Crafty Wednesday – cards for young ladies

Welcome to another Crafty Wednesday! Sorry I missed posting last week. It was such a whirlwind day, I just didn’t have time, with some necessary shopping in the morning, lunch with friends and a board meeting in the evening. I really need to start organizing my posts ahead of time so they’re ready at the push of a button. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, I thought I’d make up for last week by adding a few more cards than I would normally show you. Above, you’ll see a couple of cards I made using the Close To My Heart‘s stamp set called Fashionista, which includes 4 different ladies, the background and 3 sentiments, including ‘Beautiful’. I used black embossing powder for the ‘Beautiful’ sentiment, girls and background stamps from the set, as well as the ‘Happy Birthday’. I used my shiny paints to add a bit of colour to the silhouettes before cutting around them. I used a 2″ round paper punch to cut out the ‘Happy Birthday’ and a 2-1/2″ scalloped circle punch for the colourful flower behind the sentiment. I added a bit of bling in all the swirly parts of the sentiment, too. The background can vary, as you can see, depending on your whims. These cards both began with 1/2 a sheet of card stock with the backgrounds cut 1″ smaller than the bases. I sponged around the edges with complimentary inks.

We also had a graduate in the family, this year, so I made my niece the card above. I embossed the front of the base card (5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″) with Sissix‘s Butterflies & Dragonflies embossing plate. I cut the pink polka dot background to 3-1/2″ x 2-1/4″, allowing the embossing to show around it. The numbers were black embossed using CTMH‘s Varsity Alphabet stamp set. I used the small letters of the Trinity Alphabet, also by CTMH, to stamp & emboss ‘class of’. The embellishments are stickers that can be found almost anywhere.

The card above is for the second youngest little lady in our family. The base of the card is yellow card stock (8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″, folded in half). I cut a sheet of orange paper 4-1/2″ x 3-1/4″ and yellow gingham paper 3-1/2″ x 2-1/4″. I attached the yellow gingham to the orange paper, then wrapped red & white bakers twine around them. I used CTMH‘s Varsity Alphabet stamp #1 to stamp & emboss in black, carefully cut it out, then attached it at the centre where the twine crossed using small 3-D sticky squares.

My sister-in-law has a cute pair of stamps – this little girl and a little boy, which I will use on a different card at a later date. I stamped & embossed the girl, then added colour with my shiny paints.  I cut her out and attached her with 3-D sticky squares. For the ‘YOU ARE’, I used self-adhesive foam letters.

Finally, this card was made for a special young-at-heart lady who recently retired from SAM (Stroke Recovery Association of Manitoba). She was an integral part of the non-profit organization, in charge of the crafty fundraising ladies who sew, knit and crochet items that are sold at many of their social functions & available for sale at the SAM office.

Now that she’s 90 something, she figured it was time to retire! I had only met her once when I was asked to make her card. Fortunately, I came across this dress-makers paper that I thought would make a great background for her card. I cut the dress-makers piece 4-1/2″ x 3-1/4″, the yellow card stock 5″ x 3-3/4″ and the green card stock base 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″, which I folded in half. I trimmed all the corners with my corner punch and sponged all the edges with green ink. I used Sookwang to attach the papers and card stock. The ‘Happy Retirement’ sentiment was stamped in black ink with a backing of yellow card stock. These, too, had their corners trimmed and edges sponged. I added the green polka dot brown ribbon, attaching it with wide Sookwang double-sided tape. I found 3 khaki-coloured buttons and attached them with sticky dots. I cut out a spool-shape out of cream-coloured card stock and wrapped green thread around it, attaching it with a 3-D sticky square.

Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you have a great ‘Hump Day’! 🙂

Crafty Wednesday – Honey Pop

Welcome to another Crafty Wednesday. Today I’d like to introduce a fun new product, a honeycomb paper called Honey Pop by Inky Antics. You’ve certainly seen this pop-up product in cards and decorations, such as the bells for wedding and umbrellas for showers. I learned how to use this product while at my scrapbook weekend back in September. I noticed the product while browsing the ‘store’ at the event, which was an area set up by the owner of The Scrapbook Cottage. The stamp set first caught my eye, because it was very cute, and then I noticed the sample card with the pop-up element, so of course I had to buy the green honeycomb paper, too! 🙂

The stamp set was called ‘Ornament Birdy’ – and I’m sure you can see why! The tree and present are from a stamp set I borrowed from my sister-in-law and I’m afraid I don’t know the company or stamp set names. The chick is one of two bird stamps in the set by Inky Antics as is the star on top of the tree.

The inside is the fun part. Start by placing the stamp in the direction indicated on the honeycomb paper. See the arrow printed on the paper? There is a corresponding arrow on the stamp that came with the ‘Ornament Birdy’ stamp set. Ink up your stamp, line up those two lines, and press the stamp onto the paper to give you the outline around which you should cut. The dotted line indicates that it will be on the fold of the card and should be cut along with the other edges of the image.

Once you’ve cut out your tree (or whatever object you might want to pop out of your card), you’ll want to secure it to your card. They suggest glue, but I think that takes too long to dry and could muck up your paper. I used a sheet of Soowkang double-sided tape. I first stamped two of the half-tree images and cut out around them. I removed the backing on one side of the tape and attached it to the honeycomb tree. I did the same to the other side of the tree.

I peeled off the backing on one side of the tree and attached it near, but not quite on, the fold of the card. I then peeled off the backing from the other side, closed the card over it and rubbed the card so the Sookwang stuck evenly to the card. When it opens up, it looks like this:

Of course, I then added all the other elements, too. Please note: The inside of this card is not the one that matches the front of the card above. I made this one to demonstrate the process. Below are the inside & outside of these two cards. They can be mixed and matched any way you like, or you could come up with your own combination.

For the one card, before adding any of the elements, I ran it through the Cuttlebug using the ‘Dots’ embossing folder. On green paper, I heat embossed the tree (from the Stampin’ Up ‘Christmas Lodge’ stamp set) using green glittery embossing powder, then cut it out and attached the star and jewels with craft glue. The ‘Merry Christmas sentiment came from the ‘Ornament Birdy’ stamp set.

For the other card, before I stuck on the tree, I first attached a silver doily as a backdrop for the tree, using the strong Sookwang tape so it wouldn’t pull away from the card base. The other elements, including the sentiment, were from the ‘Ornament Birdy’ set.

