Romantic bunny ears listening to your sweet words

                       Wishing all my dear friends and their families a very Happy Easter! Hope you enjoy my Retro Cafe Art Romantic bunny ear cards using RCA bunny ears and the RCA pretty vintage images from Roses Roses .

Have a sweet day and don't eat to much chocolate.
artfully yours, gerri

A Group of Easter Cuties

How about something different, not my usual type for a  theme but I just giggled when I saw these cutsey critters for Retro Cafe Art. I just had to use them for a series of Easter cards that I will be sending out this week. Hope they will make you smile too!

The inspiration was the cutsey critters by Cassandra Van Curen. I layered them on glitters eggs and added paper grass too. Butterfly stickers, floral stickers and glittery Stickles accented the pieces. Different patterned paper was layered on water colored painted edged cards.

Hope you will view something cute this week!
take care, gerri

My group of cuties

French Bunny Ears

Today for Retro Cafe Art, it's bunny ear time! Been making a few Easter cards this week and I will share them with you the next couple of days. This vintage image reminded me of a French woman, I don't know why but it does....it must be the striped knit top.  I have a dear friend who is French and I think I will send it to her! Oh La La....

The image is from the Retro Cafe Art Screen Sirens collage sheet and was painted with yellow watercolor paints. I added the bunny ears and topped them with Stickles. The bunny girl was layered on black and white graphic floral paper that has water color paints and Stickles accents too. Some dimensional flower stickers were glued to the corners. The white card has some yellow painted edges too. I just couldn't resist.

Hope you will be brave enough to wear your bunny ears this week! LOL.
fondly, gerri

How wonderful to have a friend like you

Been missing my dear friends back in New Jersey this week, so I thought I'd make a card to send one of them using the pretty images from Gecko Galz. I'm missing them all so I'd better get back into the studio and make a bunch more! LOL.

To make this special card, layer the divine female image from the Garden Girls Collection collage sheet on the Rose Song  image from the Wild Rose Paper Pack  and over lap the butterflys by partially cutting them out. Highlight with watercolor paints and pink Stickles. Layer this on a shiny green paper and then a patterned paper. Edge the paper with mauve sequin ribbon and layer 3d butterflies. Accent with pink Stickles and add the handcut sentiment "How wonderful to have a friend like you."

Hope you are surrounded by wonderful friends whether they are in your town, on the internet or just in your heart.
take care, gerri

"How wonderful to have a friend like you"

                     

"Friendly details"

Three Birds on an ATC limb

Over at Unruly Paper Arts, today's "Inktution" column is about ATC's with my approach and inspiration. Well, it's spring here in the South and the birds are all out tweeting and twittering about. I've even been going on bird walks with a naturalist to learn the birds of my new home in the south. We spotted our local bald eagle. Boy it was huge and so very majestic. Lots of wood peckers were seen too so, today's Artist Trading Card "how tos" were inspired by all the new birdies around me. Now let's start flying......

Like layers on a Birds Breast

The biggest thing that I have learned about ATCs is layers and their importance. I always strive for a minimum of 5. For the projects below, I used 6 or 7. The 6 major layers in today's pieces are the ATC frames from Retro Cafe Art, the patterned paper background, white picket fence from Retro Cafe Art, fiber trim , tiny feathers, cut out birds and paint/Stickles.

Pretty Bird

I usually like to include one main image whether a bird, flower or person. It can also be an inanimate object like a cake, star etc. I believe it gives our pieces a focal point and helps tell the story.

Nest of Fiber and Threads

Ribbon, lace, netting or fabric add dimension like a birdie's nest. I think it helps round out the flatness of paper. It also adds some warmth. It also makes you want to reach out and touch a piece.

Small Shiny Things

Dots of Dimensional Pearls, Glitter Stickles , rhinestones, buttons or shiny paint add the highlights to my tiny works of art. Like a magpie that collects shiny things, I too collect and add them to my pieces. I have big collections of all things bright and glittery to add the finishing touches.

