Re-using made Cards, and Lettering

One very obvious source of craft materials and ideas is the greetings cards that you receive. Some might have a design that you might want to imitate or adapt, or there may be images and elements that could be cut out and re-used. This can be a boon for those of you, like me, who are somewhat challenged when it comes to lettering. A good fountain pen and a little practice at calligraphy can go a long way - you can find examples at http://www.learncalligraphy.co.uk/ . However, cutting the messages off received cards before recycling them is a great way to get professional lettering. Keep them in a bag together so that when you need one, you can pick something suitable.

I've put a few examples of re-made cards here for you to see - a couple using the angel stencil from the fabulous www.spraypaintstencils.com, and various others using card components. This is not just cutting the front image from a card and sticking it on a card blank - that usually looks awful anyway. Think in terms of elements and materials - bits of coloured card, gold or silver borders, messages, or a special image.
Many of the stars/Christmas trees you can see on my cards came from other cards. Of course I keep special cards.

Ooh, another way to use images - if you are lucky enough to get a whole A4 sheet of paper that is plain on one side, then print greetings messages on it (hopefully a friend will help with the printing if you don't have a printer). For the snowflake card I used the phrase 'snowmen fall from the sky unassembled'. I can't remember where I first heard this, but I quite liked it. You can check the internet for other sayings if a suitable one doesn't come to mind. I tore carefully round it, and used silver eyeshadow to mark the edging. For the pink/lavender card, I used the central image from a card which had very gaudy shocking pink card as a base. I thought it would look good on something a little more subdued, set off with a few gold Christmas trees from another card.

The 'present' card in red and gold is entirely scrap. Virginmedia, that cracker box, drinks ribbon, a greeting from another card, stars from another card. The right border is on the inside of the card - the outside cut to show it. It's an easy way to add interest. The one next to it is the odd mixture of deep rose and lilac - not particularly Christmassy but somehow it works. I like this simple card; a reminder that you don't need loads of bits on a card to make it look good.


The white, silver and gold card is an odd mixture of bits and pieces of leftovers. If things are colour co-ordinated, then having different materials and textures can look unexpectedly interesting. Experiment! Put different selections of things on a piece of card and see how it looks before gluing it down. Arg, you can see the glue on that one a bit. Never mind. It's vegan glue and that's what matters!

Feel free to use any of the designs that I've used. And for one final project, I received a card from some friends a few years ago, which had individual sachets of salt and pepper on the front. The message? 'Condiments of the Season'. If you have a good idea, use it!
Best wishes,
Jehanine x
P.S. Do you like the pics? My spanky new scanner is an improvement on my old blurry photos! here's of a pic of it being used for its main purpose, including whisker-touch controls and integrated tail-rest.

Wallpaper, Christmas, and free stencils

Hi all,
One thing I forgot to mention in the last post was to check out your local charity shop. Check the sale rail for unsellable clothes that might be great for craft, but also see if they sell reject wallpaper rolls. My local one does, for 25p each! That's lots of paper. Here's a pic of a few that I picked out - the pink one with gold sparkles is especially useful.
Right, Christmas looms, as do Yule, Kwanza and, well, every culture/religion's winter festival. It's a Festfest, basically, and that means lots of cards for the people you aren't emailing. The card on the right is made entirely from some crackers that were pulled last year, and some of the box that they came in. So it's all co-ordinated and looks quite traditional. One for a respectable friend, I think. If you don't use environmentally-unfriendly things like crackers, you probably know someone who does - ask for their waste, and make them a card as a thank you.
The next card is a design I came up with when my cat attacked my Christmas tree. The person I'm sending it to has a feisty marmalade cat, hence the colouring; the trimmings actually came from a crafter who said rather shamefacedly that she kept buying things but never got round to using them. Thankfully she gave quite a few bits to me rather than throwing them out. If you see what looks like a corporate-made embellishment or paper, that's where I probably got it from. I thought these bits were a nice way to finish a card that is otherwise made of scrap. It tends to get a giggle from cat-lovers - I know lots of those. If you aren't good at drawing shapes then I'd suggest using the shapes from Christmas junk mail as guides - for instance one gets loads of Santa, reindeer and sleigh images, and plenty of stars too. Cut them out and simply draw round them. Or check the internet for copyright-free images to download; there are quite a few sites offering free stencils. This one is utterly brilliant and if I ever become rich and whimsical I shall send them wads of cash: http://www.spraypaintstencils.com/ . Really, a great crafting resource.
Love to all,
Jehanine x

