What's been happening in the Orchard...

 Bloggers!
My last post I told you I would be posting "tomorrow"... well so much for that!
I have been very busy since my last post, the Secret Garden Card Tutorial.  If you had a chance to make any of the cards, please email me at jewelrymkr@gmail.com and send me a photo of what you made!  I would love to post them here.  For that matter, anything at all that you make, just take a photo and send it to me and I'll post it for all to see!  We have readers from all over the world... I am so humbled by all the people I meet and interact with here at Crabtree Creations!

Okay, let's talk about what I've been doing lately...
I taught a class at Ink Paper Rubber last month called French Country Cards.  This class was so fun, and I think you'll like the cards.  The second class using this Graphic 45 paper line will be sometime in July. The schedule will be out soon.   I also have another class in July called C'est la vie!  It is an interactive mini-album inside of an altered wooden cigar box.  It will be AMAZING!  I will be giving you more information in a subsequent post, so stay tuned!

The cards I designed for French Country turned out really pretty I think.
Here they are:

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This card was made using a premade card base measuring 5 x 6.5 inches.  Then I used Glossy Accents on the main focal image, then sprinkling very fine glitter on the Glossy Accents while it was still a bit tacky.  It gave the illusion of fruit you see with sugar on it, kinda like in fruit bowls.
I cut the image then matted it with card stock, then popped it up with pop dots.  Fleur de lis trim was adhered to top and bottom, and I tied a florist's bow and placed it at the base of the pear image.
I used three colors of seam binding for the bow.

This card, measuring 5 x 6.5 inches utilized several images from the paper line.  I fussy cut out the girl, and placed her on pop dots in front of the barn image.  Then I cut out a fence with a Impression Obsession die, and popped it in front of the girl, allowing her left hand to reach over the fence to pick a flower.  Flowers were fussy cut out of paper, and also were attached to the card giving it dimension.  It was absolutely gorgeous.

The sunflower card was a shiny gem!  Using Glossy Accents, I shined up this card by applying the medium to all of the diamond shapes, and also the floral images and leaves.  A fleur de lis from the trim was placed in each corner.  I then matted it on yellow card stock and popped it up.  The background used a similar paper featuring the diamond shapes.
A yellow florist's bow was placed at the base of the sunflower image.

This card gave the illusion of sugar on the fruit similar to the pear card, however a different technique was used.  This time I painted on Rock Candy Distress Stickles where I wanted the "sugar" to be.  It was very pretty, just not as shiny as the pear card.  I placed three cut outs of the fruit images in a line, matted them, then Stickled them up!  Black lace was adhered to the base of the images, with seam binding on the top.  A bow was tied with the same binding ribbon.

Here are some photos of the cards we made in class:

The Pear Card

The Sunflower Card

The Farm Girl Card

The Mixed Fruit Card

JoAnn tales a moment to smile for the camera! 

You can actually see the girl "picking" the flower right off the card!

This student has made her girl a big garden!

 Part II of the French Country Vintage Card series will be in July.  Please call Jen at 913-381-2217, INK PAPER RUBBER for more information and class schedules.
Part II will include four more cards using this wonderful paper.  Here are some photos from my brainstorming session...

Nope, this does NOT look like a sunflower!
It looks like a Brown-Eyed Susan!

I have so many fun ideas but here are
a few for you to see...
My creative process includes putting
the paper down in front of me along
with the embellishments
then placing them together to see what works!

Here we go!  A smaller flower makes this look much
more like a sunflower!

I am sorry about this, if you turn your head you can
see it better !  LOL!
Basically I just play around with the paper and other
items until I find something that I like, and that looks
really nice.  How do you create?
Write me a comment telling me your creative process
and we will compare notes!
I'm sure I could learn a LOT from all of you!

It's kinda cute?!

 I hope you enjoyed this post and that you will give some of these cards a try!
In my next post I will be talking about our next big project!
IT IS AMAZING!!!  Until then,

Happy Creating!
ReNae

Secret Garden Vintage-style Cards Tutorial

Hello Bloggers!

In my last post I showed you four beautiful cards made with Graphic 45's Secret Garden collection. Today I am showing you how to make them yourself with a pictorial tutorial!

If you have any questions please leave a comment below and I will be happy to answer your questions.

Supplies needed are as follows:

1. Spellbinders Nestabilities Dies:  

*Labels Four Dies (S4-190)  Use die #3.

*Decorative Elements "Fleur de Lis Rectangles Dies" (S4-317)  Use die #1

*Decorative Elements "Floral Ovals" (S4-356)  Use die #1

*Majestic Elements "Resplendent Rectangles" (S5-147)  Use Dies #2 and #3.

