Card Week, Part 3

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Card Sketch #8

You can download and print this sketch by clicking on the card sketches link found under the "printable sketches" tab on the right sidebar.

"Happy Birthday" card by Christy Arthur
Products - Crate Paper: Emma's Shoppe Books, Dolls, Trims and Chipboard, Portrait Bridesmaids; October Afternoon: 5 & dime Jawbreakers; Hero Arts: Typewriter Alphabet Stamp; Adirondack: Pitch Black Ink

• I mirrored the sketch so the message is on the left and the flower embellishment is on the right.

• I used a longer strip of paper for the left and middle squares and added a smaller rectangle for the right half square.

• I used a strip of ribbon behind the pink strip of paper, instead of layering patterned paper like the sketch.

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"Party, Party, Party" card by Katrina Hunt
Supplies - Cardstock: American Crafts; Pattern Paper: Echo Park Splash; Stickers: Echo Park Splash; Stamps: Unity Stamp Co. May Kit of the Month; Twine: The Twinery; Ink: Jenni Bowlin (Chicken Feed); Embossing Powder: American Crafts; Adhesive: Scotch ATG and Scrapbook Adhesives.

I got my idea for a card based on the sketch…at first glance, it doesn’t really look like the sketch! For my card base I used a manila index card that I had laying around. I also stamped my sentiment in an orange color and then used clear embossing powder over the top to make it stand out a little more.

Variation 1 - Only used the center part of the sketch as an idea

Variation 2 - Used a wider “striped” paper to go across…my yellow flower paper.

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Wall Hanging by Amy Roller
Supplies - Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye, Stampin UP!; Waffle paper: Stampin Up!; Ink: Colorbox; Stamps: Stampin UP!; Marker: Stampin UP!; Metal charm: BoBunny; Stitching thread: DMC; Rhinestones/Pearls: Close To My Heart; Embossing folder/machine: Provo Craft; Punches/Dies: Sizzix-Stampin Up!, Martha Stewart

I started out going to make a card and just make it bigger and one thing led to another and the end result was a wall hanging. I don't have exact measurements on each piece because none of the background papers were on the sketch anyway, so I just layered as I went as far as that goes.

I stuck with the three "blocks" on the first layer but because of where the dragonfly was, I flipped the embellishments to the other side of the sketch. I hand cut several designs from the paper itself and used that as most of my flower/leaf embellishments. I also added a butterfly charm that matched perfectly. I added an extra butterfly and accented them with rhinestones and pearls. I did the same with the flowers.

I hand stamped the sentiment and then added little dark dots all around the card in highlighted areas with a marker. This helped create the movement shown in the stamped/embossed images and gave each area continuity and a better flow.

I used a strip of kraft chipboard to run through my Cuttlebug to emboss it with the "dots" folder and used it as my solid strip over my stripe. I then added a stitched border around this piece.

Next I added another layer of cardstock underneath the first and inked the edges then curled and roughed them up. I repeated this for a total of four layers, stitching around each one as well. I wanted this to have a very earthy, handmade feel to it, so nothing is exact and the stitching isn't perfectly straight. (This was hard for me. Everything in me was screaming, "Oh I need to redo that, how am I going to take this whole thing apart and re-sew if it's not straight!" I like things "square to the world" as my daddy says, so this was hard for me to leave alone. Even so this was a challenge to myself to make something I don't normally do, to step out of the box so to speak, not too far out of it I'll admit but out of it in any case.)

The last step was to add the ruffled border. It is actually waffle paper that I had to cut strips from and piece it together along the edges. All in all, I am pleased with how it turned out and love how with sketches, you never know what you might end up with. A card, or something else entirely
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