Caring Hearts Card Drive--Post #2

 

Hey there, crafty peeps!

So the first cards arrived, for this year's Caring Hearts Card Drive, Canadian edition (thank you, Tamara!). Although I will be sending them on to a nursing home in our area, it was so much fun, opening the package, (addressed to me) and finding such gorgeous artwork inside! This card drive truly is a blessing, in more ways than one...

It also served as a reminder to me, to get cracking with the card-making!

Firstly, here is a LINK to the original post on the Caring Hearts Card Drive 2014.

All the details you need to know can be found there, and if you have further questions, you can leave me a message in the comments section. Please consider participating. It is a great cause.

Secondly, keep your eyes peeled for a fun Blog Hop to spread the word about the card drive. It'll be happening in early November. And there will be prizes!

Thirdly, I'll be offering a prize to the paper-crafter who sends me the MOST cards for the drive:

That's right, the awesome Simon Says Stamp November 2014 Card Kit can be yours... So be inspired and get INKY!

So here's one card my elves will be helping me mass-produce. That's right--it's okay to make more than one copy of a card. We will be making up boxes of assorted cards to deliver to the senior's residences and nursing homes, so if you want to create multiples of a great card design, please do so.

This card uses paper scraps (last year's SU chevron paper), glitter trim and washi tape (CTMH) and glittery products from Paper Wishes: the Merry Christmas sticker (originally gold, but coloured silver with a metallic Sharpie), ornament die and holographic paper. Simple to create, but with serious shine!

Happy crafting,

Caroline

Copic Coloring #3

Final post with Copic colouring homework.

I tell you, that Online Card Class: Copic Markers for Cardmakers was worth every penny. I’ve done the one-day Copic certification course (which was good) but the Online class has the advantage of all those videos that you can stop and start, review and digest at your own pace.

When I was a kid, I used to draw and colour all summer long (with my Crayola 24-pack of "pencil crayons"--so much more potential than the 12-pack…). I’d draw paper dolls, and then draw all their clothes and accessories, cut them out and dress them!  This class was a throw-back to those good old days, in a way.  There was a whole class on tips for colouring skin and hair.   The impact that some shading and implied texture make on a black-n-white image is almost magical.

 And those ballerinas… I have to admit I didn’t love the image we were given to play with at first (I’m not a huge chotsche-kind of gal), but once they started to emerge from the paper—wowsers! 

These were directly copied from the instructional videos (by Kathy Racoosin and Sandy Allnock); I can't take any credit for the colour choices or shading suggestions.

Make sure you check out Online Card Classes tomorrow--they promised to announce their next class...

Happy colouring,

Caroline

Copic coloring #2

While the Copic Coloring for Card-Makers class is officially over, you can still sign up for all the instruction, videos, PDFs, etc. Online Card Classes archives the content, so you can view whenever you like, and as many times as you like.

One really fun lesson was on colouring critters!

Suggestions were given for creating effects for fur, fuzz, corduroy, etc. 

I had particular fun colouring a dog to look like MY dog. He’s mostly white, with a little apricot around the ears.

He turned out so well (I think!), I had to cut him out and use him on a card…

 Also feeling a little guilty, as he did not get to make the trip out to PEI (we flew instead of driving, given the short visit). I added a little Liquid Glass to his eyes and nose.
Next summer, buddy!

Off to catch up with life, after a lovely four-day weekend...

Caroline

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Hello crafty friends!

Here are a couple of cards, in celebration of Canadian Thanksgiving, which occurs this weekend.

Hubby and I are enjoyed four precious days in Prince Edward Island, closing up the cottage. We had hoped to get here earlier but life this fall has been BUSY. So we haven’t walked on the beach yet, but we both got sunburned faces, sitting on the deck today, bundled in blankets, reading and listening to the wind and waves. Tomorrow I’ll be cooking a gigantic ham, which we’ll enjoy with a big group of McDougall cousins on Sunday (25 people, so we’re having turkey AND ham).

As to the cards, one is a design I CASEd from A Freshly Made Sketches entry by Karen. I loved the little water-coloured panel. 

 I wet my piece of watercolour paper by spritzing it with water, then passed a Mini Distress inkpad over top (Tumbled Glass). The wet paper helped spread the colour, so no lines/edges. I waited for that to dry, then stamped some small leaf images, applying more than one colour of Distress Ink to the stamp. The “thanks” sentiment is a newer die from Lil’ Inker. I cut it three times from coloured card stock, layered and glued, and mounted the reinforced dies above the watercolour panel.