2. Graphic 45 12 x 12 paper in the following styles:
*Secret Garden-Two different  12 x 12 Lavender sheets, One 12 x 12 Floral sheet,
  One each Journaling sheet and Collage sheet.
* Place in Time-April page (front and back were used for Card #1-take care when cutting)

3. Adhesives
*Tombow mono multi
*Fabric tac (for fabric trims)
*Diamond Glaze or Glossy Accents
*tape runner
*pop dots

4. Embellishments
*Paper Roses
*small metal key
* blue and lavender ribbon 1/2 " wide - enough for two bows and a 6 1/2 inch trim.
*vintage-style victorian lace in white - 6 1/2 "
*cotton lace style trim in pink and white - 5"
*floral lavender trim 5 inches long
*German Scrap 1/2 " wide in gold 18"
*crystal gems in lavender and green - use as desired
*pearls in blue
*gold leaf pen
*blue. green, and salmon colored chalk ink for distressing edges and stamping sentiments
*lavender seam binding for ribbon

5. Cards and Envelopes
*Recollections brand 5 x 6.5 " pre-made cards with envelopes.  (available at Michael's)

CARD NUMBER ONE

"The Secret Garden"

From the Graphic 45 April "Place in Time" paper, cut the card base.
*The dimensions are 5 x 6.5 inches.  Make sure to cut the paper in such a way that you don't use the image for card #3, Turn over your paper and check to make sure you are cutting on the correct side!
You will be using the image of the ladies on another card! 

*Refer to the KEY at the end of this post for a MAP of the cards.  This will help you when cutting!

Adhere 5 " of cotton 2-tone lace to card base, then adhere card base to actual card.

It will look like this.

You should have cut 4 strips of German Scrap, one blue background from the back of the April sheet, the images of the children, and the image of the poem with the key hanging next to it. Using Labels 4 die, cut out the poem, distress the edges if desired, and set it aside.

Adhere the German Scrap to the back side of the cut out piece.

Using pop dots or other dimensional adhesive, adhere the cut out page to the page with the children.
You may have to trim to make it fit. You do have a bit of "play" when framing your image.

Your card should look like this.

Adhere the poem inside your card.  Remember to distress the edges or even use a gold leaf pen to add pizazz to your  the edges of the poem.

Tie a pretty blue bow, add pearls where desired and glue on the little key.
Your card is now finished!

CARD NUMBER TWO

"The Seed Packet"

Before you start this card, cut out about 4 inches of lavender floral trim, and some blue tuelle, cut in a 6 x 4 inch rectangle.  Then cut 4 inches of German scrap, and place it on your craft sheet upside UP.  

The lay the tuelle on top of the scrap, then completing the sandwich lay the trim face up on top. 

Once you glue these parts together, set them aside and work on the other parts of the card.

Just make sure that the trim and the scrap line up evenly on the side.
Let the scrap peek out over the top of the trim.

Once dry, glue the tuelle to the back of the small card, creating a pocket in front.

Cut a frame using the Fleur de lis rectangle die, out of the floral paper. Place this journal page in front of the die cut so that the little circles show.  Then adhere the tuelle pocket to the paper.

It should look like this.

Adhere the lavender background to the card, dimensions are 5' x 6.5"

Cut two seed packets from the collage paper, and distress the edges if desired.

Embellish with lavender gemstones if desired, and add a pretty bow.
Stamp a sentiment inside if desired.  Your card is now finished!

CARD NUMBER THREE

A Pretty Spring Day"

Cut floral paper in a 5 x 6.5 inch rectangle, cut salmon paper in 2.5 x 6.5 inch strip.  Die cut a frame from gold foil paper, and draw an oval from the inside of the die, using Spellbinders "Floral Ovals" die.  Count out five flowers in like colors and a blue ribbon 6 1/2 inches long. 

Cut out the image of the ladies, and adhere to gold frame.  It will be a little bit smaller than the frame.

Adhere the salmon colored paper to the lavender paper.  
The salmon paper is on the back of the floral paper.

Cut your lace at 6.5 inches and adhere only the top to the card.
Then adhere the blue ribbon to the lace.

This student is busy working on this step!

This student works diligently on the Pretty Spring Day card.

This student sees to it that all of the little holes on her frame are properly punched out!

When finished your card will look like this!

CARD NUMBER FOUR

"Lavender Secrets"

This card uses two die cuts. the resplendent rectangles, dies 2 and 3.
Using the lavender paper cut out the card base.
Using the journal page, cut out the girl, and the other lavender paper serves as the background.
Use seam binding as a ribbon, and trim with the gold leaf pen.

Once you cut your die cuts, place them one on top of the other and adhere them using pop dots.

In class we substituted dimensional tape for pop dots.  

This student finishes her card with a bow made from seam binding.

Looks great!

Here is what the finished card should look like.

The students are all smiles as they work on their beautiful cards!

Here are some cards made in the smaller A2 size--Notice the small but subtle changes...

Add caption

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that you are inspired to get this paper line and make some beautiful cards for yourself and those whom you love.  Mother's Day is soon upon us, and one of these would be perfect for such an occasion!  

*Here are the maps I drew to help you figure out your cards and their measurements:

I will be posting a Mother's Day card done in my Vintage Style, so check back soon!

Until then, 

Happy Creating!

ReNae