An easy way to make beautiful hand-made cards...

Hand-painted card for any occasion

Hand-made cards are a beautiful personal touch to any gift or for any occasion. I will show you how easy it can be to make a series of gorgeous, unique cards in three fun steps.

Materials for this project:

• YUPO 11 X 14 inch Watercolour Paper *Note this is very DIFFERENT to normal watercolour paper. It has quite a thick, very smooth and almost shiny finish.
• Schmincke Aero Colour inks 
• Spray bottle of water
• Spray bottle Diggers Isopropyl Alcohol
• Hair dryer
• Mexpy Design Markers (24 basic colours box)
• Fine paint pens (such as Posca brand) in white and black (and other colours if desired)
• Gel pens (such as Uni-ball Signo in assorted colours)
• Canson Coloured Card in assorted colours to match your colour scheme
• glue stick or glue tape runner
• Craft knife or rotary cutting device and cutting mat or paper cutting device
• pencil for marking
• scissors
• ruler, quilting rulers are great
• baby wipes 
• Workable Fixative Spray
• Bone Folder to score nice sharp folds on cards (or back of the handle on a pair of scissors can work)

Stage 1: The first step in this project is to create the beautiful, gorgeous looking backgrounds. You can do two or three different colour schemes at a time and have enough background to make a whole stack of cards.

Take your YUPO paper and wet it with your spray bottle. Add a few drops of ink in two or three colours. Spray with more water and let the colours run together. Use your hairdryer to spread the colours without having to add more water. Here are some backgrounds I have created in this way.

Start with drops of ink on wet paper

Spray more water, move your page to mix the inks, blast with a hair dyer to move the liquid around. Add more water and ink if required.

Using White and Neutral Grey Inks

Look at the beautiful details in these close-ups....

Here I did two at time. The top one is Magenta and Cyan  inks, the bottom  Brown Brazil and Cyan.

Below is a before and after picture showing what happens when you add a spray of Diggers Isopropyl Alcohol to your wet inks. This is one of my favourite processes.

Inks and water spread on YUPO paper

Add a spray of Isopropyl Alcohol

Once you are satisfied with your designs you will need to let them dry for about 24 hours. Don't leave them on top of paper or anything they will stick to as they dry. A craft mat or similar surface is best.

You are then ready to move onto stage two. Firstly spray each of your finished and dry designs with A workable fixative spray and allow to dry. Then divide into six sections. 

In order to get nice straight lines use a craft knife against a ruler or a rotary cutting device rather than scissors. Now you can embellish each piece using your Mexpy Markers, Paint pens and Gel Pens. Of course the backgrounds are beautiful enough to use on their own if you prefer.

My embellished designs.

You will find that you will get lots of weird and wonderful effects with the Mexpy Markers on top of the surface so play with it and enjoy the process. If you do something you don't like you can rub it out with a baby wipe if you do it quick before it dries.

Stage 3: Make your cards.

The fish were drawn free-hand with paint pen then coloured in with Mexpy  Markers.  Then details added with with paint pens and gel pens. I've used a glue tape runner to adhere the design to the folded card leaving a border.

Fairy and Butterflies drawn free-hand. Mount the design on a piece of card trimmed just larger than the design itself. Adhere this to a folded card slightly larger again for this border effect.


Free hand drawing with paint pen coloured in with Mexpy Markers. The card has been trimmed to the exact size so it doesn't have a border.

You don't have to draw free-hand if you are not confident. This design was created with a stencil.  Again Mexpy Markers Gel and Paint Pens are used.

Trim your picture to the shape you want using scissors, then adhere to your card. Fold the card on the straight edge then cut the excess card away with scissors.

Freehand doodles and squiggles with Mexpy markers, Paint pens and Gel pens. Adhered to card and trimmed to the exact size. Unfolded, like a postcard.  

Simple text done with white and black Posca pen. Blue shadow effect with  Mexpy Marker.  Cut design into a fun shape with scissors then angered to a folded card which is also cut into a free-form shape.

