Little Angel

(Click on picture to view a larger image)

My daughter needed a card for a gift she was bringing to a baby shower. Naturally she casually mentions this on the evening before the event. Of course, I think to myself, I can whip up a quick little card. But as soon as I sat down to create I found myself taking out all manner of embellishments and brass stencils, cardstock and what have you. After fiddling for nearly an hour I realized I was overthinking the whole thing and decided to go for a very simple look. I used a stamp that I had never used before and, in fact, had been put in the pile of ophaned stamps I have in my workshop. It turned out to be the perfect choice for this quickie card.

The yellow base card was stamped all over with VersaMark watermark and Dazzle Inks (Frost and Champagne) then selectively dusted with green and gold PearlEx pigment powders. The image was stamped in black Stazon ink, colored with Prismacolor coloring pencils, matted on olive green cardstock. The stars and heart were gone over with a clear sparkly Gelly Roll pen for a bit of shimmer. It was attached to the base card with foam tape for a little dimension. Tiny green rhinestones were added to the corners of the image for a touch of glitz and a finishing touch. The inside of the card had a hand written greeting that said "Your Angel is on its Way".

Simple. Easy-peasy. Why didn't I think of that in the first place?


Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Gettin' Buggy Wit' It

(Note: Click on a photo to see a larger image.)

My grandson is turning 11 years old this month. This handsome young man has a fascination with all things ladybug so of course his card had to sport his favorite insect.

This lucky ladybug sits upon the large leaf of a sunflower hand-drawn with Prismacolor Premier coloring pencils. The cloudy blue sky was achieved by chalking around the edges of a cloud-shaped paper template cut out with a scissors. The spots on the wings are created with silver mini brads. The body and wings are cut with a Nestabilities oval die. Two red ovalsare split down the middle lengthwise for the wings and trimmed slightly at the top to allow for the head and eyes. All brads with the exception of those closest to the head are inserted through the top wings only and the "legs" spread open. The bottom wings are glued beneath the top wings, covering these "legs" and preventing them from catching on the bug's body. The topmost set of brads are inserted through both layers of the wings as well as the body. These act as pivots allowing the wings to turn out. The legs come from a gift set of chocolates that were wrapped in foil to resemble LoveBugs and had the legs stuck to the bottom of the foil. I not only enjoyed the chocolate immensely, I immediately saw the crafting possibilities in those buggy legs. They were a perfect addition to my ladybug.

The wings swing out to reveal a golden Happy Birthday sticker inside. The inside of the card (not shown) has a trail of ladybugs all around the perimeter. It's just the right touch to frame the happy sentiments my family and I have written to him for his special day.


Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Full Circle: Lovely as a Tree

(Note: Click on an image for a larger view)
The card featured here was the prototype for a birthday card for my daughter's friend, someone whom she describes as a "tree lover" so she wanted the focal image of the card to be that of a tree. She had seen and liked several tree sketches I had done with oil pastels on the paper I use to protect my worktable. I had been testing several different packs of pastels to determine their viability so I just used the paper that was in front of me. They were only "throw-away" sketches to me (see below) but she liked them enough to "commission" me to draw a tree for her friend's card.

I created the tree on white vellum using Prismacolor fine line markers for the trunk and branches and Sakura Cray-Pas for the leaves, blending the leaf colors with a small wad of paper toweling barely dampened with mineral spirits. I was going to leave it at that but the tree seemed to beg for more surroundings. I started by simply filling in the foreground with regular Prismacolor markers to create the grass, adding details with the fine point markers. Before I knew it, I had created this entire country scene complete with barbed wire fencing and tiny little wildflowers. I added background details with colored pencils and used oil pastels on the back side of the vellum to create a soft sky and clouds. Drawing on the back side softens the effect of the color and also prevents smearing of or blending with the leaves of the tree. (Click on the pictures to see a larger image.)

When I was done I realized that I had combined many of the traditional materials and techniques I had been taught as an art student years ago with the materials and techniques I have recently learned as a papercrafter. It was a very gratifying experience and I was quite pleased with the outcome. Not so, apparently, for my daughter. She loved the scene but said it was not what she wanted for her friend. She wanted the rough draft tree she had seen on my workshop table. So be it. I recreated the rough tree on another card. She put the finishing touches on it and gave it to her friend at school. She reported that he loved his tree card. Although I was initially disappointed that my scene was not to my daughter's liking, it actually turned out to be to my advantage. Now I get to keep the card that was so gratifying to make and draw further inspiration from it.

My present avocation is bringing me right back around to my past training. This grounds me, makes me feel more secure. Life, when it works, truly is a circle.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva