Collage of the Day

 

Collage of the Day

 

Collage of the Day

 

Collage of the Day

 

Collage of the Day

 

Collage of the Day

 

I'm not sure if this was a successful collage or not. I wanted to preserve the central image, and I tended to stick the elements around the perimeter. It doesn't look like a cohesive collage to me. Is it a fail? I don't know. What do you think?

Collage of the Day

 

Collage of the Day

 

Cards for my father-in-law

For the past couple of years, I have made Christmas cards for my father-in-law to send out. This year, I made 25 for him. This one is this year's card:

All items used to make the cards are from Stampin' Up! -  the paper, the ink and the stamps.

@Thinkingofyouweek   #sendacarddeliverasmile

Collage of the Day

 

Collage of the Day

 

Collage of the Day

 Here's another collage I made:

Collage of the Day

 

Collage of the Day

 

Earthen Elegance by Stampin' Up!

I really like this Earthen Elegance suite. I have the paper, stamps and dies that coordinate so nicely to make some great cards. I haven't nearly exhausted my ideas for this suite, so I will revisit them in the future. Here is one that I have made (the copper paper in the background is not Stampin' Up! but the rest is):

 

This scan does not begin to show the brightness of this paper! The patterned paper has copper foiling in it that catches the light, and the Pretty Peacock card base is much more vibrant than is shown here. I plan to make more cards using this suite! Enjoy!

End-of-the-Year Cards, too

I thought I didn't make enough end-of-the-year cards, so I made some more! Here they are:

I'll have extras if I need them. Maybe I'll send some to my pen pals! Enjoy!

#sendacarddeliverasmile  @Thinkingofyouweek
 

Saving Cards for Spring

I found some Basic Grey scraps, and I made some cards. Those of us who have loved Basic Grey know that it is no longer, and we miss them. Here is the last of this kind of paper used in my greeting cards:

I will use them in the spring to brighten someone's day. I have many pen pals who would enjoy receiving one.
 

Eden's Garden by Stampin' Up!

 I've made quite a few greeting cards using the Eden's Garden suite by Stampin' Up! Here are some of them:

This is such a lovely set of papers that I bought two sets. I think I'm sapped out! But, I do have the stamp set and dies that go with it, so I might just save it for another time! Maybe I'll have different ideas brewing by then.

Collage of the Day

 I have been playing with paper but in a different way. Instead of making greeting cards or Artist Trading Cards, I have been playing with collage!

For the longest time, I had been a lurker in the Collage Art Collective run by Margarete Miller, which is an online group where collage arts are shared. Now, I'm a participant. (This free group will dissolve on December 15th, 2023. A new group on Facebook has been created - Vintage Glue Books and Pages.) These are the collages I have made:

 

 

These are harder to put together than I thought, and I enjoyed the process. I have more than enough purchased new bits and pieces as well as genuine vintage articles. I had cleared my desk of all my card-making supplies and now it is filled with collage supplies. I wish I had two desks, but it's either one or the other! So, for awhile, I will be creating collages until the urge to make greeting cards or other kinds of art becomes too great! Enjoy!

Cards for QWACs

 Long ago, when we lived in Greenville, NC, we frequented a quilt shop named Cotton Fields, which is located in Washington, NC. My wife began a class to make something fabric-related, although I don't remember what it was. This was once a week for several weeks. The group enjoyed what they were doing and wanted to get together after the class was over, so they did. It started out with small projects that could be completed in the hour or two during the meeting. We took turns teaching and learning. That is when I joined in. 

Eventually, the group came up with the name for ourselves: QWACs, or Quilting Women Acting Crazy, and our mascot was a little yellow rubber duckie. This group has been going on for over 10 years, I guess. Even though we have moved far away (a three-hour drive), we go up every December for a potluck and to get reacquainted with the old members and to meet the new recruits. 

Each year, they play a game called "Dirty Santa" where everyone brings a present and they are placed in the middle of the table. Everyone draws a number to indicate the order in which they will participate. The first player selects a gift and keeps it. The next player can either get a gift from the center of the table or steal it from the previous player. The third player has the choice of choosing a gift from the table or steal it from a previous player. The game continues until the gifts are gone and everyone has a gift. Then, the game goes back to player one who can exchange her gift with anyone at the table. Usually, everyone goes away happy.

Well, we don't participate in the game, so we always make a card and an ornament for everyone. Katie is making folded stars out of a sparkly fabric this year, and this is one of the ten cards I've made (5 of them had snowflakes instead of stars):

 

Inside is a wish for happiness in the new year.

(The dies, stamps and adhesive gems are from Stampin! Up.)

@Thinkingofyouweek  #sendacarddeliverasmile

End-of-the-year Cards

 Every year, we like to send out end-of-the-year cards. We don't celebrate Christmas, so we send out these cards so that our friends and families know that we wish them the best in the new year. What better way to do that than send them a card with a few words to tell them how much we care. This is that card:

 

There was no stamping involved on the outside, but on the inside there is "Happy New Year". We made 26 of these.

I began making this card by spattering the area where the star would sit with a dark gray ink. The star is die cut from paper-backed burlap, and it was popped up on double-sided foam adhesive. Small tinsel strands were wrapped around and secured. I cut the music from my sister's old music books. My wife, Katie, worked with me on these.

We'll send these out in about mid-December, if I can wait that long! 

#sendacarddeliverasmile  @Thinkingofyouweek