Frame Cards

The starting point for each of my frame cards is usually a fabulous vintage image from the Graphics Fairy http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/

An image is printed onto beige parchment card and the centre part is cut away with a craft knife and discarded. A piece of clear plastic is fixed beneath the aperture using PVA. A blank card is cut to the same size and pieces arranged so that they will be viewed through the aperture. The frame is fixed into place using foam tape, and the edges of the tape coloured with a promarker. For variations, you can fix patterned paper or stamped images on the blank card, or use two copies of the frame so that the original central image is used as a background (as with my horse card).

"Horses are Animals not Machines"

The frame can be filled with a mixture of items of interest such as old buttons, feathers, vintage pictures, diecuts, pieces cut from patterned papers and distressed with inks, etc. or anything you like. The horse card above has bent paper clips for the wiring, a large cog for the major motor muscles, a clock face for the heart and various little cog-shaped sequins. The frames themselves are usually distressed with distress inks around the edges, and sometimes stamped on for added interest. Here I have added some fringed paper for grass and a few die-cut flowers with vintage button centres.

"Winter Wonderland"

This winter scene makes an unusual Christmas card. The centre landscape was decoupaged and some iridescent glitter glue added to highlight the snow edges. The flower is made from die cut layers of organza (a lovely present from Lee at http://craftyloops.blogspot.com/ ) with a jewel brad centre, and I couldn't resist adding one of the feathers from our beautiful barnevelder hens as a "leaf".