Personally, I think I like the plainer inside of the ‘Dots’ card (without the doily) and the swirly tree stamp of the other card. I’ll definitely have to get my hands on that stamp, or borrow it from my Sister-in-law, again! 🙂

What do you think?

Crafty Wednesday – A poinsettia, a reindeer, and a mouse

Welcome to another Crafty Wednesday!

Sorry I haven’t posted too much else over the past week. Where does the time go? It has been busier than usual and I didn’t even have an interview to post last weekend. I had been toying with doing another character interview, but didn’t have time to compile one.

Okay, enough chit-chat. On with the cards! This card is the last one I made for the Sketch Challenges at my October scrapbook weekend. It is a landscape-oriented card, which called for two round-cornered squares on each side in different patterned paper, a fancy label section in the middle with a sentiment and a main element in the centre of the card. In addition, there should be embellishments along the top of the left-hand square and the bottom of the right-hand square.

Now let’s see my interpretation of the Sketch Challenge:

As you can see, I decided not to go with a ‘Partridge-In-A-Pear-Tree’ element but chose instead a poinsettia. You can get these types of flowers from your local craft store. There are four layers to mine – a paper flower, a fine mesh flower shape overlay and two paper leaf shapes held together with a yellow brad. Instead of centering the poinsettia, I decided to off-set it a bit, piercing the edge of the left-hand square before attaching it to the card.

I ran the front of the card base through the Cuttlebug, using the ‘Victoria’ embossing folder before attaching the squares. The label was cut and embossed with the Cuttlebug as well, using the ‘Fanciful Labels’ folder. I used a sponge to brush on a pale green ink to the raised parts of the label and heat-embossed the sentiment (from Close To My Heart‘s ‘Card Chatter – Christmas’ clear acrylic stamp set) with black embossing powder. I just realized I didn’t add the embellishments. I might still do so as I picked up some pearlized self-sticking ‘jewels’ that I could add along the edges of the squares to ‘punch’ it up a bit.

The design was very simple, so I finished the inside of the card in similar style by simply cutting out the label (Sizzix ‘Decorative Labels #4’) and embossing the sentiment across its middle.

The design on the next card was one that came to me in a dream. (Yes, I really do dream about making cards!) I thought it would look like a snow globe. What do you think?

Supplies:

White card stock base (8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″, folded in half).
Red/orange patterned paper as the background (5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″)
Dark green card stock (4-1/4″ x 3″).
2″ circle of white card stock (cut with a circle punch)
Reindeer stamp (I used the one from Stampin’ Up‘s ‘Winter Post’ wood stamp set).
2 – 2″ circles cut from a Sookwang sheet
Dark green ink pad (or black)
White glitter
Tree stamp (I used the one from Stampin’ Up‘s ‘Christmas Lodge’ set)
Close To My Heart‘s ‘Vanilla Cream’ pigment-based ink pad (or something similar that won’t bleed into the card stock)
6-1/2″ length of 1/4″ wide white ribbon tied in a bow
4-1/2″ x 3/4″ scrap of white card stock
Versa Mark sticky pad (or Martha Stewart‘s ‘Glue Pad’)
Black embossing powder
Heat tool
Sticky Dots
1/4″ wide Sookwang double-sided tape
Sharp scissors
Paper cutter

Instructions:

1. Use Sookwang tape to attach red/orange paper to front of the card base
2. To the right-hand side of the green card stock rectangle, stamp the tree using the Vanilla pigment ink pad. NB: Make sure you have scrap paper underneath the project so ink will not transfer to your desk top, since you will only be stamping half the tree. Set aside to allow drying time as the pigment ink takes much longer than normal inks to dry.
3. Stamp reindeer onto white card stock circle.
4. Affix Sookwang circles to both front and back of reindeer circle, but keep the backing on the rear until glitter has been applied.
5. Peel front backing off Sookwang/reindeer circle. Sprinkle on the glitter, rubbing it all around the circle until no sticky parts remain. Shake off extra glitter.
6. Once the tree on the green card stock has completely dried, peel off remaining Sookwang backing and affix sparkly reindeer circle to the centre of green card stock.
7. Using Sticky Dots, attach ribbon bow to the top left-hand corner of the green rectangle, securing the ends to the back of the card stock.
8. Attach green card stock to centre of red/orange patterned paper using Sookwang tape.
9. Stamp the sentiment onto scrap of white card stock using Versa Mark. Sprinkle embossing powder over it, ensuring that all the sentiment has been covered. Use heat tool to set the powder. Once the powder has cooled, cut around sentiment.
10. Affix sentiment to bottom of green card stock and overlapping the red/orange pattern slightly

And you’re done! It always seems more complicated when I write it all out in point form, like this. It really isn’t all that difficult. The main thing you need to remember is how long the pigment ink takes to dry. I’ve often ruined cards because I didn’t wait long enough and the image got smudged.

This final card is very cute, I think. I want to thank my sister-in-law for lending me her stamp. It went very well with the candy cane patterned paper I found.

I stamped the image using a Versa Mark sticky pad and sprinkled the black embossing powder over it, shaking off the extra. I used my heat tool to set the powder, then painted the candy cane, the light chord and the light bulbs with my shiny paints. Using the cotton balls that come with the set, I smudged ‘Pebbles Cream Chalk’  to make the ‘glow’ around the light bulbs and add colour to the mouse. Using my paper cutter, I cut out around the mouse and rounded the corners with a paper punch. I cut out a rectangle of wine-coloured card stock that was about a 1/2 inch larger than the mouse, also punching the rounded corners. I then rubbed the edges with a Versa Mark pen, sprinkled peppermint-scented embossing powder onto the sticky surface and used my heat tool to set it. It became a bit shiny, as you can see, and added that extra ‘Scratch-and-Sniff’ element that goes so well with the candy cane theme.

I attached the mouse to the red card stock and the red card stock to the candy cane patterned paper with a glue runner. I affixed the entire card front to a plain white card stock base (5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″, folded in half) with Sookwang two-sided tape to hold it securely.

There’s only one more card that I made during my crafting weekend, but it involves a brand new product and process which I will show you next time.

In the meantime, happy crafting, everyone! 🙂

Crafty Wednesday – Christmas Cards

I just calculated that there are exactly 7 weeks until Christmas Day, so I will post a couple more Christmas cards for you eager beavers who might want some ideas on hand-crafted cards to hand out to your family and friends. Back in October, after my scrapbook weekend, I posted a couple of cards I’d made based on Sketch Challenges. I thought I’d do some more of those for you.

