Tag: Greeting Card

ASIAN INSPIRED CARDS – Part 2

Handmade by Linda Fields

Welcome to Part 2 of this two part blog series where I show the steps I took to create Asian Inspired Cards with matching Envelopes and handmade Boxes to hold them.

Slide Between Yin and Yang Cards

Cutting Edge Perspectives

Ever want that perfect backdrop but just can’t find it? Make it! As shown in part 1 of this blog series, I used metallic watercolors to create my backgrounds that change in the light. I experimented by creating one big back drop that I cut down after versus cutting the paper in advance to make 8 different designs. Both have their pros and cons. I encourage you try both to see which one you love most.

Laying Out

I highly recommend doing temporary layouts. Play with your pieces! Look to see what looks best. This is a great way to get different ideas and yes, while you can keep referring to your originally sketched ideas, you may find new ideas emerge from creative play! Remember, know where your focus is. This is where the eye goes first. Use texture, color, movement to direct the eyes over your entire piece but your goal is to finish where you start and so keeping the eye in a loop. You can do this in so many ways. Tip when stamping, do your mock layout within the stamping tool so your stamp placement is perfectly placed!

All That Glimmers

I could have stopped with the metallic backgrounds stenciled with watercolor but temporary layouts showed me I needed more. First black and white mats to create a finished frame. I used to measure these before cutting but now I use a pencil to mark placements and found it far more accurate when cutting. I attached these pieces using foam tape to create dimension but it still felt ordinary. Introducing the many wonderful uses for embossing powder to create shimmer, shine and wow! Run or dip the paper edges on your embossing ink pad! Pour the powder over, heating one side at a time. I used Altenew’s Fine Gold and Silver Embossing Powders to create beautiful frames. I also embossed the Tall Foliage Stencil and some of the sentiments. The gold and silver fine threading was that perfect, final touch to tie it all together.

Make Any Box

Need a box to hold all your beautiful cards? You can make any box you want! What size are your envelopes? Your box needs to be 1/4″ larger than your envelope size and the lid needs to be 1/8″ larger than that. Stack your cards and envelopes. How tall is your set? I found creating a 1″ tall base for my 4 dimensional cards with matching envelopes was the perfect depth. So for 5″x7″ cards with 5.25″x7.25″ envelopes, I needed 8.5″x11″ paper cut down to 6.5″x8.5″ for the base and a second sheet cut down to 6.58″x8.58″ to make the lid. Use a scoring board to create a 1″ crease on every side. Repeat for both sheets of paper. Flip the paper over and use a bone folder to set the crease on all sides. Cut once for each corner, tapering the sides, to create flaps. Glue these tabs in place to create your box base. You can use your fingers to keep pressure on the paper until the glue dries, you can use reusable tape to keep it in place, or you can use these wonderful corners by We R Memory Keepers. Repeat for the box top and you’re done!

Wrapping It Up

I highly recommend decorating your box before you glue your flaps in place. I know, you’ll be so excited to glue those flaps in place so you can hold your finished box but it’s so much easier if you glue the flaps last, after you’re done designing. As stated previously, I up cycled cardboard from my Altenew purchase. It was perfect to glue behind my backdrops to hard strength and stability. I didn’t have the right color ribbon so I used Altenew Black Ink to color half a chiffon ribbon. The covered the brass coins with Metal Wax to make one silver and the other gold. They create a wonderful finishing touch but to up that special touch one more notch, I did not secure the coins down so they slide back and forth! The inked, dual ribbon makes such a pretty, unusual bow. I made two boxes, one black the other white, and exchanged the lids to mimic the Yin-Yang symbol because we are, after all, very much the same and yet uniquely different at the same time.

The Grand Finalle

This was such a satisfying, wonderful process creating and completing this project. Thank you so much for being here! I was wonderful sharing this with you. Are you inspired? I hope you share all your creative makes with the world!

SENDING LOVE

Handmade Card by Linda Fields

My second try at making a shaker card. It was easier this time despite creating it in bed! It’s flu season, so yeah, I’m sick too but that didn’t stop me from crafting.

AECP Homework – Season Scene Course

Almost everything I used was from Altenew – the Dotted Blooms Stamp set, Alcohol Ink Pens, Black Dye Ink, and Fine Black Embossing Powder.

I created this 3.5 x 8.5 slimline shaker card starting with the stamped Dotted Blossoms background and colored all the pretty flowers and branches using Altenew’s Alcohol Ink pens. I decorated the card with pearls, used diamond cut sequins, and black embossed the sentiment “Sending All My Love” on the parchment paper.

WHITE ROSE & LINEN

Card Created by Linda Fields

This is my homework submission I created for the All About Layering 3 course in Altenew’s Education Certification Program. I’m also submitting this into the Altenew Year In Review 2022 Inspiration Challenge. My second entry is inspired by the flower and colors of March. My goal was to create a sophisticated, tone-on-tone card with pops of grey, copper, and greens. The beautiful linen texture brings it all together.

AECP Homework – All About Layering 3 Course
Altenew Year In Review Inspiration Challenge 2022 – March Inspired Entry #2

I used the following materials: Nina 120# & 80# Crest White cardstock cut down to a folded 5″ x 7″ base, Vellum, a Micron Drawing Pen for fine details, VersaMark embossing ink, watercolor detail brush, water and white paper twine by Tim Holtz and the following Altenew materials: Organic Linen 3D Embossing Folder, Enchanted Iris Set (Thanks stamp), Copper Embossing Powder, Garden Rose Layering Die, and Altenew’s Silver Lake, Evergreen, Forest Glades, Pistachio and Frayed Leaf Crisp Dye Inks for color.

First, I used the embossing folder and turned paper into linen like magic! I used my Tim Holtz Deckle Blade Cutter to create a ragged edge. Next, I used the Garden Rose die set by Altenew to cut everything from white paper. I used inks, a small brush applicator, a round sponge applicator, a watercolor detail brush, and Altenew inks to shade, define, and color all the pieces. If you’ve never used this or other similar flower building set before, the individual pieces are embossed with tiny numbers and have keyhole cutouts to use as guides. It’s a great approach and I appreciated the well thought out design. I cut down some vellum and embossed “Thanks” in copper to match the rose’s copper center. I used regular double-sided as well as foam tapes to bring it all together – tucking the leaves under the raised flower, paying special attention to the off-center, triangular layout I wanted.

In the end, I fell in love with the clean, textured look with that soft, complimentary pop of color. It was a joy making this card and I can’t wait to apply more of what I’ve learned for my next homework assignment.