. I can hear her now, exclaiming how cute the cat is.

The cat image is

Crazy Kitty Set (#32111) from

Biblical Impressions

The sentiments are both 

"Big Scripty Words"

from 

Lawn Fawn

I have linked many of the supplies I used,

I did not necessarily purchase them from the linked

sites. I only use them for reference for you to

see the supplies.
You may very well find these supplies at 

many other sites and maybe at better prices,

just do a little research.

Thanks for stopping by today,

I hope you have enjoyed my cards as 

much as I enjoyed making them.

Come again soon.

Until then, Happy Crafting!

Window Panel Cards #2 and Distress Crayons

Hi all!

Today I have a few cards to show you.

I love this window panel style of card.

This time I made a couple of them using some 

card stock that I had used 

Distress Crayons to create.

I first covered the card stock with Gesso,

then used the Distress Crayons to color sections

of the card stock, then 'smooshed' the color around 

with my fingers.

The colors are pretty creamy and blend best when 

there is a base coat, this is why I used the Gesso

I used "Filagree Border"

from Eureka Stamps for the inside of the card.

I wanted something that fit nicely behind the clear

panel window and this was perfect.

I think it went well with the look of the overall card.

I stamped it with Chestnut Roan Color Box Ink.

This card can be used as a vertical or a horizontal card.

For this card I used another piece that I created with

Distress Crayons.  This one was made using the 

Distress Crayons directly to card stock, using no base 

coat of Gesso.  The crayons did blend, but not nearly as 

easily.  I used the same colors for both cards, you can

see the difference in the color, as without the Gesso,

the crayon kind of "soaked" into the paper.

I like how both turned out, but found the one with

the Gesso easier to work with.

I made this striped card stock panel with 

Scenery: Stripes

from Winnie and Walter

and Happy Birthday from

Biblical Impressions.

I stamped the image with Versa Fine Ink

and colored it with 

colored pencils.

The acetate I used for all these window 

panel cards, is simply packaging that I had kept

in my stash, knowing that I'd find a use for it.

I had a lot of fun making these cards

and I'm sure I'll be making more of this style card

in the future.

Thanks for coming by today,

I hope you have enjoyed my cards.

Have you tried the new Distress Crayons yet?

I love them and I'm sure you'll be seeing more

projects on my blog where I use them.

I hope you'll come again soon.

Now go make something fun.

Somebunny Loves You

Happy Easter!

I wanted to make a cute card for my Mom

for Easter and here is what I came up with.

I used some of my deli paper and alcohol ink

background paper for the base panel.

I stamped and colored 

Daydreaming Bunny

and

Tulips

with colored pencils, 

fussy cut them and adhered the 

bunny directly to the background panel

with ATG tape.

I added the tulips with 

foam tape.

The sentiment is 

Some Bunny

and is stamped with

Onyx Black Versa Fine Ink.

I'm sure my Mom loves her card.

I hope you have a beautiful and blessed

Easter.

Thanks for stopping by today,

see you again soon.

Sentimental Challenge

Hello blog fans!

It's time for another Eureka! Stamps Challenge.

This weeks theme is

"Be Sentimental"

I decided to use

"Tree Losing Leaves" (#34502) and

"When I see" (#34902)

from Eureka! Stamps

 

I used water color crayons and an

water brush to create the background.

I then stamped Tree Losing Leaves

onto the background piece.

I used Onyx Black VersaFine ink,

but stamped it off once onto scrap paper,

as I wanted the tree to be a little lighter

and for the sentiment to be more prominent.

These were amongst the first images I got from

Eureka! Stamps and I still love them!

Thanks for stopping by today.

I hope you were inspired in some way.

I hope you'll pop over to the

Eureka! Stamps Blog

 for all the details on the challenge and join in the fun.

 

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors!

This is the theme of the

Eureka! Stamps Challenge

this week. Be sure to check out the particulars on the

Eureka! Stamps Blog.

I decided to use 2 images from

Eureka! Stamps

"Lg Tree" (#15302) and

"Leaf Background" (#26901)

I used VersaFine ink for the background image.

I stamped it onto white card stock,

then stamped it again on another piece of card stock.

The second stamping is what I used on these cards.

I wanted it to be a little more subtle.

I then cut a circle from a piece of very light weight paper.

I laid the paper over the background image

and inked the circle with Distress ink. 

Then I stamped the tree image onto the circle.

This panel was then adhered to a card base

that had been inked with the same

Distress ink colors as the circle.

This second card I used the same technique,

but once I had inked the green circle,

I took away the mask and replace it

with the circle that had been cut out

and inked around the circle with yellow Distress ink.

I wanted to give a kind of bright yellow sunny feel to the background.

My daughter likes the second card better,

but I kind of like the first one.

What do you think?

Leave a comment and let me know.

I hope you have been inspired in some way.

Maybe to try a new technique,

try some inking

or just to participate in the challenge.

 

Thanks for stopping by today, come again soon.

 

Until next time, Happy Crafting!