Rachael's Handmade Designs

One of my earliest memories during my childhood was watching Bob Ross as a family with my parents and brother in the evenings on PBS. Bob's calm voice seemed to put me into a trance and with just a few simple strokes, Bob had created a beautiful pieces of work that now are highly valued and sought after by collectors around the world. Bob Ross is probably one of the most influential creators in my artists collective and I still find myself just as entranced and captivated by Bob's creations on the canvas today as I was when I was growing up. Its not hard to see why The Joy of Painting has had such an enduring impact on society. (It still plays on PBS and there are millions of videos on youtube!) Bob Ross is even widely considered the grandfather of ASMR ! (Do you get the tingles? Find my favorite ASMR youtubers HERE and HERE .) One thing I found out while writing this article was that Bob Ross was once compared to Fred Rogers, which in and of itself should be considered a ...

Hello and welcome back! Thanks for popping in again. It's been a while since I have been able to post, so I thought I would share this little project with you. The other day, after creating a mess in my studio by spreading out all the paper I own, I paired up a design that was cased from a Close to Your Heart design.  I shared this little project on my Instagram the other day and they turned out so cute I decided to make a blog post about them. A few weeks ago I attended at craft sale organized North of where I live in Seattle and met some great ladies. One of them was a Close to my Heart vendor from whom I purchased a couple of scrap layouts from for my Hawaii trip from 2015 (yup - still working on it - little by little!)  She was kind enough to slip an idea book into my bag when I wasn't looking.  (If you don't have the Seasonal Expressions May - August 2016 catalog you can download it here .) Flip to page 27! I love the Calypso line, it's so bright a...

Have I mentioned that I love birds? Flamingo's are included! I found this rubber stamp of a cute little flamingo and thought I'd make some simple designs. I've noticed lately that Flamingos are very in vogue re: design right now. I ended up giving the above greeting card to one of my co-workers who happens to love them too. And then I found this flamingo rubber stamp at Michael's the other day which really sparked some creativity.l Its from Stampendous and I freaked out when I saw it because I knew it would make an awesome greeting card. I created a Concertina dry embossed greeting card cut on an angle (also known as a z fold card) and used some scraps to paper piece and layer the flamingo with. The scrap was a pink argyle print I liked but probably would have never used - or so I thought! (ALWAYS save your scraps!) I created depth and interest by stamping him twice and fussy cutting his wing to layer with pop dots. I thought this looked nice with the fol...

Thanks for joining me once again! I'm so happy you've come back to join me with on my blog. You've come to the right place to find Seattle's finest handmade cards! Today I've got a real treat for you - a Girlfriends greeting card. This was SUCH a fun card to create. If you have not heard about Art Impressions , then you are missing out!! I love to stamp and color these fun images to create cards that truly reflect the fun relationships in life. I loved coloring this fun image of two happy gals with my Copics! The card didn't need much else as the copics took the stage. I didn't want to overpower the card, so I kept it nice and clean. My boyfriend and I are friends with another couple and we paired this card with a bouquet of fresh cut flowers for a nice hello to our friends the last time we all got together. Its nice to make your friends feel loved and wanted.  Cheers!

Welcome back to the BEST place to find your handmade Seattle greeting cards. I'm happy to share with you one of my favorite handmade card projects of late.  :) I ended up giving this greeting card to my boyfriend. Just this morning he said to me after noticing this blog post up on the computer, "hey, it's my card! That's my favorite card I've ever received." Which kind of made my heart melt, not gonna lie.  I created this greeting card using the marker to rubber and masking techniques. I created this greeting card with four different stamps. I purchased the couple stamp from Dolce Impressions  here in Seattle. First, I started with planning out the greeting card sketch and layout. I find it easier to start a greeting card with a sketch because it offers inspiration and cohesive style to the project.  I knew that I wanted to create a stamped card featuring ink in layers, not necessarily layers of paper, and this marker to rubber technique, so takin...

