Steampunk Train Card

Always Take the Scenic Route 

I loved this train on Stamperia Voyages Fantastique 8x8 Paper and was working out how to use it. Well with Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog's theme: Transport it, I thought it would make a fantastic card. 

I used a 5 x 7 brown cardstock paper card base. I grabbed some old vintage pink and brown patterned paper placed it as the background. I then cut the train out. I then used some gears and bits from stamperia cut outs and Tim Holtz paper cut outs and placed them on the card behind the train. I then added the "always take the scenic route" sticker from the Tim Holtz idea-ology stickers collection. 

I then used Tim Holtz distress gathered twigs ink cube and a blending brush to add dimension to the edges of the card, paper and train. 

And that's it...

Here are pictures of the card:

I hope you feel inspired to make a card, paint, or something fun!

As always you can check out my Instagram Page for more projects and ideas!

"No great artist never sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist." ~ Oscar Wilde

See you on the next post! 

Sabra  

Christmas Tree Truck Card

 

Christmas Tree Truck

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Your branches green delight us
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Your branches green delight us
They are green when summer days are bright
They are green when winter snow is white
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Your branches green delight us

I love Christmas time! It is my favorite holiday for so many reasons. I do live in Idaho, so we do get snow, which is so beautiful when it covers everything in a white blanket and snowflakes are falling down against the dark sky and everything is quiet. I love spending time with my family. Watching Christmas movies, hot chocolate, Christmas music, family game time, warm blankets, giving gifts, lots of time to paint and craft, and celebrating our Savior's, Jesus Christ's, birth! 

When I saw this project on Let's Make Art, I wanted to paint it immediately! It speaks to my Christmas child heart! Then when I saw Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog's theme: Transport it. I knew I needed to paint this truck in the miniature and make a memorable Christmas card!

 

Painting this truck transported me right to Christmas time even though it is 80 degrees outside with 0% chance of snow! haha! My family has been picking out a real pine tree from a local business that gets them from Montana for many, many years. We all load up in the truck, drive for a bit, go through about 5-10 trees, narrowing it down to 2-3 trees, finally down to the last 2 trees side by side, then we finally pick it "the Christmas Tree", pay for it, and load it up into the truck and drive home. We decorate the tree and house, listen to Christmas music, and eat snacks while we decorate. 

Below are the pictures of the Christmas Tree Truck card and painting.  Keep scrolling and I will share a bit on how I made this Christmas card and the products I used. 

Here is the completed card:

The Products I used for painting the Truck were:

• Dandelion Co Liquid watercolor paints
• Colors were: Dandelion Yellow, Black, Payne's Grey, Leaf green, Evergreen Green, Red, and Magenta
• Size 2 round Princeton Heritage paint brush
• Graphite paper
• Canson XL Watercolor Paper 140 lb. Cut to a 4x6 size
• Tombow Fine liner Black Pen

The Tutorial is on Let's Make Art YouTube Page and is super easy to follow along with. As with art, I made this truck my own and didn't paint it exactly like she does. But that is the beauty of art. You make it your own. Paint it, craft it, make it like you want to! There is nothing wrong with that. 

Once I completed the painting, I set it aside to dry and began working on the card. 

I used a green cardstock card base cut to make a 4" x 6" front.

I then picked out an Ombre green and red and white striped paper from Jesse Petersen's paper collection volume 1.

I then cut the strips so they fit on the front of the card like I wanted. I then tore only the green paper and placed it on top of the red paper and glued it down. 

I then picked out "collect beautiful moments" sticker from Tim Holtz's idea-ology METALLIC Sticker Book found on Simon Says Stamp.

Here are more close ups of the front of the card. 

For the inside of the card I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink cube Rustic Wilderness and a blending brush. I just brushed around the edges to give it a bit of a wreath and evergreen feel. 

...And that's the card! Easy, simple, fun, and magical!

Hopefully you were transported to a magical Christmas moment, or time. I hope you feel inspired to make a card or even look through the old family photo albums and/or scrapbooks and relive that special moment.  

