I still want to compile my massive “liturgical craft” book, but I got impatient (not to mention sidetracked with another book project.. a baptism Q&A).  So I thought I’d offer some recent card designs I’ve been trying out lately.

For the baptism card, I found a photograph of a baptism medal, cropped and enlarged it with Photoshop, removed the color, and printed it out. It was then colored with colored pencils and mounted, with double-sided tape, onto a round piece of white mulberry paper slightly larger than the baptism image.  The whole thing was then taped onto a folded, 6 x 12″ piece of blue “marble” scrapbooking paper.  The envelope I had found in the bargain section of an art store!

The second card is a favorite, because the finished product looks so regal, and the papers have simply beautiful and amazing textures.  The scan doesn’t do the red and the gold justice.  This particular picture of Jesus is from a laminated card purchased at some Catholic bookstore or another.  I used a gold shrine window, purchased from Alpha Stamps, attaching it with glue dots.  The other gold accents also come from a sheet of Dresden paper available from the same spot– really nice stuff to work with!  These accents were attached with glue dots to a cut piece of “tomato”-colored Velvet Paper, which has a wonderful look and texture.  Finally, this was attached with double-sided tape to a folded piece of heavy white paper with a fancy texture and sheen.  This sort of card would be great for a pastor.

The final card, for Reformation Day, uses regular printer paper, gold letter stickers, white mulberry paper, a bit of gold-colored plastic trim from Walmart, red cardstock, and my own patented “Luther rose cut-out” design.  I’m not sure if I’m quite ready to reveal the trick to that to the world at large, though the pastor I sent the card to managed to worm the secret out of me.    I used a square envelope of pale metallic gold with this card.

Here’s an idea for a craft project to do with the kids– or adults!  Dover makes the best coloring books ever, and they have a line of stained glass coloring books.  They’re printed on a vellum-like paper, black with clear spaces to color.  You can color them with practically any medium, from crayons to pencils to oil paint, and they look great when held up the light of a window.  (Even coloring outside the lines doesn’t make them look bad– outside the lines is black!)

I already have a few of them, including one on the Nativity.  You can get “Life of Jesus” and “Miracles of Jesus” books, too.  I just ordered the “Cathedral Stained Glass” and the “Stained Glass” books, which are specifically reproductions of church and cathedral glass, such as Chartres, Augsburg, etc.  The glass is identified by caption.

Another book I purchased is “Ready-to-Use Dollhouse Stained Glass Windows for Hand Coloring” by Ed Sibbett.  I don’t create dollhouses, and I realize that these are all bound to be purely decorative images, probably all Victorian and modern, but I think they just might come in handy for making “windows” in cards or what have you.  They’re on the 1:12 miniature scale.

Man, this kids’ stained glass house project looks cool.  This would make a really neat Sunday School project.