Welcome back and thanks for stopping by. I'm so happy that you did because I'm looking forward to sharing my Seattle handmade cards and projects with you - seriously, you've come to the best place to find Seattle's BEST handmade greeting cards. I've been watching a lot of Bob Ross lately, and although not a rubber stamper, Bob has a point: there really are not any mistakes in art. Maybe that's why so many people enjoy creating? Usually you can work something out of an unforseen outcome, and if you're lucky it turns out even better than planned. I feel that as long as you learn from your shortcomings, they are not failures (in life and art). This is a new stamp that I purchased recently from a good friend of mine who owns an art store here in Seattle . It's a set of a couple in the rain and comes with some other stamps as well. I used the marker to to rubber technique (I will show you exactly what I did in a later post) and masked the image off aft...

If you are in the area this weekend, please stop by and support me and the other crafters at this event. It will be super fun and a good time.  Bartering is welcome on my gently, pre-owned items. See you there!!!

I love thank yous. They're probably one of my favorite types of handmade cards to create and give because they are so versatile. A thank you can be pretty much anything - thank you for being a friend, thank you for being you, thank you for that thing you did! It's pretty much an easy catch-all choice or excuse to send a nice greeting card to good friend. (Right, like we need more reasons send cute cards!) I'm sure you will agree that we all would like to save on postage - it can become quite expensive when cards are too layered one is sending multiple cards to multiple people. Not to mention having to make a special trip to the post office! So I kept this design layered to only one piece and created texture, form and interest with washi tape instead. Slap a stamp on it, sign it and throw it in the mailbox and you're done! 

Are you a sushi lover??? If you haven't tried it, you're missing out!! This is a card I made a few months ago featuring a number of techniques including background stamping, Copic coloring, brayering and layering. A super fun friendship greeting, the inside reads "I like the way you roll." Leave a comment and let me know what you like about this card!

Margaret Keane Margaret Keane is a fascinating woman. She is an American painter and mixed media artist known for her "big-eyed waifs" that mainly depict women, children and animals. In 2014, Tim Burton (whose Artist Collective segment is forthcoming) directed a film aptly named Big Eyes, which focuses on Margaret's personal journey with art, her marriage to Walter Keane and his subsequent fraud and misrepresentation of Margaret's work (if you have not seen this movie, you MUST !) as well as the aftermath. She's even IN the movie! Margaret has been painting successfully for more than 60 years. In my opinion, Margaret Keane is one of the most prolific and influential artists ever. She is an American icon and a Modern Master. She is 87, paints every day and lives in Northern California. You can learn more about Margaret here !

Need I say more? I mean, really. lol Love this image from Art Impressions  - Bonnie's art captures daily life perfectly! My two favorite lines from Art Impressions is the Girlfriends line and the Ai People line.  The pairing of the sentiments rounds it out - they're just so funny! If it Zips it Fits One of my favorite things to do with clothing or fabrics with my Copics is to create a pattern. I had a very good time designing this card with a patterned shirt and my Copics and chose something easy - a monochromatic pattern on the top, with jeans (tertiary to the secondary orange) to pop the color, with a soft pink in the background. Pink and orange go well together because they are analogous on the color wheel and its a nice soft blend. I added a half doily for interest and layering and stamped the sentiment, die cut it, distressed the edges and popped it up to create dimension. The mint green behind the doily in a lattice pattern ties everything t...

Who loves flamingos?! That would be me! And this guy was just too cute to pass up. I found the tutorial at Brandy Cox's youtube channel   Brandy always does such a great job with her designs. Although I am not affiliated in any way with Stampin' Up! (like, at all) I still like to pop in on Brandy and see what she's got going on. Although I have not ever created punch art before, I was able to duplicate Brandy's design with what I had in stock and on hand, and I think this little guy turned out just peachy! This design makes me smile every time I look at it. All I can say is that the world needs more googly eyes!! Are you a fan of the googly eyes?