As always you can check out my Instagram Page for more projects and ideas!

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life" ~ Pablo Picasso

See you on the next post! 

Sabra  

Lets Go Ride a Bike Card

 Let's Go Ride a Bike

Summer time brings lovely evening bike rides

I don't go for bike rides much anymore, but I do take my dogs for walks in the mornings and evenings. I love to watch the little kids, families, friends, neighbors riding their bikes and enjoying life. From walks to bike rides, it is nice to just get outside, enjoy the views, smell the fresh air, and each others company. 

I saw this project on Let's Make Art and wanted to give it a try. Inspired by Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog's theme: Transport it. I loved this watercolor painting turned into a card because it transports me to long summer evenings, small towns and life in the slow lane. I have enjoyed incorporating my watercolor projects on my cards and making it all work together. I made this painting a bit smaller so if could fit onto a 4" x 6" card. I loved how the colors on the bike turned out and the little basket of flowers.

Below are the pictures of the bike card! Keep scrolling and I will share a bit on how I made this fun "Let's Go Ride A Bike" card and the products I used. 

Here is the finished card:

I wanted a more warmer tones to the card by adding lighter blue, pink and purple tones with floral  accents. So I chose a light blue and teal leaves patterned card base.

I took strips of paper and cut them to match the card length wise. 

The strips were cut in different widths and glued onto the card. It reminded me a bit of those fences you see that are made of uneven wood planks and you can see through them a bit. 

I then added a friendship say sticker strip from the Tim Holtz idea-ology  collection

The Products I used for painting the bike were:

• Dandelion Co Liquid watercolor paints
• Colors were: Dandelion Yellow, Azure Blue, Black, Leaf Green, and Magenta
• Size 2 round Princeton Heritage paint brush
• Graphite paper
• Canson XL Watercolor Paper 140 lb. Cut to a 4x6 size
• Tombow Fine liner Black Pen

I placed the bike and a blue and yellow floral and words patterned paper and adhered it to the front of the card. 

For the inside of the card I took some of the purple toned floral cardstock cut into a strip and placed it on the inside of the card.    

There you have the card. I purchased the paper from the paperstudio paper packs from Hobby Lobby. 

Hopefully you feel inspired to make a card or go for a ride or take a stroll. 

Transport yourself to those long summer nights, car and bike rides, walks, ice cream and popsicles, cold lemonade, and relaxation. 

As always you can check out my Instagram Page for more projects and ideas!

"Creativity takes Courage." ~ Henri Matisee

See you on the next post! 

Sabra  

A "Plane" Card

 Let's Fly 

I have always loved the idea of being able to fly... who hasn't?

I found this project a while ago on Let's Make Art and fell in love with it. As a watercolor artist I love to incorporate my watercolor projects on my cards and make them the focal point. I always take my paintings and make them smaller so they can fit onto a 4" x 6" or 5" x 7" card. I find that painting in the mini is always fun but has it challenges. For example, I have a harder time creating shadows and depth but the paintings dry faster and paint faster. 

I was totally inspired by Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog's theme: Transport it. I loved this painting and and turning it into a mini painting and card was so much fun! I loved how it all came together! It is always fun to be inspired and make something new!

So, let's Transport you and I to the skies and learn how to fly! 

Below are the pictures of the bi-plane painting and the card! Keep scrolling and I will share a bit on how I made this fun "Flying Bi-Plane" card and the products I used. 

Here is the painting, just after I finished it. 

The tutorial, outline, and paint are from Lets Make Art. 

The Products I used for the painting were:

• Dandelion Co Liquid watercolor paints
• Colors were: Lemon Yellow, Payne's Grey, Azure Blue, Black, and Magenta
• Size 2 round and size 4 wash Princeton Heritage paint brushes
• Graphite paper
• Canson XL Watercolor Paper 140 lb. Cut to a 4x6 size
• Tombow Fine liner Black Pen

Now for the card!!!

I used a teal blue card base when folded, the front measures 4" x 6"

I found some map paper that I had in my personal collection of paper that I believe I ordered from amazon or received it as a gift. As you can tell I have had the paper for some time now. haha!

