It has taken me two weeks to get these 4 greeting cards finished -- some family members are in visiting for two weeks before school starts in the fall.

Today's set of cards are 4 Peafowl:

Peacock Tiles (E1674 by Impression Obsession) is colored with Copic markers and Gelly Roll glitter pens, edged with Vintage Photo distressed inked; adhered with pop dots.  Paper is Taj Mahal stack by DCWV.  Gold embossed Feather is from Fine Feathers set by Stampin' Up. Silver embossed Feather is from Peacock Feather set by HOTP (#1116); both are topped with 2 blue rhinestones.  Used Black Tinsel Twine by Tim Holtz for a finishing touch.

Green Peafowl is colored with Copic markers and Gelly Roll glitter pens; edged with Salty Ocean distressed ink.  This is the only Green Pavo rubber stamp I have; the only one I have ever seen.  I would love to get more.  Background papers are from The Old World Stack by DCWV.  I used 4 pieces of stock flowers to make two flowers adhered with two red Glitter Brads by We R Memory Keepers.  Sentiment is from Circle of Love rubber stamp set by Close to My Heart; adhered with pop dots.

Stylized Peacock from Circle of Love set by Close to My Heart (D1438) is colored with Copic markers and Gelly Roll glitter pens.  Background papers are from The Far East stack by DCWV.  Paper doily is brushed with Salty Ocean, Squeezed Lemonade and Broken China distressed ink.  Green Sheer ribbon is from American Crafts.  Added 3 rhinestones from Me & My Big Ideas to finish the card.

Lastly, this lovely Peacock (BA04 from The Stencil Collection) is Pearlescent embossed (Dreamweaver).  Base papers are from Cherry Blossom papers (Graphic 45 Bird Song Collection).  The peacock feather is an applique from Simplicity.  Red, Green, Blue and Pink rhinestones from a'muse, and the stock pink to purple sheer ribbon completes this attractive card.

Hope you are enjoying your summer and creating some wonderful cards when the weather is too warm to be outdoors!

Gold Leafing cards

I did some more great cards over the weekend.  I must say I am quite pleased with the way these turned out.  I had started them over a week ago.  Some of these cards take two days to make, allowing for drying time.  So, let's get started.

It has been awhile since I did any varigated gold leafing cards.  This Dragon (#LA18 by The Stencil Company) was done in Varigated Green Gold Leafing.

The background papers are from La Bella Rouge stack (a Hot Buy product by DCWV).  The dragon and matt paper under him are edged with Squeezed Lemonade and Broken China, and Picked Raspberry distress ink by Tim Holtz.  Adding 2 red brads and tri-colored string (by Queen & Company) finished off the card.

This Rosaceae Rose (#K1636 by Laurie Anderson) is colored with Copic markers with Gelly Roll Glitter Pens, and Orange Peel and Green Stickles Glitter Glue for enhancement.  Edged with Salty Ocean distress ink.  Paper is French Country by Graphic 45 (love their line!).  Final touch are two ribbons by May Arts (that came in my DCWV gift pack from earlier this year).

Another Varigated Green Gold Leaf greeting card -- Long Dragon (#LJ844 by Dreamweaver).

I kept this card very simple as the dragon is so large!  Paper is from Modern Chic pack (by Recollections).  The dragon is edged with Mowed Lawn distress ink.  Green and Brown Jute by Little Yellow Bicycle is twined around each other the length of the card and spot glued.  Finally, 3 gold rhinestones by Kaiser Scrapbook on the left finish the card.

A close-up so you can see (I hope) the varigated green gold leafing.  When doing gold leafing, you must have an embossing paste (dried several hours to overnight) as a base for the leafing to adhere to.  I find my cards come out better if I let the base embossing paste dry overnight rather than just a few hours.

Dragons are our most popular designs, followed closely by Tigers.  This Red Tiger (#KR08 by The Stencil Collection) is done in Varigated Red Gold Leafing.

Again, I made the Bamboo Leaves and Bamboo background paper work for me on the card design.  Tiger piece edged with Broken China distress ink.  Turquoise "coral" ribbon finishes off the card.

A close-up of the Varigated Red Gold Leafing -- so cool!  Imagine seeing this in person!

On this next card, I did something totally different!

I have never used so much twine as I have on this Glossy Black Tiger (same template as above card).  The embossing paste is from Dreamweaver.  The Bamboo (#LL533 by Dreamweaver) on the left is Varigated Red Gold Leafing over Green embossing paste.  Both pieces are edged with Mowed Lawn distress ink.  Base paper is Masculine Camouflage by HOTP.  I was hoping the Jute Twine would give more of a jungle-bamboo effect.  What do you think?

Flowers are just as much fun as Dragons, Tigers and Peafowl:

I used Ranger Silver Embossing Powder on this Cally Lily rubber stamp (#K-1696 by Laurie Anderson) design; colored with Copic markers, and Yellow and Lime Green Stickles glitter glue to enhance.  Design edged with Warm Violet from Misty Meadow cat's eye color box ink set.  Base paper is from the Afternoon Muse paper pack by Glitz.  Lime Green lace doily ribbon (by The Paper Studio) and 3 clear green buttons for a finishing touch.

I'm hoping to get into my craft room this coming weekend, so we shall see what I come up with this time!

Have a safe, happy 4th!