Backing Papers

I was delighted to get this IFAW mailing through the post - look at that expanse of usable paper! It's a soft green with stars on it. Inside there was also a nice piece of red glossy paper. TIP: always *open* your junk mail - it might not look promising, but there may well be craft treasure hidden inside! Keep all the bits of plain white paper of a decent size, too. I can't believe how much people pay for backing papers that they could make themselves easily and uniquely with scrap paper.
As I had some plain white paper (left over from the minutes of a Vegan Organic Network meeting!) I decided to make them into fancy backing paper for a couple of cards I wanted to make. You will need: a flat waterproof surface. I'm using a tile, but a plate or platter is fine. Water-based paint of some kind - the colours from a child's painting set are fine, as are some felt tips. Lots of bits of card and paper. Glue. Scissors.
I started with some backing card, with a co-ordinating colour torn across and placed over a half (readers of previous posts may recognise Virginmedia and Capital One bits used there)! Always remember TIP: tearing *towards* you exposes the fibres of the paper - tearing away from you conceals them. Now get those bits of white paper ready and shaped to fit roughly over the top of the backings you've made.
Paint watery stripes of colour on the tile. Do the next bit quickly - don't let the paint dry on the tile! Drizzle water on it if it does. Put the bits of white paper over the paint to soak up the colour. Make as many as you like/need, then leave them to dry. I have to say, they look pretty darn funky, don't they? Wash the tile clean.
I then tore the papers round the edges TIP: tear them just before they're completely dry. the tearing will be more accurate. Tear them into whatever patterns/shapes you like. I've done a backing, then made a diamond stuck on co-ordinating card scrap, stuck on with 3D foam for texture. I don't think that the photo does them justice, but I'm sure that you can see that what we have is better than the VON minutes, Virginmedia and Capital One mailings, and various bits of scrap that we started with.
Then it was time to personalise the cards. Caroline wears a lot of red and other bold colours, so she gets the red one. The red/gold ribbon came off a bottle of something nice, if I remember rightly. Janet is more delicate and wears light blues and aquas, so she gets a silvery approach. I also made Janet's asymmetric, and the two cards have a very different feel, despite using the same techniques. Oh, and the cost of making the cards came out as ninepence each! You can also marble paper easily, if you have oil-based paint rather than water-based. Just drizzle a few bits into a bowl of water, and let the paper catch the resulting swirls from the surface.
I really enjoyed this. There's nothing my inner child likes more than sloshing paint about and dipping stuff in it. It was so much more fun than going to the shops to *buy* papers, made from virgin forest and designed by someone else. Make it yourself, and it's unique! More environmentally-friendly too, of course.
Lots of love, until next time,
jehanine x

Horribly Belated Hallowe'en Special

I don't actually make Halloween cards, but I just had to share with you this delightful witch made by a good friend of mine, 'constantweader' , who is the queen of the bookcrossing world (see www.bookcrossing.com for details of what that is).
Gorgeous, isn't it? It was made as an ATC, or artist's trading card, so the actual size is 3 1/2" by 2 1/2". The bristles of the agreeably vibrant broom are actually made from one of those net bags used to store oranges, teased out; the broomhandle is a cocktail stick, artfully painted, and the witch's hair is the wonderfully-named 'eyelash yarn'. I particularly like the fact that the moon isn't a flat white disc, but a creamy textured affair. I recommend checking out constantweader's other work at http://flickr.com/photos/constantweader
(By the way, to find out where the name 'constantweader' comes from, read Dorothy Parker's review of a Winnie-the-Pooh book).
Happy Halloween!