The first ‘challenge’ I want to cover today is this one. Notice that the main elements of this card are:

1) 5 squares (1-1/4″ each) of differing paper,

2) a ‘ribbon’ of some kind that runs the length of this portrait-oriented card

3) an embellishment (the flower)

4) the sentiment.

5) card stock base

This is a great card to use up any small scraps of paper you might have hanging around, as long as the colours sort of go together. You also will need a corner punch to round off the opposite corners on each square. That pretty much gives you the list of materials you will need, other than the usual, such as scissors, paper cutter and sticky tape/dots to affix your elements.

Option: two small brads

Step 1 – Cut card stock base 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″. Fold in half.
Optional – the centre piece of card stock cut to 3 3/4″ x 5″. (I know pink isn’t a normal Christmas colour, but it complemented the glittery striped card stock that I used for the squares. In retrospect, I should have embossed it the same as the light blue squares)

Step 2 -Before cutting out the light blue squares, run the card stock through the Cuttlebug, embossing them using the ‘Large Snowflake’ folder. Cut out 5 – 1-1/2″ squares, rounding off opposing corners with a punch. Attach to card, as shown, using sticky dots or a glue runner.

Step 3 – Cut  5-1/2″ long piece of 1/2″ wide ribbon. Wrap around card, as shown, and affix ends to back of card with Sookwang or some other permanent double-sided tape. (Since the centre of the ribbon was transparent with small snowflakes, which are very hard to see in the picture, I wrapped three strands of purple chord  around the centre of the ribbon.) The ribbon I used was from a Walmart package of 5 spools, each of differing widths, that I purchased at an end-of-season sale. The package really drew my attention because I’m a magpie who loves glittery things! 🙂

Step 4 – Choose an embellishment no more than 2″ high or wide. Since I was focussing on Seasonal cards, I chose a snowflake as the main embellishment. This one was from a sheet of plastic stickers with metal trim. Other suggestions might be a sticker or stamped version of a snowman, Santa Clause, angel, reindeer, etc. Use your imagination and whatever you have in your craft supplies! 🙂

Step 5 – Centre your embellishment as shown and affix over ribbon. If you use brads to secure your embellishment, be sure to do this before gluing on the cover card.

Step 6 – Measure the distance from your embellishment to the edge of the card and cut a 3/4″ wide strip of white card stock. Stamp your sentiment with black ink or use embossing powder and a heat tool for a more finished look. Attach sentiment with glue runner, sticky dots or brads, as I have done.

Step 7 – If you decided to add the contrasting card stock cover, affix it to the card base, centering it and using a strong adhesive such as Sookwang tape or permanent glue runner.

This second card is a square one, the finished card measuring 5″ x 5″. This card design also uses up a lot of those scraps you might have lying around your craft room. It’s a bit more complicated, using many more elements than the last one, but I liked the way mine turned out.

As you can see, there is:

1) a base – card stock measuring 10″ x 5″, folded in half

2) cover card stock (4-1/2″ square)

3) a 3/4″ wide ribbon, cut to 5″ in length, placed horizontally across the centre

4) an image (stamped or an embellishment of some kind) placed over a ‘mat’, measuring 2″ x 2-3/4″

5) a strip of contrasting paper behind the image measuring 1-1/2″ x 5″

6) a 3-1/4″ x 2-1/4″ rectangle in the upper right-hand corner

7) a half-circle (cut with a 2″ circle punch and trimmed with a paper cutter) below the rectangle

8) the sentiment in the bottom right-hand corner.

Here is my version, The Skaters, from the Stampin’ Up set ‘Winter Post’:

As you can see, after heat embossing the image, I used my shiny paint set to colour the skaters. Once the paint dried, I trimmed the image and glued it to the ‘mat’.

Once you’ve cut out all the elements, it’s just a matter of attaching them to the card. I always make sure I use the most permanent type of glue-runner or Sookwang double-sided tape to affix the bottom elements that have other things stuck to it, as it has the most stress. In this case, that would be the orange square of textured card stock. After the cover card stock (orange square) is attached to the base, glue these on in order:

1) strip of card stock on left-hand side (striped), about 3/4″ from outer edge of card.

2) rectangle in upper right-hand corner, allowing an even spacing around the top and right-hand edges so the cover card stock is visible.

3) Attach the half-circle below the rectangle, partially covering the strip on the left.
Option: emboss the half-circle using the Cuttlebug and whichever folder you prefer. I used ‘Victoria’, one of my favourites. 🙂

4) ribbon, just below the centre mark, covering the bottom of the rectangle.

5) image, allowing about 1/4″ of the rectangle to be visible and overlapping the ribbon, slightly.

6) sentiment in the lower right-hand corner. I used the sentiment from Stampin’ Up‘s ‘Bells and Boughs’ set, which I trimmed with scissors.

Hope you enjoyed this little ‘demo’! 🙂

Sketch challenges

On Wednesday’s post, I mentioned volunteering for our local writer’s festival. I also briefly touched on last weekend’s scrapbook extravaganza during which I participated in a variety of sketch challenges. For those that missed the explanation of what a sketch challenge is, here it is in more detail. For each challenge we were presented with a sketch of a scrapbook page layout or a card layout. These sketches were guidelines, or blueprints, on how the page or card should look. We got to choose what stamps, embellishments and paper to use, but you had to follow the guidelines as closely as possible. Here is the first example:

As you can see, the card would need a sentiment, 3 different strips of paper, a contrasting ribbon-type thing beneath the strips and 3 of the same type of images. This is what my card looks like:

I chose to use the coffee mug stamps from the Close To My Heart set from the ‘Wonderland’ Workshop on the Go. Since the images are fairly large, I had to start with a larger-than-normal sized card stock base – 6-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ (folded dimensions). The ribbon element I created with a holly-edge punch and green card stock, trimming it so it fit the card. The sentiment is also from the WotG stamp set. The hardest part was trying to find paper that went together (sort-of).

