April’s theme/technique was texture. If you’ve ever been shopping with me, you know I love texture! I cannot walk through a store without touching EVERYTHING while oohing and aahing. The softer – the better!
Amy’s fav of the month comes from Ms. Carol! While I love the colors and layout, what made Carol’s card my fav was her sentiment which was also her texture. Above “Thank You”, Carol’s card repeats her sentiment only in Braille! How amazingly creative is that?! What you cannot see on the card (due to the weird way WordPress crops the pictures) is the cute gingham ribbon at the top of the card and the nice branch punch at the bottom that seems to be holding up the bird in his nest.
Next up, Joanna! 
You can tell everyone was inspired by the wonderful weather we’ve been having. Joanna’s pennant sentiment helps to announce the coming of spring while her texture comes from glittered, textured card stock. Amy likes her some glitter!
We’re on a roll with the gals, so let’s take a look at Betty’s card. Can you believe it’s almost Easter? Just one week away! Betty is ready with her super cute Easter card. The background is dry embossed for excellent texture. The grass comes from a Fisker’s punch, but Betty added more texture by running it through a crimper. The sparkly card stock used to decorate the egg adds a final touch of texture.
Great minds must think alike as I also made an Easter card. Ever since I received my new Close to My Heart catalog, I knew I had to have the My Peeps stamp set to make Easter cards. To add texture to the Peeps, I added some flock. A fellow crafter said I should have sugared them. That would have made them so much more realistic! Definitely going to sugar the next ones! For added texture, I ran the flower pieces through two different embossing folders. The flower ended up being my favorite part of the card closely followed by the sentiment – “Happy Easter to My Peeps”.
Now for the boys! Joe R. has to teach me the technique he used on his card. I have no idea what he did, but it turned out amazing. He did something with a stencil and stencil paste to give the coy texture then added gold leafing to give them pops of color. The colors are very vibrant and beautiful. I always love the little touches that both Joes do such as decorating the envelop. Every month, I say I’m going to do the same, and every month I forget. This month I especially loved the Japanese fans Joe added to his envelope. I definitely have to borrow that stamp!
Last, but not least, Joe Morgan! Joe ended up doing two cards as a friend was sick and could not make it to card club. Let’s start with Joe’s actual card. Each card was unique in the details but similar in design. Each card had a side strip of gorgeous embossed paper which varied in color based on the theme of the card. The focal point is the napkin collage which gives the card more texture. The sentiment finishes the card and adds a touch more texture as it is heat embossed.
Joe M’s second card proves that it doesn’t take a lot of time to make a gorgeous card (especially if you have a Zing!). The texture comes from the glitter card stock (remember, Amy LOVES her some glitter!). The rabbits are very vintage and were fussy cut using the Zing. If you haven’t seen this feature of the Zing, you haven’t seen COOL! Joe finished the card with a sentiment tied to the card with a thin ribbon.
Next month’s theme is naked chipboard – not naked participants! The naked chipboard can be painted, covered with paper, stamped, whatever. Red Letter Journal’s card club is the first Sunday of the month at 3pm. If you would like to join the club, give Red Letter or any member of the Create and Craft club a call. It’s a great time to learn new techniques.
