Cork Anyone?......

I really like to add texture to my cards and have done so using wood veneer and other materials for quite some time now.  Cork was the next material on my list to add to projects and I set about looking for cork thin enough to die cut. A few weeks ago I was browsing at Hobby Lobby and found a huge roll of self adhesive cork.  Eureka!!...PERFECT.

90 minutes and many cranks of the Sizzix Big Shot later I had a lovely pile of cork embellishments!  Large tags, small tags, circles, ovals, rectangles, arrows, hearts, flourishes and on and on.  I have not yet made a card using these embellishments, but will be doing so soon.  Right now - I just like to look at all this cork goodness.

When cutting out the cork shapes I also cut a corresponding shape in light weight chipboard and glued each of the cork embellishments to the chipboard to make them a little sturdier.  Even though the cork was self adhesive, the adhesive was not strong enough to work in my humid climate.  A little Scotch Quick Dry glue applied to the back of each of the cork shapes solved that problem.

Aren't these cork embellishments fun?

The Christmas Card Making Countdown Has Begun!

Yes, I know it is still July, but that is when I have to start making cards in order to get them all finished before the holidays.  Anyone who makes holiday cards knows exactly what I am talking about.  I don't tend to make cards in bulk - meaning I make two or three cards in the same or similar design and then move on to another design.

So let's see - it is July 18 and I have exactly two holiday cards made.  I have quite a few more to make  (I don't even want to verbalize the number because when I think about how many still need to be made I get a little panicky), but I usually have other projects in the works so holiday card making gets squeezed in between other projects at least until mid October. When October rolls around, I really ramp up production.  At this point full blown panic usually sets in when I realize that cards need to be made and mailed in 6 or 7 weeks time.  One way or another it all gets done and I enjoy making my own cards.  At this point if I purchased a card to send/give to a friend or relative, they would be highly insulted becausethey enjoy receiving handmade cards from me.

Here are the two cards that are completed. They are the same design - the only difference is that one of the trees has silver enamel dots on it and the other has burgundy enamel dots.

Materials used on these cards include:

Papertrey Ink Kraft card stock
Papertrey Ink Fine Linen card stock 
Basic Grey basics notebook paper patterned paper
My Favorite Things Insert It 3x4 Notebook Paper
Sizzix Framelits Snowman Die and Stamp Set
Handmade Enamel Dots
Craft Store clear gems
Sentiments Stamps from The Paper Company Studio Vintage Christmas stamp set
EK Success Small Snowflake Punch
Rock Candy Glitter

Late to the Party......

I am definitely not the type to join the the party on trends willy nilly, but I have to say I am late to the party on the chalkboard trend. It seemed to me that chalkboard embellishments were better suited to school themed layouts and teacher appreciation cards - neither of which I make.

These embellishments also seemed at bit pricey ($3.99 or $4.99 for five chalkboard embellishments).  Anyone who follows my YouTube channel (47CMC) and/or this blog knows that I like to make my own embellishments whenever possible.  I decided to join the party on the chalkboard trend and attempt to make some of these chalkboard pieces to use on cards.

After purchasing wood square and rectangle pieces at the craft store, I used some painter's masking tape to first paint a "wood frame" around the perimeter of the wood piece.  After that was dry, I masked off the frame area and painted the center of the piece with black chalkboard paint.  This is very easy, but takes a little while as you wait for the paint to dry.

The photo above shows a few of the chalkboard pieces I made.  I still need to touch these up with the brown paint to cover some of the chalkboard paint that seeped under the tape before I use them on a project.  They are fun to make and pretty easy and if you go sparingly on the paint it will be less likely to seep under masked off areas.

Here is a card I made using one of my handmade chalkboard embellishments.

Materials used on this card:

Handmade chalkboard embellishment
Handmade enamel dots
Summer's End patterned paper by Fancy Pants
Kraft card stock by Papertrey Ink
Smokey Shadow card stock by Papertrey Ink
Ruled background stamp by Cornish Heritage Farms
Wooden heart by Studio Calico
Fishtail Flags banner dienamics by My Favorite Things