Since I had time before the next challenge started, I finished the inside, as well. It’s kind of hard to see the sparkly snowflake pattern at the bottom. The mittens were also part of the WotG stamp set and fit in nicely with the ‘warm my heart’ sentiment on the front. Now, I’m sure all you crafty folk could use whatever stamp you wanted to start with and find complimentary papers to complete this challenge. 🙂

The second challenge was this:

As you can see, there is a musical theme to this sketch, requiring a strip of music paper cut around the ornament on the left. It is a standard-sized landscape card (5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″). Here is my vision of it:

I started by embossing the front of the card with the Polka Dot folder for the Cuttlebug, then added the green and gold contrast paper, an inch smaller in length and width to the card. For the ornament, I used the Cuttlebug die-cutter,  ‘Stocking, Ornament, Lightbulb’. I cut a square of shiny gold card stock to fit over the ornament cutter (there are 3 designs on the cutter), then passed it through the machine. The die-cutter also perforates the squiggly bit in the middle and the top part, so I cut out a red ornament and the silver bit for the top, trimming the pieces so they separated from the whole and used glue dots to attach them to the gold ornament. I looped a bit of silver elastic through the hole in the top to ‘hang’ it on the card. If you look closely at the sketch above the music, there are a series of dots. I decided to go along with the musical theme and added note-shaped sequins. I cut the half-circle end of the musical strip with my 2″ circle punch. I used some burgundy and white-striped ribbon and attached it over the music and under the ornament with Sookwang tape. The wavy bit of shiny striped card stock I first embossed with my wavy-edge folder and Cuttlebug, then cut the edge by following the embossing. (I didn’t have my shaping scissors with me!) I know the colours are a little unusual for a Christmas-themed card, but it seems anything goes, these days! 🙂

Well, that’s about all I have time for, today. I completed 7 challenges, so I will share the others another time. In addition, I managed to create 3 more cards using some unique elements, which I will also share at a later date. By the time Christmas rolls around, you’ll have lots of card ideas!

Feel free to share YOUR ideas for Christmas cards, too. 🙂

Crafty Wednesday – pretty cards for ladies

There are so many lovely stamps and accessories that making a feminine card is easy. Here are a few examples:

The front of this card has two elements from Stampin’ Up‘s ‘Rue des Fleur’ set. Along with the pen and parasol, there is also a corset bursting with flowers, a trumpet spouting greenery and the word ‘Thanks’. To make this card yourself, here is a list of other materials you will need:

Purple card stock for the base (5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″)
Blue ink pad
Blue card stock to match your ink
White card stock
Paper cutter
Ticket corner punch

Sharp scissors
Versa Mark sticky pad
Black heat-emboss powder
Heat tool
2-1/2″ scalloped circle punch
2″ circle punch
‘Happy Birthday’ stamp
Glue runner
3-D double-sided tape
Cuttlebug
‘Victoria’ embossing folder
MS Word and printer
Lost and Found2 stamp set
Shiny paint set
Extra-fine brush

Instructions

1. Emboss the front of the card, using the Cuttlebug and ‘Victoria’ folder. Fold card stock in half.
2. On the white card stock, print out sentiment using Word. Cut around it with paper cutter and use ticket corner punch on each corner.
3. Stamp pen and parasol, using blue ink pad on remaining white card stock. Carefully cut around images.
4. Stamp ‘Happy Birthday’ using Versa Mark pad, allowing enough room on the page for the circle punch to cut around it.
5. Sprinkle embossing powder onto image, shake off excess, and heat until the powder melts. Let cool. Cut out with the circle punch.
6. Punch out the blue scalloped circle and attach the ‘Happy Birthday’ circle to the centre of it using glue runner.
7. Attach the scalloped circle ‘Happy Birthday’ element to the centre of the front of the card with a glue runner.
8. Attach pen and parasol to the front of the card as shown using 3-D tape. The front is now complete.
9. For the inside of the card, cut out a piece of the blue card stock 5″ x 3″ and use the ticket corner punch on each corner.
10. Attach sentiment to the centre of the blue card stock with glue runner and attach to inside of card as shown.
11. Stamp 2 of the stained-glass elements with Versa Mark on remaining whit card stock. Sprinkle embossing powder onto image, removing excess. Heat powder until it melts and allow to cool.
12. Paint the stained glass in any colour variation you like, making sure that each half circle has the same colour combination.
13. Allow paint to dry for a few minutes, then cut around them, attaching one to each side of the card with glue runner.

I decided to do something completely different with card #2. I added velum to add another level. One thing I should have done was stamp the outline on one side, then turned it over to paint the rest on the other so the outline didn’t get painted over. Thats why I usually prefer to use the black embossing powder if I am going to paint an image because the outline is raised and more visible. I was not sure what heat would do to the velum, so I just used black ink.

Materials

Yellow card stock 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″
White card stock
Velum 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″
Cuttlebug
Poppies embossing folder

Pebbles Metallic Cream Chalks & applicator
Paper creaser (or pencil – not too sharp)
Ruler
Black permanent ink pad
Red ink pad
Brown ink pad
Rose or poppy stamp
Butterfly stamp (I used one from Martha Stewart’s set)
Shiny paint
Extra-fine brush
2″ circle punch
2-1/2″ scalloped circle punch
2 strips of 1/2″ yellow ribbon, each 5-1/2″ long
Strip of poppy-print paper 5″ x 1-1/2″
Orange paper
MS Word and printer
1/8″ Soowkwang double sided tape
Glue runner
3-D  double-sided tape

Instructions

1. Using Cuttlebug, emboss poppy pattern on a 5-1/2″ edge of the card, making sure that the raised part of the pattern will be on the right-hand side and right-side up.
2. Fold card in half so that the embossed poppies are on the right side of the card front.
3. Lightly brush green metallic chalk over raised portions of the stems and leaves of the embossed poppies, red chalk over the flowers and black over the stamens.
4. Along one 5-1/2″ edge of the velum, use the ruler to measure a 1/4″ seam the whole length of the edge.
5. Use your paper creaser (or pencil) to trace the edge so that you can easily fold the velum at the 1/4″ mark.
6. Wrap the 1/4″ edge of the velum around the right-hand edge of the card front to get a good idea where to stamp the rose/poppy image so that most of the embossed poppies are visible.
7. Stamp the flower in black ink on the front of the velum.
8. Turn velum over and paint the flower. Let dry for a few minutes.
9. On white card stock, print out the sentiment (“Hope your birthday blossoms into dreams that come true”)
10. Cut out sentiment with scalloped circle punch.
11. On remaining white card stock, stamp the Happy Birthday in red ink and cut out with circle punch.
12. Stamp butterfly in brown ink on orange paper and cut out.
13. Now that painted flower is dry, attach the Sookwang tape to the folded edge of the velum so that it will attach to the inside of the card. Attach a strip of the Sookwang tape to the inside of the opposite side of the velum. Peel off the Sookwang backing and carefully attach velum to the front of the card, wrapping the folded edge so it attaches snugly to the inside of the card. (Sorry if that sounds confusing. I should have taken pictures to illustrate the process. Basically, the velum is hooked onto the card front and attached with the double-sided tape)
14. Using the Sookwang tape, attach ribbon along both of the velum’s edges to hide the tape.
15.  With 3-D tape, attach ‘Happy Birthday’ circle to the top centre of the card front.
16. Inside, using a glue runner, attach the poppy-print paper strip to the folded edge of the card and secure the scalloped circle sentiment on the yellow part near the top of the card as shown.
17. Attach the butterfly as shown using the 3-D tape.