The second card was made with left-overs from a card workshop LAST Thanksgiving. I looked through my digital files, trying to find who inspired this one, to no avail. So sorry, designer! I would give credit if I could remember who you are…

Anyway, I had the card bases and Kraft squares already cut. I stamped the leaves (one of the colours is a new CTMH hue called “Thistle”) curled them a bit with my fingers, then mounted them “falling” across the card. I flicked some Perfect Pearls pigment (gold and copper, mixed with water) across the card in the opposite direction to the falling leaves, for some gentle distressing. Sequins, simple sentiment and voilà!

So, Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family! Enjoy your long weekend with those you love. Hope you fit a little crafty time in there, too!

Blessings,

Caroline

Caring Hearts Card Drive Kick-off

Good morning, crafty friends!

I am off to a slow start today...long and busy week, so I SLEPT IN for World-Card-Making Day (what a slacker!).

BUT I am very excited to share in the kick-off to this year's Caring Hearts Card Drive.

This is the fifth year for the event, organized by Vera Wirianta Yates and Jennifer McGuire.

The holidays are all about family, kindness, tradition and joy. It can be a very lonely time for the elderly residents of nursing homes. The idea of the card drive is to brighten the holiday season through sharing our love of card-making.  Participants make and sign holiday greeting cards, which are then delivered to nursing home residents.  The idea is to spread some holiday cheer: a great cause, and a great use of our crafting hobby. Cards are collected and distributed throughout the United States and Canada; some dedicated card-makers from overseas also participate! Imagine the smile on the face of the person who opens your card...

I participated in the drive last year, making 128 cards (with the help of my "elves") and delivering 150 cards to two nursing residences here in Ottawa. The homes told me they could have used 500 cards! This year, I am proud to be one of two Canadian distributors for the Caring Hearts cards.

Here are the details on how to participate:

•   The card drive will be going from October 4th-November 28, 2014. We need to receive your cards by November 28, 2014. Send them to one of the addresses below, depending on where you live.

• Please use a Christmas or Holiday Wishes theme. Anyone can send a card; you, your children, a church or religious group, scout troops, etc.

• All cards must include a message inside (this can be stamped or hand written).

• Please also sign your name and where you are from (this is part of the fun--cards from all over the country!). 

• Please include an envelope for each card but please don't seal the envelope.

• Please stick to just cards (standard size A2 or 4-1/4" x 5-1/2").

• Don't use any pins, for safety reasons, but glitter, shimmer, bling, etc is completely fine.

• This is totally optional, but if you'd like to include $1 or $2 to help with shipping, it will be much appreciated. We cover the shipping cost ourselves, so any donation toward shipping helps tremendously.

·        

           You can mail the cards to:

          Vera Yates                                             Card Drive                                 

         109 N. Post Oak Lane Ste. 430            c/o Tina Schrof                        

         Houston, TX 77024                               P.O. Box 75                                      

                                                                        Springboro, Ohio 45066           

                                                                                                                            

         Piney-fine                                              Caroline Bredeson

         Attn: Anita                                             7 Brown Street

         P.O. Box 30                                            Ottawa, ON
         Piney, MB                                               K1S 1L9

         R0A   1K0                                               Canada

         Canada                                                 

• In each package, PLEASE include THIS SUBMISSION FORM.  This helps us in keeping track for prizes! For each card you send, you will get a chance in the prize draw.  So the more cards you send, the better your chances.

I forgot to mention the prizes...  The whole paper-crafting industry is on board with this project, and there are BIG prizes. Watch Vera and Jennifer's blogs for the list.
 

Here's a sample card to get you in the mood. 

It's one my elves and I will be putting together, once we start the card-making workshops (watch my blog for more on that initiative; I'll be offering my own prize to the card-maker who sends me the most cards!).

So! Get out there and enjoy World Card-Making Day, and consider joining in this very worthwhile cause.

Very happy crafting,

Caroline

Supplies:

All card-stock, patterned paper, stamps and ink, Close to My Heart.

Embossing folder: Sizzix.

Tree die: Papertrey Ink.

Ribbon: Michael's

Liquid Pearls: Ranger Industries