Paper Pricking Technique

Hello everyone!
I have this card to show you today. I made it for a friend in the Netherlands for her Birthday. She is a friend I met in one of the card groups I belong to online. This is pinpricking technique which I find very relaxing. After I pinned the design on my white cardstock, I took a watercolor crayon and lightly brushed it along the designs holes. I also did a 3d decoupage flower for the middle that I layered with pop dots for a raised effect. Then matted it with colors to match. With this card, I did use some pastel pink gems or bling for on the design too.
I am not much of a poet, so to finish off the card's inside, I find a nice "birthday" poem online and print it out in a coordinating color and fit it to the inside of my card. I hope she likes it.
Until next time....Stay Creative!

My Cards Through the Years

I decided I hadn't posted these pictures of my other cards I did these past few weeks. If you would like any information on any one of them, just email me or post it here as a comment and I will get back to you soon! Hope you like them.

Request for Help!

This morning I received an email from Tracy at FredSheSaid. She posted a request from all cardmakers to go to Erin's blog and read about this little girl that suffered injuries in a boating accident. She had to have her arm amputated. A card shower would be wonderful for this little girl! Let's all shower her mailbox with hundreds of cheery cards to help make her days better!Here is the photo of the card I sent to her today. Here is the link to Erin's blog where you can read the article.
http://scrapstampandbemerry.blogspot.com/2009/09/looking-for-some-help-please-ladies.html

Sorry, this is an old post, but thought you would still like to see the card.
Hugs, karla

Sure Sign of Fall....

Here it is already September! Where did the Summer go? Kids here in our small town will be heading back after Labor Day. I have seen on the tops of some trees that the leaves are changing colors just a little bit. We have had the past week nights in the 30's and 40 degree temperature range. Along with the colder days comes the flu season. I know the flu is on everyone's minds these days. Just remember to wash your hands for 20 seconds or more, and if you have to sneeze, sneeze in your sleeve in the crook of your arm.
We still have our garden in and am wondering if we will have tomatoes this year. Thank you to the 4 legged deer and their after midnight munching we lost the tops to our tomato plants and some green tomatoes!



Anyways, back to the topic of cards, that is what my site is supposed to be about. I have managed to make a couple cards the last few days that turned out pretty cute. I got to try out my little corrugator gadget which I have had for several years and haven't really worked with it. I made this card using a technique of folding the corners in on a square piece of cardstock. Then I took my little inkpad and swiped it across the ridges of the paper, giving them even more dimension. Here is what it turned out like. Hope you like it.

And my second card I did I saw it made using rubberstamps. But I didn't have those stamps or anything that was like them. So I used my scissors and cut out a shape with pink cardstock and then painted white polka dots all over it. Then took my round sponge dauber and tapped it on my black inkpad and used it for the "eyes" at the top of the "nose". You can see the results for yourself. I was quite proud of myself for improvising and using things I had at home, without having to go out and buy it. In these trying times with our economy, it sometimes pays to be creative!
Until next time, Stay creative! Hugs, Karla Sue

Days of August..

Here it is just about the end of August and I am afraid I have been a bad hostess. I have been in a dry spell it seems for a few months. I think discouraged because my craft room is in such disarray, that I don't feel very creative! I am working today on my work area as soon as I close this posting. If you know of something you would like discussed here or some technique you heard about, let me know and I might be able to help you. If I don't know, I can find out for you! I appreciate your patience and please bear with me. I have posted a "Happy Birthday" card that I made this summer. I hope you like it. It was made for a lady I know that just loves anything with cats. She loved it! I was so tickled! So until next time....Stay creative!
Hugs,Karla