Phew! That was more complicated than I thought! Hope I didn’t confuse any of you! 🙂

I think that will be all for today. Enjoy your Wednesday, whether you choose to spend it crafting, writing or working on other things. 🙂

Crafty Wednesday – kids cards

Welcome to another Crafty Wednesday. Sorry it’s been awhile since I actually posted about my cards but I’m sure you know how busy life can get sometimes. Today I have a few cards for kids to show you. Some might be similar to ones I’ve shown you before, but they are not exactly the same. Let’s start with the owl. It is suitable for a girl or a boy.

To recreate the front of the card you will need:

Dark green card stock, 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″
a long-stemmed plant stamp
black ink pad
wood-grain specialty paper
2-1/2″ circle punch
Stampin’ Up‘s Owl punch
brown paper (about 2″ x 3″)
cream-coloured paper (about 1-1/2″ x 2-1/2″)
yellow card stock (about 1″ square)
red permanent marker
glue runner &/or Sticky Dots
double-sided sticky tape
quick-drying white glue with narrow nozzle
yellow ‘google eyes (those plastic ones with the pupils that move)
leaf stamp
white card stock
olive green ink pad
a strip of green paper 1-1/2″ wide
sharp scissors
lady bug brad
sentiments printed using word processor – any font & colour you prefer

Instructions:

1. Fold green card stock in half to create the 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ portrait sized card
2. Stamp the foliage at the bottom of the card.
3. From the wood-grain paper, cut out a tree trunk that is at least an inch wider than your circle punch
4. Use the punch to cut out the hole in the tree, approximately 1/2 way down the trunk
5. Punch out the owl body from the brown paper and the chest part from the cream-coloured paper
6. Attach the chest part to the owl body with a glue runner
7. Cut out a 1″ diamond shape from the yellow card stock, fold it in half and draw a red line down from the fold to create the tongue.
8. Glue the beak just above the chest piece. Glue the eyes above the beak. Set aside to dry.
9. On the white card stock, print out the sentiments for both front and inside (see below) of card and cut it out. on the left over card stock, stamp out several ‘branches’ using the olive green ink pad and cut them out
10. Cut a fringe along one edge of the green paper to look like grass
11. Once the owl has dried, tape it to the inside of the tree trunk so it is looking out through the hole
12. Before attaching the tree trunk to middle of the card with the double-sided tape, stick the lady bug brad about an inch up from the bottom of the tree trunk
13. Tape the ‘grass’ strip to the bottom of the card, so that the lady bug is peeking above it. If the grass strip is too wide, it can be trimmed with a paper cutter
14. Attach the leafy branches in an overlap pattern at the top of the card using a glue runner or sticky dots

For the inside, I used:

Green paper 5″ x 3-3/4″
Cuttlebug
Owl embossing folder
2 gold-coloured ‘jewels’
quick-drying white glue
3-D sticky strips
double-sided tape
Brown and gold-coloured Pebbles Metallic Cream Chalks
Printed sentiment from word processor
Ticket corner punch (Stampin’ Up)
glue runner
Q-Tip

Instructions:

1. Use the Cuttlebug and owl embossing folder to create the owl pattern on the green paper. The paper will be a little smaller than the pattern, so place it fairly evenly on the folder before running it through the Cuttlebug
2. Using a Q-Tip (or the cotton balls that come with the Cream Chalks) apply the cream chalk colour to the raised portion of the owl embossing to help make it stand out (click above to see a demonstration)
3. Centre the green owl-embossed paper to the card and attach with double-sided tape
4. Attach jewel eyes with a drop of glue. Set aside to dry
5. Trim the sentiment to size and clip corners using the ticket corner punch. Attach it to the green with the 3-D sticky strips.

One down, two to go! This pretty little girl’s card is fairly simple to make using Close To My Heart‘s ‘Magic Adventure’ stamp set.

What else you will need:

White card stock 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ folded in half
White card stock for embossing
Pink polka-dot paper 5″ x 3-3/4″
Thin string, thread or cord at least 5-1/2″ long
small 1″ squares of multi-colored paper
2″ scalloped oval punch
double-sided tape
3-D strips
shiny paints (or markers or coloured pencils to fill in the design)
Versa Mark sticky pad
black heat-embossing powder
green heat-embossing powder
heat tool
star stamp
silver ink pad
curved-corner punch
printed sentiment using word processor

Instructions:

1. Attach double-sided tape to coloured squares and fold squares over the string to make little flags.
2. Attach string of flags to the back of the pink polka-dot paper with tape, about 1/2″ from the top
3. Centre pink polka-dot paper and attach to front of card
4. Stamp the carousel horse with Versa Mark. Sprinkle on embossing powder, shaking off excess. Use heat tool to melt and set the powder
5. Colour in the design as you like, either with paint, colored pencils or markers. The nice thing about the embossed image is that it keeps the paint from running into the wrong area.
6. Cut out sentiment with scalloped punch.
7. Attach both sentiment and stamped image to the card with squares of 3-D tape

Now for the inside:

1. Using the Versa Mark sticky pad, stamp the roller coaster image to the centre of the card.
2 Sprinkle on the embossing powder, shaking off excess, and heating to set.
3. Using a star stamp and silver ink pad, stamp the area of card above the roller coaster.
4. Stamp the sentiment from the ‘Magic Adventure’ set using the Versa Mark pad
5. Sprinkle on the green embossing powder, shake off excess and heat until set
6. Trim the sentiment and punch off the corners. Attach to card with 3-D sticky tape.