I love this card. To create this card I used an image from Rubber Stamp Plantation that I picked up last year during my visit. I chose the Large Ukulele Girl and masked her off, then stamped once again over her with an image from Impression Obsession. I then created another matting of the same and had a bit of fun with coloring, resulting in two separate color schemes of the same design. I kept the green one because I think its nice to look at and I enjoy the design so much. Which one is your favorite? The purple matting with the pink flower or the green matting with the orange flower? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

How often is it that we just get so caught up with life that we sometimes forget to connect with the friends that mean the most to us? I've got a friend that I've known since 3rd grade. We don't talk much anymore, but when we do, its like we pick up right where we left off! So this card seems appropriate for those kinds of friends. I made this card using Art Impression's Texting BFFs set. I hope you like it! Leave a message in the comments!

What's the best part of spring? The colors? The birds singing? The sunshine? Yes, yes and yes. But don't forget the flowers, the holidays and the great family time! There's also birthdays, special occassions and there's always room for a simple thank you. (Its all about gratitude, right?) Today I'm bringing you the red floral version in the floral handmade card line I've recently created. Didn't they turn out great?! Each special, each a little different, and perfect for your loved one. And don't forget your grads! These would make a perfect keepsake greeting card for her to cherish in her scrapbook of her special graduation day. They're even so pretty that you could frame them and display them as artwork in your home. Just a few ideas to get you thinking. I hope you start thinking outside the box as to what you can do with handmade cards to turn your house into a home. Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Hello and Welcome Again!   Hope you are enjoying your long weekend and have taken a moment to honor our fallen soldiers this Memorial Day.   Doesn't May just *inspire* you?! I love spring and all the flowers and beautiful colors that nature has to offer.  With that in mind, here is another version of the floral cards that I've created for a very good customer of mine.    As you'll see, these are the same style of greeting cards as in the previous post, but that offering different floral imagery and sentiments will offer a greater range of appreciation for her customers.  And, its just pretty! :P         This line was so much fun to create!! I love the versatility of these images and sentiments. They really can be used at any moment for any last-minute or special occasion. I hope you've enjoyed this post and its inspired you to get stamping! Leave a message below and let me know what you think! Cheers...

Welcome Back. I've been taking a break lately from my rubber stamping because I've been having to deal with life and I just haven't had the time.  Last night I busted out the stamps and created a floral line using a number of different stamps and colors.  Pictured below are a birthday card and and just because card, perfect for any occasion.   My customer specifically asked me for floral pieces, so I hope she likes these.  What do you think? Do you have anything else to add? Leave a comment and let me know! Cheers!

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know that I have a passion for anything pinup or vintage. I want to share that passion with you, so I'm expanding this blog from just papercrafts to my other creative endeavors as well such as sewing and vintage hunting/finding. Check out this adorable vintage-style apron I created the other week! I found the vintage pattern and cute fabric at Hobby Lobby. This is my second attempt at sewing an apron. The first one, which was about two years ago, I did not use a pattern and was a total disaster as a result (: Useful tip: use a pattern! :)  I'm so happy with how this little gem turned out. Now I can bake a cake without getting myself covered in flour and cake batter! I plan to sew the other aprons from this pattern set when I return from Hawaii. They are the full vintage apron style, and now that I have this apron under my belt, I'm confident that I can sew them! Super fun, super easy! Got to go fabric shopping! :...

Hello All and Welcome Back! Have you heard? One of my favorite stores EVER , Collage (in Portland), has signed a new lease and is opening a new store!  They just signed a lease for SE Division Street and will be opening this summer. I'm so excited for these gals! What great news! I'll be zipping down to Portland to check out the new store just as soon as they open! Wahoo! Can't wait to see what they do with the store! Check out their blog here for more news from this great company. Cheers!

Good Morning! Here is another entry that I have created to play along at Art Impressions challenge, Spring Colors. (http://artimpressionsstamps.blogspot.com/2015/03/challenge-156-spring-colors-challenge.html?m=1) I used the same background stamp that I used in this blog post. I love it! So retro, it just tickles me. I used an image from the Girlfriends line, Texting BFF s - and a sentiment that comes separately. I love how it turned out! Coloring this image with my copics was SO fun - and I've made other cards with this image (coming up) and it turns out completely differently just by changing up the colors a bit. Talk about versatility! Leave a comment and let me know what you think.