Storage

The trouble with found objects, recycled and reused bits and bobs is that they don't come with boxes to store them in! The problem is usually easy to remedy, though.
However careful we are to buy only environmentally-friendly packaged food, there are usually a few items that can't be had without glass or plastic jars. Instead of putting them straight into the recycling, get into the habit of thinking, can I craft with this, or use it to store craft items?
I'm a big fan of sojasun vegan desserts (the lemon one tastes like cheesecake). The glass jars (on the left in the photo; sorry it's blurry, my arms are rubbish) come with a little cap that is *very* reusable, and I keep loads of these with drawing pins, sequins, tags and all kinds of other stuff in. The jar on the right had Butler's sugar hearts in it; it has four compartments and so is ideal for keeping different colours of gems, sequins etc in. You almost certainly have similar items in your kitchen from time to time.
Larger items can be kept in shoeboxes or other cardboard boxes; if you work in an office or have a friend who does, get them to keep suitable containers for you. If you have a friend who works in a warehouse, they may be able to get hold of fantastic containers, even big wooden boxes, for you - and it's all other people's waste.
What if you need an actual piece of furniture to keep your craft stuff in - a chest of drawers, a filing cabinet, or a desk? Your best bet, both for the environment and your pocket, is freecycle. It's a genius idea - basically people give away items they no longer need or want, to people who do need or want them. Fantastic! you can find your local freecycle group here if you live in the UK: http://uk.freecycle.org/ . If you don't have a local group - start one! A word of warning, though - some groups are so busy that you can get hundreds or thousands of emails per day, so it might be worth signing up with the Daily Digest option. Personally I've got rid of all kinds of odd things, from some bottles of Diet Pepsi to an exercise ball, and I've received all sorts of useful things - most recently a 21" TV! Try it to clear your own clutter and get the things you could really do with.
What if you need something even larger - a new flat?! My books and craft bits are taking over! If anyone has the solution to this (apart from ridiculous ideas like getting rid of books, craft stuff etc), then please let me know....
Happy storing!
Jehanine x

Party Invitations

Look at most craft advice re. the making of bulk invitations, and you'll be told to keep embellishments to a minimum and to make them all the same. Congratulations - you just became a production line! I can sympathise with the idea, particularly when making cards to sell or for a charity event, but not really the creative or environmental ethos. I have to admit that for my recent 40th birthday, I sent most invitations by that most environmentally friendly medium, email. For people not plugged in or whom I wouldn't see in person, though, I made invitations - and not by buying embellishments and making identikit cards. Most were designed for the recipient,with images I'd saved that I thought suited him or her. For instance the arty image above on torn scraps of fluffy waste paper and textured with 3D foam, went to my friend Caroline who is incredibly artistic and creative. The lady with parasol on the right went to my friend Mysty, who has a strong connection with the Victorian era. And so on and so on, as you can see by the pictures. It wasn't all about art, though - I used up many odds and ends to make the cards - you know, those scraps of paper (they were mostly turned into wine glasses or bottles), single brads and pins that don't really go with anything else - it took me several days straight and was quite intense, but the results were much praised and appreciated. For the lettering I decided to do simple calligraphy (I adapted my renowned 'struggling with arthritic fingers clumsily' font) for the most part, which looked nice - a decent pen and ink can be a good investment for the crafter. Even if your handwriting isn't gorgeous, it adds such a personal touch.
Ooh, and if you're one of the guests (as I know a few of you readers are!), many thanks for coming! the party was one of the happiest nights of my life, and being 40 rocks!
Love to all,
Jehanine x

Old Keys

What do you do with your old keys? Whether they are the keys to suitcases that fell apart long ago, bike locks that didn't deter the bike thief, diaries that have long since been relegated to the bin, or just plain old housekeys from places you haven't lived in for decades - what do you do with them?
Well, don't throw them away! Keep them in a Key Box with the rest of your craft stuff. They're great for 18th, 21st or New Home cards, and add a nice textural touch to cards. And it's the only way yet I've found to re-use them! Here are some cards that I made for my twin niece's and nephew's 21st birthdays. Helen, my utterly fab niece, wrote back: 'Thank you so much for the gorgeous card, (with a "key to the door" on it, yay!)' Hurrah!
Oh, and if you keep your Key Box by the door, it can confuse the hell out of burglars! Have fun, love to all,
Jehanine x

Free re-used 'vellums'!