This next feminine card has a bit of a circus theme to it. I used the acrylic stamps from the My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found 2 ‘Rosy “Everything” designs’ stamp set. The set has a vintage look to it and included the tight-rope walker, a hot air balloon, stamps, coins, a typewriter, among other things. I think it might be a discontinued set, as I have not been able to find one on-line to show you. Anyway, without further ado, here is the list of supplies:

Pink card stock 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ folded on half
Cuttlebug
Dots embossing folder
Frames die-cutter
Pale blue card stock approximately 3″ x 2″
navy blue ink pad
sponge or ink dauber
Crop-A-Dile
2 pink flower eyelets
pink cord
Flowery ribbon approximately 10″ long
1/8″ wide double-sided tape
2 pieces of Cloud specialty paper, (5″ x 3-3/4″), (5-1/2″ x 2″) cut so that clouds are facing the right way
Versa Mark sticky pad
black heat-embossing powder
heat tool
2″ scalloped circle punch
shiny paints, coloured pencils or markers
sentiments printed on white card stock using word processor
stencils for oval shapes or oval punches (2″, 2-1/2″)
small sticky dots
3-D double-sided tape
glue runner
sharp scissors

Instructions:

1. Using the Cuttlebug and dots embossing folder, place the front of the card into the folder so the dots are punched out on the front. Run through Cuttlebug.
2. Using the Frames die-cutter, place pale blue card stock over the cutting blade and run through Cuttlebug.
3. Cut out the front sentiment by either tracing the oval around it and cutting it out with scissors or using the appropriate sized punch. Sponge around the edges of frame and sentiment with navy ink
4. Centre sentiment on frame and attach with glue runner. Attach frame to the front of the card with 3-D tape
5. Using the Crop-A-Dile, punch holes on either side of the larger piece of cloud paper a little higher than halfway up the page. Insert the flower eyelet into the hole and press with the Crop-A-Dile. Repeat with other hole.
6. String the cord through the eyelets loosely and secure to the back of the cloud paper with double-sided tape
7. Centre the cloud paper to the front of the card and attach with double-sided tape
8. Tie a bow in the centre of your ribbon and attach with double-sided tape to the left-hand edge of card, covering the edge of the cloud paper
9. Stamp images (tight-rope walker and balloon) using Versa Mark, sprinkle with embossing powder and heat until set. Carefully cut around images and colour as desired.
10. On front of the card, use Sticky Dots to attach the tight-rope walker to the cord and card as shown
11. Punch out half a scalloped circle from smaller rectangle of cloud paper about 1-1/2″ from the top. Attach remaining cloud paper rectangle to the left-hand side of the card with glue runner.
12. Place the half scalloped circle opposite its other half and attach with glue runner
13. Trace an oval shape around the sentiment for the inside of the card and cut (or punch) out. Centre over the scalloped circle and attach with 3-D tape
14. Attach the balloon to the bottom of the cloud rectangle with 3-D tape

And there you have it! Three cute cards for kids. Actually, the tight-rope walker one could also be for a teen or young adult. I gave this one to a pre-teen.

So, what crafty things have YOU done lately?

Crafty Wednesday – masculine cards

Welcome to another Crafty Wednesday! 🙂

With all the pretty paper, stamps and embellishments on the market today, it can be difficult to find something masculine for the men in your life. That’s why I thought I’d focus on them, today. Last time I was at The Scrapbook Cottage, they were having a paper sale, so I picked up some more masculine paper with a camping theme. I thought this striped paper from the 12 x 12″ ‘Camp-A-Lot’ collection by Bo Bunny Press would be perfect for some cards I had in mind. I loved the paw and footprints that were in some of the wider stripes.

The base for this card is beige card stock, cut so that the card dimensions when folded are 5-1/2 x 4-1/4″. I cut the striped paper to 5 x 3-3/4″ and attached it to the base. I added some felt animal stickers that I’d picked up somewhere along the line. Dollar Store, maybe? I can’t remember. Anyway, they were perfect for this outdoorsy-type card. All the black heat-embossed sentiments are from Close To My Heart’s ‘Pure Adventure’ stamp set.

Inside, I cut a 3-1/2″ scalloped circle with my paper punch out of my 6 x 6″ ‘Weekend Market’ paper pack, also by Bo Bunny. Onto this I added the sentiments. The ‘Happy Birthday’ is from Stampin’ Up. The stamp can be found in either the ‘Plane & Simple set or the ‘You’re My Type’ set. The ‘Kitty Cat Paw Border’ stamp is from INKADINKADO and can be found here, although I found mine at Michael’s. It’s a fairly simple card to make and perfect for the outdoorsman in your circle of friends and family.

 

Here are two more masculine cards, using buttons and twine. Everyone has buttons lying around, so this should be easy for you, too.

Using the Bo Bunny striped paper again, I cut it to measure 5 x 3-3/4″ and cut beige card stock the same dimensions as the previous card for the base.

Hint: Before attaching stuff to the front of this card, emboss the inside (see below) by running the ‘Moroccan Screen’ embossing folder and your card base through the Cuttlebug. I thought of embossing it after the front of the card was done and broke one of the buttons because of the pressure of the rollers. Then I had to glue on a replacement button.

Before attaching the striped paper to the base, wrap twine around it three times and slide on three buttons, placing them so they line up with the largest of the three in the centre. Make sure you use a strong adhesive like Sookwang to hold the twine and the paper in place.

The light brown label was cut out using the ‘Fanciful Labels’ cutting/embossing folder and my Cuttlebug. I stamped the ‘Happy Birthday’ (by INKADINKADO) using my Versa Mark and black embossing powder, which I then heated to produce the desired effect. Since the lettering was just an outline, I painted in the centre of each letter using my shiny paint set and a very fine brush. The label was attached with 3-D sticky tape and slipped underneath the twine so that some of the striped paper s visible on the right-hand side. Sticky Dots can be used to hold the buttons in their desired places.

The inside of the card is fairly simple. I cut a rectangle out of contrasting card stock (approximately 3-1/2 x 2-1/2″) and trimmed the corners with my ‘Ticket Corner’ punch by Stampin’ Up. I printed out the sentiment with MS Word (I usually set the page to 3 columns so the width is the right size). I cut it to fit the frame and trimmed the corners with the punch. Everything was attached with a glue runner since there wasn’t much weight to any of the elements.

