You are Awesome - Hers and His Cards of Appreciation

Sometimes people just need a reminder that their efforts do not go unnoticed and they need a little boost of support and encouragement to keep doing what they do.  Teaching is becoming a more and more challenging profession and many a times those involved in the profession find themselves more often in no-win-situations.

I made these cards for two colleagues as thank yous and encouragement for this past year as well as encouragement for the one to come. 

Trying out some more techniques from the Watercolor for Card Makers class, I created this cheery card.

Supplies: watercolour paper (Canson), floral stamp (Magenta), sentiment stamps (Winnie and Walter), fence die cut (Sizzix), markers (Fibracolor), Tim Holtz Distress ink and blk ink (Ranger), watercolour paints (Artist's Loft), burlap (DCWV), wood veneer butterfly (CTMH)

I diecut embossed the fence, masked it off and then multi stamped the cute new little Lily of the Valley Magenta stamp.  Then I quickly used a water brush to fill in the image colour. I watercoloured the background and then stamped the sentiment using the lovely Winnie & Walter The Big, the Bold and You stamps. A little CTMH wood veneer butterfly and We R memory Keepers coloured burlap were just the right finishing touches.


Next, if you saw my Magenta Father's Day Card, you will recognize my background design on this next card.

Supplies: stencil, stamp, metal embossed sticker (Magenta), gelatos and whipped spackle (Faber-Castell), Tim Holtz Distress paint and blk ink (Ranger), liquid glass and pen (CTMH)

Often when I am trying out techniques for the first time, I double up as to be able to choose the best one to take to the end of a project.  This design fits a masculine card so well.  I changed it up by turning it sideways which incidentally fit the Magenta Gentleman Metal Sticker's rectangular size better and as to not cover up my tile like grid background.  I like the way this one turned out even more than the Dad card.

I really made this one look even more like tiles by darkening up the colours with metallic gelatos and adding in the pop of blue.  I gave them a glazed finish with liquid glass and increased their definition and dimension by adding black shadowing on two sides.

I masked off the second part of the Magenta stamp sentiment to fit my design, distress painted the embossed metal sticker and used pop squares to add another layer.

Very pleased with the way both of these cards turned out.  I find I tend to love the results when I craft cards specifically with people in mind. They hold that special little something that comes from my heart.

TTFN,