Create a Rose Gold Mug For Someone Special

Material Required For This Project

• A plain white ceramic mug
• Scotch Blue Painters Tape
• Self-adhesive stencil by Portacraft (optional)
• Pebeo Porcelaine Outliner in Gold
• Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Glossy Gold paint
• Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Glossy Scarlet paint
• Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Glossy Olivine Green paint
• Small round brush, I like Princeton brushes
• Cleaning alcohol and paper towel to clean mug

 Step 1: Wash your mug in hot soapy water, dry it, clean off with cleaning alcohol to remove any residue, then wipe with a paper towel to dry.

Stick the scotch Blue Painters TapeAround the top edge of the mug.

I cut the stencil out from the sheet of self adhesive stencils I found at a craft shop. They are really handy for curved surfaces because they will adhere flat to them. If you can't find this stencil you could just draw in lines with the outliner.

Step 1

 Step 2: With your gold outliner fill in the empty spaces of the stencil. This gives a great 3D effect to your design.

Step 2

 Step 3: Next you can begin to fill in the petal with your gold paint.

Step 3

 Step 4: Add the Scarlet paint. Don't be afraid to be a little messy and mix the colours together. this will give both a nice painterly effect, and some beautiful rose gold tones.

Step 4

Step 5: Use your red and gold paints and the small round brush to create some small rose buds of different sizes randomly around your mug.

Step 5

 Step 6: Use your Olivine Green to create the leaves. The nature of the paint means that with the small round brush you can create brush marks that look like the veins in the leaves. When you try it for yourself you will see what I mean.

Step 6

 Step 7: Use the outliner to draw a clean line up against the edge of the tape.

Step 7 

 Step 8: Remove the tape and draw in a decorative squiggles.

Step 8

Don't forget to bake your mug in the oven according to the packet instructions. This will make your design dishwasher safe and you will have it for ever.

Baby Mermaid Library Bag

My Baby Mermaid Library Bag (although you could could use it for many purposes) actually began because I didn't want to waste the left over Pebeo Setacolor paint I had been using on another project. Here's what happened...

• I had left over Pebeo Setacolor Opaque fabric paint in Oriental Blue, Light Green and Butter Cup
• I grabbed a piece of washed (without fabric softeners) and ironed cotton "Homespun" craft fabric
• I added some water and swished it on randomly - just to see what would happen.

•  I was happy with this result, and it reminded me of a water scene, and of course MERMAIDS
• So I grabbed a Pebeo SetaSkrib marker pen and marked in the basic shapes of my baby mermaid.
• The basic shapes to draw to start off your mermaid are a circle for the face, a football shape for the body, and a triangle for the tail - it can be that simple.
• Once you have drawn in your shapes with the marker, begin to fill them in with Pebeo Setacolor Fabric paint. I mixed together White and Bengal Pink to make the face and Used the Bengal pink on its own for the body and tail.

I used a heat dryer to spend up the paint trying so I could move on to the next layer.

• Next I used a stencil and white fabric paint to add a pattern on the body. I used a Princeton Stencil brush at first, then a finer brush to make the white paint thicker around some edges to add shading and dimension

• Add some detail on the tail with white paint

• I used a mixture of Pebeo Setacolor in Parma Violet and White, with a fine brush and wavy strokes to create the hair (imagine hair floating about in water). I started the beginnings of my face as you can see. The neck is just a small line and the arms are simple stick arms and hands.

• I love to add dots so I added swirls of white dots in the hair

Note how I have also added some Parma violet shading on the tail. You can also go over any of the colours as they dry to increase their intensity.

The finished Baby Mermaid

• Use a fine brush and/or Setaskrib markers to create facial details. Don't forget to add a dot of white paint for a hi-light in the pupil to give a "starry-eyed" look. Note also how I haven't outlined the bottom of the eye, this adds youth and whimsy to the face.

DON'T FORGET TO IRON YOUR DESIGN AS PER INSTRUCTION ON THE BOTTLE TO SET THE PAINT

Although my design had started just as a play on a piece of fabric, I ended up really liking it and wanting to use it in some way so I decided to make a simple children's library bag. Here's how I did it:

• Cut a piece of cotton fabric to required size, mine is 35cm X 40 cm finished. My fabric is a remnant of uncoated curtain fabric.