 

This card is very similar to the previous one, except I used wooden buttons and made sure this nature-lover could see the paw and hoof prints in the paper. The base was cut the same size as the others using a camel-colored card stock.

I also discovered a new technique that could be done with the cutting/embossing folder. Before removing the label from the folder, once it’s cut out, the embossed portions of the label are exposed. You can then brush an inked sponge over the exposed portions to create the outlines. It brings out the raised parts quite nicely, don’t you think? I stamped the sentiment (same stamp as before) but instead of heat-embossing it, I just used the same brown ink I’d used on the outlines.

The inside is similar to the previous card, except for the sentiment. I cut out the contrasting card stock so it was an inch larger than the sentiment. I added the paw prints across the bottom corner to coordinate it with the paper on the front. I used the same brown ink as on the front of the card.

And there you have it – three simple masculine cards, each one slightly different, each one unique.

 

Hope you enjoyed this week’s projects. These cards would be easy enough for a beginner to try, so if you’ve been thinking this is a hobby you’d like to explore, why not start with a pattern similar to these? Happy crafting! 🙂

Crafty Wednesday – Cuttlebug demo

Hi, folks! Since ‘reveal day’ is getting closer, I didn’t want to give a sneak peek to any relatives who might be wondering what their cards look like, since I’ve started to label the photos I take with the person they’re for and the year. This way, I can keep track of the style of card I give a person so I don’t make the mistake of doing the same type of card for them the next year!

Instead of showcasing my cards, I thought I’d demonstrate my Cuttlebug, using a new embossing folder I picked up at Scrapbook Cottage’s Garage Sale a couple of weeks ago. I think the wrong folder was put in the package I bought, but I still like it – and for 3 bucks, I can’t complain! The one I am referring to is the one on the bottom of the picture. The 3 folders shown are of the larger variety, measuring 5″ x 7″ instead of the usual 3-3/4″ x 5″ size.

To start with, for those who have never used a Cuttlebug before, here is what mine looks like. It’s an older model, but works just as well as the newer models that have folding handles, which makes it easier to transport. (I’m jealous!) With mine, you need a wrench to remove the handle – and it’s green. The one I recently bought for my niece is black.

There is a similar product on the market, too, called The Big Shot. It works basically the same and all the embossing folders seem to work on either machine. The machine itself has fold-out guide shelves, a handle for carrying and the crank handle, which turns rollers in the centre portion that press against the plates to form the designs. It can be used by either hand – just turn the machine around, if you happen to be left-handed. There are plastic plates of varying thicknesses depending on the thickness of your embossing folder or die-cutter. Today, I will just demonstrate the embossing procedure and leave the die-cutting for another time. If anyone is interested in learning about that, leave me a comment to that regard and I will show you how my die-cutting plates work. In the meantime, here is how embossing works:

Step #1 – remove embossing folder from its package, find the paper or card stock you want to emboss and place the paper/card stock inside the folder.

Step #2 – sandwich the embossing folder between the two thin clear plastic plates (labeled ‘B’). Leave a bit of space at the top so the machine can ‘grab’ it.

Step # 3 – Place the two ‘B’ plates on top of the thicker white plate ‘A’…

…and place everything on the guide shelf.

Step #4 – Crank the handle until the plates & embossing folder are completely through the rollers and come out on the other side.

Step #5 – Remove your embossed paper/card stock from the folder. You’re done!

There are, however, some things you can do with the embossed impression once you’ve finished…

You can dust it with embossing powder – the non-heat type. This will enhance the images so they are easier to see.

Using a clean brush, remove any excess powder.

The end result.

If you have a steady hand and like to paint, that is also an option. I’ve often mentioned using my glittery shiny paints that I’ve used to embellish stamped and embossed images. Well, here is what the set looks like:

It’s called Pearl Ex Watercolor CD Series. It comes in a handy CD-sized package which is easy to bring with me whenever I go other places to scrapbook. I only wish I could remember where I bought it!

Since the pattern on the embossing folder reminded me of stained glass, I chose the black paper, thinking it would look really cool once it was painted. What do you think?

Above is the final results of my handiwork. I cut apart each panel to show what each individual panel looks like. The far left shows the image reversed, with the outlines indented. The second is the painted panel. Third is the glitter-embossed version and the last panel shows what the embossing looks like with the outlines raised. Now, I can use each of the four panels on separate cards. Stay tuned. I’ll figure out what to do with them all and show you in another post.

While the painted version takes the longest to accomplish, I really prefer it over the plain, unembellished versions and even the glitter-embossed one. Now, you know why each card takes me so long to make. 🙂

This is only one element in a card. There’s also deciding what colour palette to put it on, what other embellishments would look good with it and also decide on the appropriate sentiment. Each card I make is unique, usually keeping in mind to whom I will be giving it. People have often told me I should sell my cards, but with all the family & friend I make them for, there isn’t time. I also don’t think I could make cards for random strangers. I might be coerced into being commissioned to make cards for people, as long as I’m told a little bit about the recipient – for a fee, of course! 🙂

So, of the four embossed panels, which one do you prefer and how would you use it on a card or scrapbook page?

Crafty Wednesday

Hello fellow crafters & bloggers!

I thought I’d try a different format for my cards, today, for those people who might want to make one like it. I will introduce them to you then supply you with a list of what I used and describe the process.

It’s been a rather hectic 2 weeks so I didn’t get as many cards made as I had hoped, but I did get the ones done that were needed! A dear friend is retiring this year after working in our school division for about 35 years, so of course I had to make her a card! I made this one big enough that all the staff in her class would have room to sign it and add a comment or two. Mrs. L. is a very colourful and gregarious person so the card reflects that – as did her retirement party this past Monday night. The theme for the party was colour!