Hi all,
Capital One, the credit card people, have been sending their mailshots in pale blue, vellum-like envelopes! Remember to ask your neighbours nicely if you may have theirs, too. This is an excellent craft material, as many of you may know, but very expensive to buy. So grab these envelopes if you get the opportunity - the colour will be great for sky or seascapes, or any 'blue' project. And you're re-using junk mail to make something beautiful, which is what ethical cardmaking is all about. Have fun!
Love to all,
Jehanine x

Odd-shaped paper and blemished cards

Hi all,
I suppose the answer to these 'problems' is obvious - make the odd shape a feature of the card! The weird shaped bits of paper that I used for Neil's card were perfect for images of cats playing with the letters of his name. It made for a lively, asymmetrical card that looked personal rather than factory-made.
For Linda's and Tam's cards, the card blanks themselves were the problem, as they were made from card that didn't make a perfect blank (not surprising as they came from a teabag box and a waste paper basket)! I put Linda's name down the inside of the card, matching the decoration to the outside so that it looked like a cutaway card. On Tam's card there just a few little torn bits, so I cut these out into neat(ish!) squares and put the letters of her name there.

Happy Homosexual Birthday!

Hi all,
The marketing of craft equipment often disgusts me. Men like beer, golf and football, and cards in brown or black, whereas we women like everything to be bright pink and think of nothing but shoes or bags. This is rubbish, and if your social circle reflects those stereotypes then I suggest you get out more and experience the rich diversity of humanity!
Papercraft Inspirations magazine often gives away great free gifts, and the last issue was no exception - 10 plastic craft templates. One was a woman and one was a man, and in the magazine they suggested that you make a lovely wedding card with them holding hands. Well, maybe I will, but in the meantime I had a birthday card to make for a gay friend. No problem - I used the man template twice, on a pink background (remember those Beatjuice flyers?) and finished with a peeloff and a few silver stars. This is the answer - subvert!
A film I can't recommend enough is Yes Men. One of their greatest subversive acts was to buy Barbie and GI Joe dolls, swap the voiceboxes, and place them back in the shops. So when the children opened their presents, they found GI Joe saying, 'I just love shopping with my girlfriends!' and Barbie saying, 'I leave dead men where I go'. The kids loved it - children are perceptive and have a sense of humour - and it was a peaceful and original way of making a point about toy marketing. I'm not saying I do the same, but I make unconventional cards with pride! Love to all,
Jehanine x

Present Stack Card - a tribute to Cathy Park

Hello m'darlings,
I've been meaning to do this entry for ages, so apologies for the delay. Anyway, it's time to pay tribute to my friend Cathy Park. You don't expect your ex-boyfriend's mum to be a helpful friend and great craft (and personal) inspiration, but she is! From gifts of craft magazines and various bits to useful tips and positive encouragement, she's been a craft mentor to me and a mine of knowledge. Cathy also told me the most important craft TIP of all: Don't throw anything away!
Keep a scrap bag. I keep several, colour-co-ordinated. That sounds very organised - it's really just a case of putting things in different sections of a folder or a different plastic bag. You might think, what on earth am I ever going to do with an inch of ribbon, or a centimetre square of cardboard? Well one answer to that is the stack of presents card, which Cathy made for her son last year.
I've made a version here. Basically, you start with a card blank and a heap of scraps. I decided to do a Christmas version with red and gold bits - I used paper, card and fabric from a Virginmedia promotional leaflet, a Christmas cracker and the box it came in, a paper hat, an old postcard and the wrapping from a pack of fudge, among various other bits I can't remember. By the way, if you're thinking that you don't use un-environmentally-friendly things like that, I bet you know someone who does, or could ask people on your road to save you their Christmas wrappings, boxes and so on.
Decide on a background for your card blank - Cathy used a gold stamp pad on a red background for a lovely shimmery effect, whereas I've used bits of voile. Then cut out some cardboard shapes for presents, and arrange them in different layouts until you're more or less happy. I've done the stack of presents in the shape of a Christmas tree, but you could easily make a present birthday cake or Easter egg. Next, tie your ribbon, string and wire scraps round the 'presents'.
I have to make a confession here. I just don't have the gene that enables people to tie bows, wrap presents and put up hair with any semblance of style. I just can't do it. My solution is to use glue dots in the places that the card recipient won't see, and put little nicks in the card for the string or wire to sit in place. It sort of works, but you may well do better than me. Though I think that imperfection just makes the card more obviously handmade and personal (come on, give me a break)! As the late great Bob Ross says, we don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents.
Anyway, use all kinds of different bits for as much texture and contrast as possible. Finally stick everything on to your card, adding a peel-off or a handwritten message. I'm currently trying to edit this so that the pic of the finished card is the right way up...sorry! Anyway, it's a lovely, bright, textured card that will go to someone special - Cathy Park maybe?!
Love to all,
Jehanine x

