Hello everyone!  Karen Ellis here on the Creative Scrapbooker Magazine blog today.  For my turn on Tuesday’s with the Team, I am happy to share with you a project close to my heart – cards of thanks and remembrance.

Some of you may know that I am a reservist member of the Canadian Forces- CIC Branch.  I work with our youth Cadet Program.  This time of year is very special to me.  I am honoured to wear the uniform and support our country’s youth.

Last month I attended ScrapFest at the CreativFestival in Toronto with the Creative Scrapbooker Magazine.  It was a fabulous event that had not only some wonderful paper crafting vendors, but sewing and needlework vendors as well.   One of the booths there represented Quilts of Valour – Canada Society.  This is a great organization that provides quilts to Canada’s injured forces members.  I have provided this organization with thank you cards in the past (they give them to those who create the quilts) so I stopped to chat with the ladies working in the booth.   They expressed an interest in having some cards made to use as thank yous but also to have for sale in their booth to help raise funds for the organization.   So…  now I’m looking into doing this for them!  I picked up some FABULOUS poppy and maple leaf stamps from Rosewood Stamps (Frog’s Whiskers Ink) who were also at the show and set to work designing some cards to use for this purpose.   I thought I’d show you one of the cards I created here today!

Supplies Used
Sketchy Poppies Stamp – Rosewood / Heather’s
Distress Ink Reinker (Mahogany) – Ranger
Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide Ink – Ranger
Jet Black Archival Ink – Ranger
Red Cardstock – unknown
5” x 7” Super Stock – Creative Scrapbooker
3.5” x 5” Card Blank (Super Stock) – Creative Scrapbooker
Transparency Film
Glossy Accents – Ranger

Instructions

It’s important to know where to place the colour for this project so, to begin, I stamped my poppy image on a piece of transparency with Jet Black Archival Ink.

I used this transparency to guide where to drop a little dab of Distress Re-Inker on the 5” x7” piece of Super Stock.

Set the transparency aside and spritz the ink with a fine water mist.   The Superstock is heavy and can take the water.   If you don’t have any on hand, I recommend using some flat, hot pressed watercolour paper for this.   Move the ink around as desired.  Let Dry.

Once dry, line up and stamp your poppy image so that the center of your poppies are lined up over the darker ink spots.

Trim to size and mat with coordinating colour cardstock.

To add some extra interest and dimension, I added a touch of Ranger Glossy Accents to the flower petals.  I think it really made it come to life!

I also made some cards using Rosewood’s Maple Leaf  (Med and large) and Lest We Forget Stamps.  Perhaps I’ll be able to show you how I created these cards using Dina Wakley’s Scribble Sticks to create the watercolour effect in another post soon!

Love these.
If you’d like more information about Quilts of Valour, please visit their website (http://www.quiltsofvalour.ca) and if you’re interested in making some cards with me in support of this organization, please feel free to contact me directly (karen@thearthousestudio.ca).

Lest we forget.  Wear a poppy, take the time to talk to a veteran and, if you can, don’t forget to support your local Remeberance Day Service.  If you’re in Waterloo, ON … I’ll see you there.

To see more of Karen’s work visit her website – The Art House Studio