Supply List

Fanciful labels

1 sheet of 8 1/2″ x 11″ yellow card stock
Purple card stock (large paisley)
Blue card stock (small paisley)
Green card stock (frame for sentiment)
Orange Card stock (small butterfly)
White card stock (sentiments)
Yellow card stock (large butterfly)
8 1/2″ feathery ribbon
Glue Dots – large & small

Sticky Dots Die-cut Adhesive
Fanciful Labels embossing folder by Cricut (I used the yellow shape)
Cuttlebug plus ‘C’ plate & 2 ‘B’ plates (or a Big Shot)
Versa Mark (or similar) sticky pad for heat embossing
Close To My Heart‘s Sonoma Workshop On The Go acrylic stamp set (or any other style of paisley stamps)
Large swirl from CTMH Love Life clear acrylic stamp set

9 green mini jewels
1 copper-colored mini jewel
1 pink silk flower, 1 3/4″ in diameter
1 small plastic flower (or flower-shaped brad)
small butterfly stamp (I used one from Martha Stewart‘s butterfly clear acrylic stamp set)

Scotch brand Quick Dry Adhesive (I like this brand because it has a fine spout that’s perfect for gluing on the jewels)
Copper embossing powder
Black embossing powder
Green embossing powder
large butterfly stamp (I used one from Martha Stewart‘s set)
white card stock
green paper
orange/yellow poppy specialty paper
2 1/2″ scalloped circle punch
Lacy Labels embossing folders by Cricut
Microsoft Word for printing the sentiments
non-heat embossing powders in green & gold

Directions

1. Fold the yellow card stock in half.
2. Attach the feather ribbon with small Glue Dots along the left-hand side of the card about a 1/2″ from the edge.
3. Cut out the green label using the Fanciful Labels embossing folder & your Cuttlebug. Then, with your sharp pointy scissors, cut neatly along the inside rim of the label.
4. Print out the sentiments, making sure that the ‘Happy Retirement’ is no longer than the inside dimension of the label you just cut out.
5. Carefully attach the label over the sentiment with sticky dots, then centre on card and attach with Sticky Dots.
6. Stamp the paisley prints (large on purple, small on blue card stock) using your sticky pad and then sprinkle with black embossing powder.
7. Use the heat tool to melt the embossing just until it becomes shiny.
8. Carefully cut out your paisley prints and attach to card using the Sticky Dots.
9. Attach silk flower just below the label/sentiment with a large raised Glue Dot. Use a generous amount of Quick Dry Adhesive to attach the plastic flower onto the centre of the silk flower, then glue the copper-colored jewel to the centre of the plastic flower. Allow plenty of time for the glue to dry. (As an alternative, you could use a flower-shaped brad for the centre of the silk flower.)
10. Use Versa Mark to stamp the swirly design beneath the flower and sentiment on an angle. Add the green embossing powder and heat. Glue on the green mini-jewels onto the ends of the swirly bits.
11. Use Versa Mark to stamp the small butterfly on the orange card stock. Add the copper-colored embossing powder and heat. Cut carefully around the outline of the butterfly and attach it to the bottom right corner of the card with a large Glue Dot.

For the inside of the card, use the Cuttlebug to emboss the frame. Carefully cut around the outside of the frame. Brush the leaves with the green non-heat embossing powder and the flowers with the gold. Brush off any excess. Attach the frame to the inside of the card with sticky dots.
2. Punch out a scalloped circle of the orange/yellow poppies. Carefully cut around the sentiment and place it over the centre of this circle. Use sticky dots to affix to the centre of the green frame.
3. Stamp & heat emboss the large butterfly with black embossing powder. Use large Glue Dot to attach to the bottom of the frame below the sentiment.

This card was for one of the students I have worked with since he started Middle School. He is now 21 and will be graduating, this year. He is in a wheelchair and wears braces over his ankles with the imprint of a motorcycle on each one, so I decided to use a motorcycle theme for his card.

Supplies

5 1/2″ x 2 1/5″ Pale green paper for the grass plus another strip 5 1/2″ x 1 3/4″
3″x 3″ pice of darker green paper for inside
5 1/2″ x 1 3/4″ piece of pale blue or ‘cloud-patterned’ paper for the sky
brown card stock
Sookwang sheet (double sided adhesive sheet) – one piece 5 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ (same as the green paper) & another piece the same size as the road
yellow, white & red glitter mixed together (maybe a teaspoon, altogether)
CTMH Born To Ride clear acrylic stamp set (Born To Ride, Motorcycle stamps)
CTMH Dreamin’ Workshop on the Go clear acrylic stamp set (leaf pattern)
CTMH Hero Alphabet clear acrylic stamp set (1, 2, !, &)
CTMH Pure Adventure clear acrylic stamp set (the flying goose)
Versa Mark sticky pad
Black embossing powder
heat tool
sharp scissors
black ink pad
green ink pad
The boy was from a set of paper dolls I got a long time ago and I don’t remember where I got them or what the name of it was.
3-D double-sided sticky squares
The ‘Happy Birthday’ stamp was from the bargain bins at Michael’s
Cuttlebug, ‘C’ plate & 2 ‘B’ plates
Happy Birthday embossing folder

Directions

1. Draw a road on the green paper to the ‘horizon’. Cut out pieces. Trace shapes onto Sookwang and cut out.
2. Trace the road you’ve just cut out onto the brown card stock. Peel off the backing of the Sookwang from the piece that matches the road shape and affix to the front part of the brown road. Remove the rest of the backing and sprinkle the glitter onto the sticky surface. Rub the glitter around so that no stickiness is left. Cut enough Sookwang to cover the back of the road.
3. Snip the road-side edge of the green paper that will go on the right-hand side to look like grass. Attach the matching piece of Sookwang to this pice of ‘grass’ and attach to the bottom right-hand side of the card front.
4. Peel the Sookwang backing from the road and stick into place under the grassy fringe.
5. Match up the left-hand side of grass with the Soowkang and attach grass to the card.
6.  Stamp the motorcycle, numbers, & sentiments using Versa Mark and black embossing powder. Heat until shiny. Carefully cut around each piece.
7. Stamp the flying goose in black ink at the top left-hand corner of ‘sky’.
8. Stamp leaf patterns in the ‘grass’. if you want them to overlap, use the extra piece of green paper and cut out the patterns to suit your taste.
9. Place the boy on the motorcycle and tape the back so he does not fall off the bike. Use 3-D squares to affix the motorcycle and boy as shown.
10 Inside, use the Cuttlebug to emboss a piece of green paper with the ‘Happy Birthday’ embossing folder. Glue to the centre of the card. Attache the sentiments with 3-D squares as shown.

Phew! That seems like a lot of work when I write it out this way! I hope I remembered to tell you everything. Let me know if I’ve missed a step, or if something seems confusing.

Do you prefer this format, or the previous, more chatty version to describe how I made my cards?