P.S. Well here's a pic of the card the right way up - I just can't work out how to delete the other one.

Craftbits!

Hi all,
This is just a quick entry to plug one of my favourite craft sites: http://www.Craftbits.com .The reason that they are favourites of mine is because their recycling section doesn't just have a few recycled items for sale, but has cool projects such as making a recycled plastic bag purse (or, in English English, a carrier bag handbag), a bra bag or newspaper slippers! Also they have a comp at the moment, and if you link to them, you stand a chance of winning an overlocker.....:D More soon. Ooh, before I forget, here's a TIP to make vegan-friendly, animal-friendly, wool-free felt - take an old polyester fleece jacket and wash it on the highest temperature that the machine will go, for a long time. It should shrink loads, and when dry should have taken on a felt-like appearance for use in vegan felt projects.

...the finished article!

Hi all,
It's been pointed out that I didn't show you any finished cards using the beercan embossing/shaping technique, so here's the card I made for my friend Anthony's birthday. He's fond of birds and so I made some swans swimming on a blue satin background, edging it with some spare ribbon (I can't remember for the life of me where I got this - if you sent me the present it wrapped, sorry for forgetting the wrapping - it must have been a great present)! It's a very textural card, which doesn't really come across in the photo; anyway, I hope it inspires you to have a go yourself.
I've also taken some photos of envelopes I've made with the Kreate-a-lope - it's repetetive but quite therapeutic to take a pile of junk mail/scrap paper and make something useful and pretty from it. I tend to finish the envelopes off with animal-friendly glue and decorative edging scissors so that they look nice as well as being practical. You may notice that I'm also continuing my run of promising a post and then doing a different one. ;) Ah well - artists are allowed to be a bit unpredictable, aren't we?! Love to all, Jehanine xxx

Beercan Embossing and Embellishments!

Hello all! As promised I'm showing you how to turn beercans into art. SAFETY NOTE: Because of sharp edges and scissors, this project is NOT suitable for children. Adults should wear protective gloves, and undertake the project at their own risk.

Right! What you will need:
empty beercan
scissors
cutting mat or knackered old table
biro, old knitting needle or posh embossing tool
any stencil (or some ideas for drawing)

Step 1. Wearing protective gloves and using kitchen scissors, cut the top and bottom off the beercan. Cut up the seam if there is one. Trim the edges and round the corners, for safety. Wash and dry it! You now have a sheet of aluminium to work with. The can is vegan cider, in case you're wondering ;)

Step 2. Pressing hard, use a biro, knitting needle or embossing tool to go

over a stencil design, or draw your own, on the printed side of the can. It will give a raised effect on the other side. Cut out this design. I've done a couple dancing for an anniversary card. A biro actually works better than the posh embossing tool in the photo!

Step 3. You can also just cut out shapes from the aluminium to make little metal embellishments - this is a 'silver' heart that is going on some blue satin for a wedding anniversary card. The simple silver heart looks stunning on the dark blue satin background.

