Graphically Speaking: Part 2

As promised, here is the continuation of the previous post, Graphically Speaking: Part 1. With these latest designs I have concentrated specifically on the birthday theme.

Graphically Speaking: Part 1

Some exciting things have been happening around here...
Lately I've been putting away the old paper cutter, glue and stamps, and pulling out the pencils, paintbrushes and water colours! Suffice to say that I have had a number of "I never knew I had it in me" moments, and as people 'ooh' and 'ahh' at my new-found gift, I can't help but think back to my cards. Turns out water colouring and cards go together like ketchup and fries! My method at the moment consists of:

 1. Actually painting the design.

 2. Scanning the end products. 

 

 

 

 3. Altering them graphically on a computer.

 

4. Printing out the design onto card.

And there you have it! I was actually surprised myself at how well they all turned out, and am looking forward to creating new designs. I hope you have enjoyed the few I have made so far. Stay tuned for more!

Texture

When card making, it is very easy to accidentally create cards that look similar to each other. Perhaps it is because you don't have time, you have a lack of inspiration, or maybe you genuinely like the style you've come up with, but for whatever reason, your cards can tend to look the same. I found myself recently sinking into this situation, so I decided to jazz things up a little by giving my card a diversity of texture. 

 

 ote that this card has at least 3 different textures. I have placed vellum over normal scrapbooking paper, stitching them together, since without doing so the eye as well as the hand would get bored with what they were taking in. On top of that, I've stuck a frayed strip of fabric which goes over the ends of the stitching, the vellum and the paper, giving the card a satisfying look and feel. Finally, I have put yet another texture on top,the brown paper, to carry the intended message. Texture is an extremely important aspect of card making, and indeed most crafts, as it one of the things that makes your finished product interesting and unique.

Recent Creations

 

Something New

October Reloaded

Hello faithful bloggers!

Well, it's October, and after my reappearance the other week I am pumped and ready to fire up all the creativity I can muster once again. A friend had a large order for various greeting cards, and with nothing but time and a lot of scrapbooking materials I was more than willing to oblige. Here are the results of the week. Enjoy!

Hello There!

Well, I'm back to continue my poor, long neglected blog. Many things can account for the fact that it has been nearly 8 months since my last entry. Wow what an amazing year it has been already! It seems like only a few weeks since I was standing on the beach in a borrowed jacket, counting down the seconds until 2012. I have made more than two cards this year, but they're not up either because I forgot to take a picture before I gave them away, I thought they were horrible, didn't have the time to blog them, take your pick. However I finally have found an opportunity (Horray!). The card was made for a friend of mine who was going through a rough time. I'm glad to say she found it greatly encouraging, especially since it was aided by chocolates ;). I hope you enjoy it!

A Princess Party

Today is the birthday party of one of my best friends. She is turning 13, and to celebrate, she's having a princess party! When making the card, I was faced with the question I always come across when making birthday cards. Should I make it to match the theme of the party, or random? I finally decided that I would do a mix of both. The colours on the card are elegant and pretty, fit for a princess. The style however, is more fun and carnival.

I'm pleased to say she loved the card and the gift we bought her, a delicate teacup with painted roses. I wrapped the present accordingly.

Check out my guest post for Holly!

www.rosesandbluebells98.blogspot.com

Same, Same... But Different

 Some people prefer simple. Some people prefer busy. Some prefer elegant and thin, while others prefer fun and chunky. Everyone has a differnet preference, because everyone has a different personality, so when trying to make the perfect card for someone, it's important that you know theirs. In this post I have made a range of different cards, but all with the same pattern and inscription. My personal favourite is number four, plain and simple, but elegant nonetheless. That's my preference however, what's yours?

 

 

 

 

Still 'Tis the Season

'Tis the Season!

 Well I figured, as it's Christmas time and all, that I better get a move on with the christmas cards. So far I have only made a few, but the number is bound to increase over the next two weeks. All of them actually took me quite a while to make. That's the unfortunate thing about me, everything that can go wrong WILL go wrong. So many things on each card had to be redone, due to glue smudges, ink stains, etc. I do however find them rather inventive, and hope you enjoy them!

 

November 16: A Brother's Birthday

This is the card I made for Jonah from my parents. I think I would like to try stitching around the edges, just to jazz it up a little. I really like the bold font against the spiky circle with the calm paper in the middle and notebook paper beneath that. Very boyish kind of card, but again, mix up the colours and it's perfect for a girl!

This is the card I made for Jonah from me. It's very similar to the cards at the very beginning of the blog, as the colour theme and shapes are the same. You'll notice on the front I have written, 'Happy birthday, mate.' Too often I think people email, text, tweet and message, writing things that just aren't like them, and not writing the things they actually would say normally. I usually call Jonah 'mate' and hardly ever call him by his real name. However brief this message is, the fact the I have said 'Happy birthday, mate' means that even if the card was sent from Mars with no writing on the inside and no return address, Jonah would know without a doubt, that this card was from me.

Today is my dad's birthday, so naturally I made him a birthday card. This card can easily be turned into a Father's Day card, and likewise, a Mother's Day card. If you were to use this design for a Mother's Day card though, it would probably be best to change the theme from blue to pink.