Sweet Bird Songs

I always include bits of hand cut words and or sayings on my ATCs and sprinkled like bird song. Today I used Retro Cafe Arts Cassandra Van Curen Collage Sheet 3. It adds another dimension to the piece. Besides the visual story , I like to make my viewers think or imagine the meanings too.

So here are today's Birdie ATCs. Hope you'll tweet a happy tune after seeing them.
take care,
Gerri

Once Upon A Bird

Imagine Home

Fly Free

Three Birds on a Limb

Let them eat Lots of Cake

Today for Retro Cafe ARt I decided to go red! I know it looks like a Valentines Day card but that really wasn't my intension. LOL. I'm sending it off to a new friend as a random act of kindness. I won't sign it inside so she can use it or keep it. It's up to her!

Well, to make this I started with fussy cutting the image of Marie from the Valentine Marie by Cassandra VanCuren sheet and the pretty cake from the Large Rosey Cakes by Marie Van Curen sheet. I layered Marie on a heart shaped paper doily that I kissed with cream paint. The cake was layered  on the packaging of some embellishments. Sometimes  I find that  the packaging of our supplies can be used in our projects too. Accents include ribbon roses, some red gimp, Gold and red Stickles, a red bow and a glittered fleur de isle on her crown. And yes I do know that Marie never said let them eat cake! Did you?

Hope you will get to eat lots of delicious cake this week.
artfully yours, gerri

Let them eat lots of cake

It's All About Me

I like striking strong female images with attitude and this women from Gecko Galz  just says it all. As a mother, wife, friend, coworker sometimes the "Me" can tend to take the backseat in life,  as we please others so for this week to all the women out there, it's all about me! LOL.

So to make this beauty I started with some crinkled orange paper washed with paints both flat and metallic.  I wrapped a sequined brown ribbon down the center. Layered the striking female image from Artful Ladies collage sheet, that was painted with sparkle nail polish on top. Accented the corners with shiny paper flowers edged with gold Stickles, a paper leaf with Stickles and metallic butterfly stickers. The epoxy sentiment came last and says "Its all about me!"

Hope this week , it's all about you!
artfully yours, gerri

"It's All About Me"

"Me Details"

Peeps and Hops

Been having fun with pastels and the adorable images of Gecko Galz this week. Their assortment is so so varied, I am always amazed with what Leanne and now Heather come up with. They are two very talented artists! I love the names of their sheets too. Today I used Peeps and Hops! 

So to make my Happy Easter card, I fussy cut out the bunny image from the March Peeps and Hops collage sheet and layer it on a small print out of Petals image from the Wild Rose Paper Pack. Add pink and yellow paper flowers to the corners and a pink and cream bow. Layer this on pink and then a subtle striped card base. Accent the flowers with white raindrop centers. Add accents of Dimensional Pearls and water color paint thru out. Don't forget the silver metal butterflies too!

Hope you are having fun with peeps and hops this week,

sincerely, Gerri

"Happy Easter from the Hops"

Darling MaryLou Flies By

Mary Lou has really missed everyone so, I decided to make a necklace and have her model it for us!
I really haven't been creating too much, because my sweet daughter was visiting for the past week or so. It was fun to have here her with us. We spent time laughing, thrift shopping, cooking and eating. She flew done with her roommate so it definitely was a girls week. Poor hubbie! LOL.

Well, today's  Retro Cafe Art necklace was inspired by spring that is all about us here in the south. It was the Retro Cafe Art Egg Cutout that was my starting piece. I painted it all speckly like an egg in cream and brown and added Gold Stickles. Cream colored Lace was added to the back and a tiny pearl drop was added to the bottom. I glued on a French Laundry bird cameo and put the pendant on a pearly necklace.

Hope you will get a dose of Spring this week.
take care, gerri

Birdie and Egg Necklace

 

Birdie Details

Spring time in the Low country