I cut the paper to measure the 6" across. I then tore the long edges to create a rough edge paper. I then used Tim Holtz Distress inks Walnut Stain and Gather Twigs and a blending brush to create the brown vintage look. 

I take the ink cube and I rub it directly on the edge of the card to create the darker edge. I then use the blending bush to add a lighter color and more dimension on the rest of the card.

I used the distress ink on the card base and the map paper as well as on the edge of the brown cardstock I used to place under the plane painting and on the painting itself. 

I also found a piece of black with gold swirls patterned card stock. I cut that to the length of the card and placed the plane watercolor painting on a brown piece of cardstock and glued everything down. 

I really wanted to add lots of vintage travel well worn look to this card and painting. 

For the inside of the card I used the distress stains and blending brush like I did on the front. 

I used Tim Holtz Ideology paper scraps and bits that I have purchased and collected over the years to the inside and made a small collage on the bottom. I then looked at it and decided that it need a little gear. So I found one from my Stamperia collection and glued it on top! I purchased the ink cubes, the Stamperia and Tim Holtz products from Simon Says Stamp and some from 

and there you have it... 

A "Let's Fly" Card

I think it would make a perfect card for a special young man, boy, or gentleman in your life. Happy Birthday, Congratulations, etc. If you know a pilot and they can take you for a ride in their plane, you could send it as Thank You card for transporting you to the skies and letting you fly! 

I know I am going to send it to a special guy I know, he works on planes for a living and loves it! His birthday is coming up real soon! 

I hope you found some inspiration and enjoyed the ride! 

As always you can check out my Instagram Page for more projects and ideas!

"Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced." ~ Leo Tolstoy

See you on the next post! 

Sabra 

A New Beginning

 Welcome to my newly updated blog, "The Crafting Duo - An Artist's View of the World & Bee Notable"

I am going to start using this blog to share my mom's and my art, crafts, cards, projects, and ideas. 

A little about my art journey. I have always loved to color, create, and draw at a young age. What you don't know, is that I actually got started in watercolor painting in 2019. My father and mother gave me a watercolor kit that included paper, brushes, a book, and paint for Christmas. Then a friend told me about Let's Make Art, and the rest is, as they say, history.

This Succulent painting is about 1 year later in 2020. I have loved learning how to watercolor paint. I took to it so fast. It has been an anchor in my life. 

Here is a dragon, my most recent painting,  painted last week:

I used watercolor pencils. I also turned it into a card. Here is a link to the card: Dragon Card

This is actually my second time painting this dragon and first time as a smaller version. I like the color choices I made much better.

The tutorial and outline is from Lets Make Art

here is a direct link to the tutorial/paint along on YouTube: Dragon Paint Along

I used:
> Tim holtz distress watercolor pencils
> Faber Castell watercolor pencils
> size 2, 4, 6, and 8 Princeton Heritage, and Let's Make art brushes
> graphite paper and dragon outline from Let's Make Art
> 4 x 6 Watercolor Paper 140 lb
> Tombow fine liner pen

Here are a few other paintings I have done throughout the years:

Painting flowers and landscapes are by far my favorite, but I do paint lots of other things too.  I will feature many of these things in this updated blog. 

I have been painting for 5 years now! I got into art journaling and card making and 
I am now what they call a "mixed media" artist. I use pretty much anything and everything. I have painted acrylic, watercolor, gouache, gel printing, cardstock, sprays, inks, stamps, stickers, pastes, etc.

 I have truly enjoyed my journey from drawing to painting to mixed media. I am so grateful for all the support and love from family and friends who have helped me along the way.

It is so scary putting your art out there for everyone to see, but I guess it is time! 

I hope you all enjoy my art as much as I have had making it.

You can see many of my paintings, creations, cards, art journal pages etc. on my Instagram page:  Sabra Gerdes's Instagram

“Creative expression can also represent the celebration of our gratitude to God for our gifts and talents.” - Elder Neal A. Maxwell 

See you on the next post! 

Sabra