Green Waratah

I've been feeling a little monochromatic lately, and decided to express myself in shades of green. A simple card to say "thanks", "hi", or to attach to a basket of gardening goodies for someone special.

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Tutorial - Angled Z-Fold Cards

Another quick and easy card fold that looks great on display,

folds flat for postage, and can be modified to suit your needs.

1. Start with a card blank. I used a piece of A5 cardstock, but you can use whatever size you have in your stash.

2. Score in the centre and fold to form a standard card base.

3. Score down the centre of the card front and fold it backward to form a Z-Fold (or S-Fold).

4. Make an angled cut from the centre score line to any position on the left-hand side of your card front, passing through the second score line you made. (Note: It really doesn't matter what angle you cut on, but for those who are curious, my cut extends from the centre score line to about 2" up from the bottom edge of the card. You might like to experiment with different angles for different looks.)

5. Now decorate! I decided on a double mat of gold cardstock and patterned paper. To cut the cardstock and paper on the correct angle, trim the width to about 1/4" less than the width of the panel, then place the gold cardstock in the centre of the panel, ensuring the borders on each side are even. Hold it in place (or use some repositionable adhesive), carefully turn it over and use a pencil to mark the top angle. Cut along the pencil line for a perfect fit.

6. Trim the excess from the bottom, leaving a small border. Repeat for the next panel.

Trim a larger piece of gold cardstock for the right-hand side of the card.

7. Use the same technique to cut your patterned paper, making them slightly narrower than the gold cardstock. Cut a large piece of white cardstock for the right-hand side of the card where you will add your stamped sentiment and hand-written note. Adhere the paper and cardstock in place.

8. You'll need a second decorative panel that is the same size as the centre panel but the angle must be mirrored. Secure this on the other side of the card front.

9. To decorate, I secured a circular image panel over half the first section. You can keep the image entirely inside the panel if you prefer. I also added a stamped sentiment to the right-hand side of the card.

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Chocolate Lover's Dream

Chocolate.

What more is there to say?

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Framed Waratahs

Waratahs are very striking, native Australian flowers. They come in a few different colours, but red is probably the most iconic. The red and green combination makes them perfect for Christmas and you'll often see them on Aussie cards and wrapping papers.

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Birthday Wishes

Do you make all your birthday cards at the beginning of the year, or do you create them as needed? I tend to create all sorts of cards throughout the year and add them to a stash. When a birthday or occasion comes up, I then go through all my cards to find one that suits the recipient. There are exceptions to the rule of course, such as a BIG birthday, wedding, or extra special occasion.

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Booyah!

It's been quite a while since I dragged out the Slugs and Snails stamps, but having a couple of young nephews in the family means I need some icky birthday cards to give them a giggle. Nothing better than squishy snails and oozy slugs to create some birthday fun!

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Tutorial - Colouring Florals

Starting with a coloured background is a fun and interesting way to create cards. For the best effect, coloured pencils are my go to medium since the pigment sits on the surface of the paper, but you could opt for acrylic paints or oxide inks if you prefer.

1. Start by stamping and embossing an image and sentiment onto coloured cardstock, then choose a couple of lighter, but coordinating pencil shades. I used gold embossing powder on a deep jade colour.

2. To help the other colours pop, and to create lots of lovely contrast, add a light layer of white pencil to the entire image. We're colouring purely for decorative effect, so don't worry about highlights and shadows with this particular tutorial.

3. I want the centre of my flowers to be white, so I'm adding another layer of white near the base of each petal. To help blend the colours together, "flick" the pencil from the centre out toward the edge of the petal. Don't try to create straight lines between the different coloured pencils as that makes blending more difficult.

4. Add a mid tone to the centre of each petal, blending with the white.

5. Add your darkest colour at the edges, flicking the colour from the edge back toward the centre.

6. If desired, strengthen the white a little more.

7. To colour the leaves, I'm adding my darkest colour at the base of each, the mid-colour in the centre and then white at the very tip. Blend the pencils together by adding light layers of colour rather than one heavy application.

8. Adding a shadow will help "lift" the image from the background creating the illusion of depth. This can be done with your coloured pencils, but I prefer to use markers in various shades of grey. The darkest grey will be closest to the image and then I'll blend the tones outward to soften the edges of the shadow.

9. To create a convincing shadow, only add colour to two of the four sides (top, bottom, left and right). I chose the bottom and right-hand side. I also added a very thin, single line of shadow to my sentiment.

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