I received a complimentary copy of the Winter 2010 Just Cards publications today and discovered my get well card card on page 72…whoo hoo hoo! This card was the second of three that I submitted last October 2008. Gotta admit, it is pretty cool to be published. Guess that means I should probably submit something else, huh?

Okay, I am trying to post more often that I was (so sorry about August). I don’t want to post the class cards yet though because I still have one more September class this Saturday. So…I am pulling a card from my archive. The chalk embossing technique was one of the class projects from July 2007. The quick and dirty is to stamp the image(s) and emboss using white embossing powder. Then color the images and quickly reheat for about 15 to 20 seconds to ’set’ the chalk. It is amazing how vibrant the chalked embossing becomes with that reheating.

Card closed

Card open

A week after I taught this technique in a class, I received this card from the class hostess (my sassy gal pal, Kay). I absolutely LOVE how she took the faux herringbone technique and used it with her Coluzzle balloon letters (can’t remember the official name of that font). This is the first sample I’ve seen using it as the main image rather than as background. Isn’t it cool?  Thanks, Kay!

This was the third of the three faux fabric techniques from my August classes. Remember when I posted the treasure chests here to show you all what I made for some convention swaps? Well that was using the faux alligator technique as well. But for this class project, I wanted to make a masculine card that kinda looked like a wallet from the outside, and this is the card.

Very plain, very classic, very ‘manly’. It is really all about the design created with the stylus and embossing powder. Think of the possibilities - doodle through the embossing powder, draw someone’s name, even draw a simple heart or birthday cake for a sweet little fun surprise. You can also take an uninked stamp and lift away the embossing powder (be advised it doesn’t work with very very detailed stamp images, but it works GREAT with line images).

Here are a few more photos to show the decorated envelope and the inside space. I used the TAC Script background stamp to create a kind of collage-y feel to the envelope flap and then a much lighter stamping of the same stamp for the inside of the card.

Stamp sets: TAC Circle Celebration, TAC Script, TAC Decorative Corners
Paper: TAC Brown, TAC Birch, TAC Mia’s Cottage SWIC cardstock
Inks: Palette Burnt Umber, Tsuneiko Versmark
Accessories: Brayer, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Marvy Jumbo Circle Punch (yellow), TAC Twill Ribbon, Silver Mini Brads

(aka faux felt aka faux suede, depending on whose blog or tutorial you see…lol)
What it really looks like to me is cordorouy.

So you might ask…why the patriotic theme now (actually it was one of the three August class projects). Well, here’s the thing. To actually make the faux cordorouy, one must run cardstock through a crimper (or corrugator) tool lots of times, and then peel apart the softened cardstock at one corner. Not all cardstocks will work, so after many tries at the various cardstocks in my stash, I ended up with the TAC scarlet cardstock as pretty much working every time. Hmmm…now what to create with the end result? So that’s how the patriotic theme card came about.

Stamp set: TAC Linear Sentiments
Paper: TAC Scarlet, TAC Navy, TAC Premium Heavyweight White
Inks: Palette L’Amore Red, Palette Starry Night
Accessories: Crimper/Corrugator, Stickles (Crystal) - on the stars