Step 4. (not shown) To 'age' the metal and make it look like old silver, put some black paint (preferably acrylic but any will do) on a bit of tissue and rub over the embossed design. It should stick to the raised bits, giving a tarnished silver appearance. If you're lucky enough to have a brass/gold-coloured can then you can use brown or even green paint for a verdigris effect. Experiment! Mistakes don't matter because this is really cheap!



PLEASE NOTE: Do bear safety in mind - don't give children cards with small parts, and make sure no edges are sharp.
I often stick these metal bits and pieces onto fabric for a textured effect. They go well with the dark blue satin shown in the heart picture - this is an old shirt that had a big tear and a huge stain on it (I know, you can't take me anywhere), and you can expect to see a lot of it as it's done me a fair few cards!
Right m'dears, that's it for the day. My next post will be about one of my crafting inspirations, a bit of a star in the world of textile crafting, who has given me loads of help, advice, and bits and pieces. She also designed a cunning card that uses up tiny bits of leftover card, fabric, ribbon and wire, and I'm going to do a version here! See you soon!
Much love,
Jehanine
P.S. Oops, nearly forgot - these metal medallions, if embedded in some candlewax, make great 'seals' for envelopes.

Funky flyers make funky cards!

I know I said I was going to do my beercan art next - soon, I promise! I just had to show you these flyers first. Living in a student area I get loads of flyers - many are low-quality with boring images, but just look at these! Contemporary yet accessible, floral yet energetic. If you can't make out my er, wonderful photography, there's a sort of floral explosion in various pinks, with accents of women's faces silhouetted in black. Very stylish, and at this point I must give my thanks to the designer www.myspace.com/syrupphotography who designed them for a club night - see www.myspace.com/beatjuicemanchester for details. You can also see the flyer more clearly there. They are talented and helpful people - very kind to let me hack about their work and put it up here, and full of creative energy and originality.
So what to do with the flyers? I tend to work in colours and textures. As regards the colours, the preponderance of pink is saved from tweeness by the classy black, and I decided to use the same colours for the cards (as I had some of the right colours). As the design is so strong I decided to do a couple of cards with very little input from me other than creating a background; plus one more adventurous one with a contemporary, funky feel. TIP: If a good flyer arrives through your letterbox, go and smile and your neighbours and ask for theirs too. It doesn't harm the person who made the flyer, as your request may well make your neighbour actually look at it for the first time!
As regards textures, I decided to help the explosive image jump out even more by attaching the layers with 3D foam to give depth.
So - card 1 is for my eldest sister's birthday, which is coming up. As you can see I've let the image do most of the work, simply matting and layering in suitable colours, trimming the edges of the black card with decorative edging scissors for a bit more style. If you're wondering what font I've used for her name, it's my own invention and called Random Struggles with Arthritic Fingers While Swearing A Lot. Expect to see quite a bit of it.....
Card 2 is a funkier card suitable for a young person (or young at heart). I drew freehand retro swirls for the layers, and cut out the lettering from the flyer itself to make the word 'cutie'. The words on the flyer were 'beat juice'. I had a few of them so I could use letters more than once. Fortunately (TIP) I remembered to use another useful free internet tool, the anagram server at wordsmith.org/anagram, so I put in 'beatbeatjuicejuice' and hoped for the best. Ok, I can't imagine that I'm ever going to put 'tie abject beau juice' on a card, but it gave me helpful ideas - 'beau' and 'cutie'. I decided that the latter was more in keeping with the young theme of the card. If only it had been 'beat music' - then I could have written 'mum'!
Anyway, card 3 is again a simple one, letting the image have full play, and this will probably end up as a birthday card for my funky friend Sarah in April. As you can see there's a little black cat on the envelope just as an extra bit of detail.
So if you get a funky flyer through the door - get more from your neighbours ; use lettering as well as images if possible; try different themes and styles; and thank the designer, and ask his/her permission if you're going to show the card on the internet or anywhere.
Best wishes and more soon,
Jehanine x