• As you can see in the above photo I cut a long piece of fabric so the bottom or the bag has a folded edge. BEFORE stitching up the side seams I have finished the top edge of my bag with my overlocker, and folded over a seam of about 3cm. This will create a casing to thread through a cord. You can see I have marked in a button hole. I actually did not sew the button hole in this position, as the hole would have ended up on the inside of the bag and I wanted it to be on the outside.

Note the button hole is only sewn through one thickness of fabric (before the top edge is folded over)

• Once you have sewn in your button hole, sew up your side seams, then fold over your casing and stitch in place. Press with your iron.
• Next you will need to adhere your design to your bag. To do this you need a double sided adhesive web which you will be able to buy from a fabric and craft store. There are many varieties available but I used Heat - n -Bond Ultrahold. Follow the instructions on your product.

Here I have peeled off the backing on one side of the adhesive web and ironed it to the wrong side of my design. Next I will cut around the design, then I will peel off the paper backing and iron it to my bag while it is till out flat.

As a final touch I've used a bit of Dimensional Fabric Paint 

• Once you have adhered your design, attach a safety pin to a piece of cord and thread through the casing. Going the cord together with your sewing machine and you are done.

Paint Your Own Tank Top With Pebeo Setacolor Fabric Paint

Here's what you will need to paint this Tank Top:

• Black Tank Top (or T Shirt if your prefer). Mine is 95% cotton, 5% elastane. Look for a smooth rather than a ribbed fabric.
• Pebeo Setacolor Opaque fabric paint in "Shimmer Silver"
• Pebeo Setacolor Thickener
• Pebeo Setacolor Opaque fabric paint in "Cornflower"
• Pebeo SetaSkrib Markers in Blue and Black
• Paint brushes, one flat, one small round, I used Princeton brushes.
• Heavy paper to place inside your Tank Top so paint doesn't run through to back
• Removable tape to secure your masks to your Tank Top
• Lint Roller (or other tool to remove lint)

To make a moon stencil:

• A4 size craft foam sheet (Or even heavy cardboard would be ok)
• Plate or circle template
• Craft knife and mat

To make Moon Gazer mask:

• Print up template provided (computer and printer required)
• Piece of heavy paper (185 - 300 gsm would be OK)
• Heavy Gloss Gel
• Old paint brush for Gel
• Scissors

Here's what to do:

• Firstly wash your top in a detergent that does not contain fabric softeners.

Make a circle stencil for your moon.

• To make your moon stencil, you need to cut out a circle shape. I used a thin piece of craft foam, and a bread n butter plate. Place on a cutting mat, and cut around the plate with your craft knife. Keep both the stencil and the mask (the solid circle shape) as it might come in handy for another project
• To make the Moon Gazer Mask, print up the template below.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF

 
• Cut around the template and then draw around the edge of the template onto a piece of heavy paper. Cut the shape out and coat front and back with a couple of coats of heavy gloss gel (allowing to dry in-between coats and before turning over). This will make your mask strong and durable and resistant to damage from paint and other liquids. I've used my mask in many projects like the paintings below,  and its still standing up well.

• Next take some heavy paper (I used old card stock) and insert inside your top between the front and the back, you don't want any paint to seep through onto the back of your top.

• Use your Lint Roller to remove any lint/fluff from your top

• Then place your moon gazer mask and your circle stencil on your top as shown, securing in place with some removable tape.

• Prepare your paint by mixing about 3 parts Pebeo Setacolor Opaque Silver Shimmer, with 1 part Pebeo Setacolor Thickener. I did this to make the paint thick to lesson the chance of the paint seeping under my mask/stencil

• Carefully paint inside you moon stencil. Paint in the direction starting outside the stencil moving inwards.

Add your blue paint

• Begin to randomly mix in Pebeo Setacolor in Cornflower. You can also leave a little black showing for extra colour variation.

• Use a thin Princeton brush to add curved silver lines to help give the impression of a sphere and also add texture.

• Remove moon stencil carefully, and trace around the edge of the moon gazer mask using a fine brush
  
  
  

• Touch up any edges with a fine brush

• I used a wider brush to paint in the hair, adding some silver and some blue paint.

Add blue to the hair

add the stars (optional)

Here I am using the SetaSkrib marker in Black to go over where my silver paint when wonky and neaten up my lines.

She's done. Don't forget to iron your top for 5 minutes as per instructions on the bottle to set the paint.