Adhesives

I am the proud owner of a Glue Glider! I had purchased my Glue Glider last fall (2008) and continue to use this wonderful product! When I ordered it at the time, they had a special going on...buy one and get another one free! At that time also, I ordered some refills to go with it. You can purchase the Perma Tac and a repositionable tape. I use the Perma tac in my cardmaking and the repositionable in my scrapbooking. It makes it easier if you change your mind with your pictures and where you want them.
I have never used any adhesive that I like as well as I do this. The adhesive is terrific and holds everything in place every time. I also love the fact that the refills just pop in and you don't have to worry about threading it. It is VERY light weight too! The new Glue Glider Pro adhesive is 40 feet long and allows you to apply a neat ¼” strip of adhesive exactly where you want it. The easy glide-on dispensing action, allows you to apply a small controlled amount or a continuous. The easy slip-in, disposable cartridges eliminate the worry of having to reload in the middle of a project. You should try it, I am sure you will feel as I do, no other out there compares. I always make sure I have extra on hand. Making cards uses less, because I use only for little amounts in each corner of a picture back to adheare to the card front. No more is needed.... it holds perfectly. Remember, there is 40 feet on each cartridge so a little goes a long way!
Until next time....
Hugs and Stay Creative!
Karla

Card Inserts

Good Afternoon everyone!

Another beautiful day here in Northern Michigan! We are getting spoiled. Although last night it got below freezing temperatures here and my hubby was worried about the two tomato plants he purchased this past weekend. But all is well. He just didn't believe me when I told him we were going to be getting some frosty temperatures. Maybe he will listen now.....NOT!

The topic I would like to discuss today in this post is "Card Inserts". I don't know how many of you card makers out there put inserts in their cards, but I am not one of them.... until now. It has been something I have wanted to try. First of all, I am a fool when it comes to setting up my word program and setting the tabs where they should be. I posted to the groups I belong to a request this morning for an A4 insert template. This to me is so confusing. There are many types and sizes of papers around the world and choosing the one I needed I had to "google" for it to get the information.

This is what Wikipedia said about it...

There have been many standard sizes of paper at different times and in different countries, but today there are two widespread systems in use: the international standard (A4 and its siblings) and the North American sizes.

I find that the A4 is the closest to what I need when I make my 1/4 fold cards. I would like to hear what the rest of you use or how you go about putting sentiments in your cards. I have wanted to just print it on the inside of the cardstock before I make my card, but not word processor savvy enough to know how to do it.

Here is the link for more information on paper sizes. You choose.

Until next time, happy cardmaking and stay creative!

Karla Sue

Spring Time

Today is a beautiful day here in Northern Michigan! Sun is shining, and birds are flocking to my feeders. It is a bit chilly though at 63°, but I will take it any way I can get the sunshine!
After this past weekend, the rush to get several Mother's Day cards are over. They did turn out very nice. Now comes more of the Graduations, Weddings that come with the few months of Summer. I have already started last month on my cards for these events. Trying not to procrastinate so much! LOL! I have been playing around with my Quickutz Silhouette hoping to learn more about it. At first, I was afraid of it. Also not knowing where to begin was a fright also. I still have so much to learn about it. I have groups I belong to that can help me along if I need it. I just don't like being a pest and bothersome to them. I am sure they don't look at it that way.

I dabble a little bit in photography, though I am an amature at it. I do like the results I get at times. I have taken Senior High School pictures for a friend. I just finished with her 2nd childs Senior pictures. She has been so happy with them. I am glad. I am too critical of my work I think. But I did download a program called Photo Collage Maker and made her postcard invitations with it. They turned out so nice, that I had to sign a release at Walgreen's to say I took them and was not copying professional's work. I offered to take my cd's in to them and show them the pictures before I cropped, and touched them up. Two times I had trouble with Walgreen's. In a way, I was flattered, but on the otherhand, I was a little upset for the trouble I encountered. The collage of the pictures I took for his Senior pictures turned out great! She slapped a large blank sticker on the back of the photos and put time, date, and place on them. Then addressed them and put a postcard stamp on them and shot them to the post office. Actually cheaper then having them done through the schools.
Well, I had better close for now. I have things to get done, but I will return later today and post some photos and links for you to see.
Until later, Stay Creative!
Karla