Dancing Reindeer Card

 

 

 

Hello again, I've got an interactive card today inspired by the amazing Jennifer McGuire.  Hopefully, you can see it it action in the short video above. 

Paper Rose supplies used:  Starry Night 6x6" Stencil 19802, Jumping Reindeer Metal Cutting Die 17817, Merry Christmas Chunky Metal Die Set 19511. Other supplies:  Acetate, alcohol inks, beads, gold mirror cardstock, DecoFoil Metallix gel in Champagne, holographic glitter.

This card actually started from my stash of backgrounds that I keep in a box.  I had created the alcohol inked background, but wasn't sure what to do with it.  I added the Metallix gel over the Starry Night stencil to the inked background, and before I removed the stencil, I sprinkled on some of the holographic glitter. Then I removed the stencil and washed it.  Once the background had dried, I trimmed it down to be a 4 1/2" square. The glitter added a slight grainy texture to the card front, and since I wanted to try making the reindeer swing following Jennifer McGuire's instructions (here's a link to her video for pendulum cards), I decided to add an acetate cover.  I cut a piece of acetate that was 5 x 5" and scored it on all four edges 1/4" in from the outside edge.  Using a bone folder, I creased each of the fold lines, folding the edges under.  I attached the acetate to the back of the alcohol inked card with double sided adhesive tape.

Next, I cut the reindeer die twice from white cardstock and once from the gold mirror cardstock, and glued them together.  I also cut the outline reindeer die from a navy cardstock.  I glued the gold reindeer onto the outline die cut. 

To create the pendulum mechanism, I cut a piece of acetate that was approximately 2" long and 1/2" wide, and used a piece of double sided tape to attach a penny to the bottom end.  The penny gives the acetate weight and allows it to swing.  I decided where I wanted the reindeer to be positioned on the card front and marked where the center of his head would be on the acetate square.  I used my smallest circle die, about 3/4", and die cut over this mark.  I placed a small circle of doubled up foam tape at the top of the acetate pendulum and aligned the square front over this so the foam tape came through the die cut opening.  On the front, I removed the backing from the circle of foam tape and placed the head of the reindeer over the foam tape, securing it in place.  Then I added doubled up foam tape all around the back edges, making sure the pendulum could swing freely. 

Back of the pendulum piece

Next,  I created a card base that measured 6 1/4" x 4 3/4".  I attached a piece of gold mirror cardstock to the front.  The sentiment was cut from white cardstock twice and once more from the gold cardstock and adhered together.  I cut the outline from the same navy cardstock and glued the sentiment onto this.  I positioned the sentiment at the bottom of the card front and glued it in place.  Next I removed the backing from the double sided foam on my reindeer piece, and positioned this on the card front.  To stop the pendulum from swinging as I positioned it, I had temporarily taped the reindeer in place on the front with low tack tape.  Finally, I added some beads to the reindeer and had a play with it.  It really is fun to watch him swing back and forth!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you're having a great day!

 

Penguins’ Birthday Cake

Hello and welcome back. I’ve got a birthday card today created from a brand new stamp set from Gerda Steiner Designs. It’s the new Penguin Cake stamp set and it’s absolutely adorable! 

Aren’t those penguins just the sweetest?! I wanted some of the penguins and the cake to extend off the top of my card, so I cut my card base down to be 5 1/2” wide by 3 3/4” tall. I then used some cloud dies to create layers of clouds. I ink blended the tops of these in rainbow colours using Distress Oxide inks (I used Picked Raspberry, Saltwater Taffy, Ripe Persimmon, Carved Pumpkin, Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron, Prize Ribbon and Seedless Preserves).  I stamped and clear embossed the sentiment on the bottom layer of clouds. Next, I layered the clouds up on the card front and tucked the cake and penguins in between layers. It’s really hard to see in the picture, but I used a tacky glue on the hats, and when it had dried, I used a little laminating foil to “colour” in the hats. The foil I used is DecoFoil Rainbow Shattered Glass and it’s got lots of different colours in it. I die cut some candles from white cardstock and also put those between the clouds to add some interest. Finally, I added a few gemstones for even more interest. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’re having a great day! 

Satin Ribbon Embossed Background

 

Hello again, and welcome!  Have you ever tried using ribbon for your card background?  I've used some satin ribbon today for this card and it gives the card a soft, satiny finish in real life.  The photograph doesn't really do it justice.  

Paper Rose supplies used: Spring Floral Frame Metal Cutting Die 21054, Christmas Fir Tree Large Metal Cutting Die 20589, Stitched Rectangles Metal Cutting Die 16575, Crisp Christmas A5 12pc Sentiment Sheets 19772.  Other supplies, Distress Oxide ink in Worn Lipstick, acetate strip, pearl beads, satin ribbon, double sided adhesive (I used Die Cut'N Bond). 

To create the background, I placed the double sided adhesive over an A2 (4 1/4" x 5 1/2 ") sized card front, covering it completely.  After removing the backing paper,  I placed a strip of ribbon down the center of this card front, and then placed strips down the sides of the center ribbon until the entire card front was covered.  I used a bone folder to gently press the ribbon down so it adhered well to the card front.  I applied a little of the Worn Lipstick with a brush to just around the edges to darken them slightly and then rubbed the excess off with a soft cloth.  Next, I positioned this card front inside the Spring Floral Frame die and ran it through my die cutting machine with the rubber mat and embossing plate to emboss it.  You don't want to die cut this!

Using the largest and third largest dies in the Stitched Rectangles die set, I created a frame by taping the two dies evenly inside each other.  I cut this frame from white cardstock twice. 

I cut a card base from white cardstock that was the size of the frame.  I glued the satin ribbon card front to the card base, trimming it to fit.  I glued one of the white frames over this.  Next, I die cut from white cardstock, three of the Christmas Fir Trees and glued them together.  I chose to leave them white, but you could add a glitter paste or cut them from glitter cardstock.  I glued the tree to the center of the satin card front and added some pearls to it.  

Then I used double sided tape to adhere a 3/8" wide x 3 3/4" piece of acetate to the back of the remaining frame, placing it near the bottom, where the base of the tree would be.  This strip allowed me to place the sentiment off the tree and to add a few more pearls. Once the strip was in place,  I added two layers of narrow foam tape to the back of the frame, and then positioned it over the frame that was already in place.  Once the second frame was in position, I added the sentiment to the acetate strip and a few more pearls.  The ribbon really does give this card a very different look.

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you're having a great day!

 

Butterflies and Poppies Bay Window Fold Card

Hello everyone, I've got another fun fold card for you today.  This one is called a Bay Window Fold and I'm sure you can see why.  There are no specialty dies required for this one but it has a great 3D effect.

Back of the card

Paper Rose supplies used: Butterfly Bliss 6 x 6' Paper Collection25108, Rainbow Poppies 6 x 6" Paper Collection 25600, Little Etched Butterflies 25609, Poppy Field Border Metal Cutting Die 18640, Stitched Rectangles Metal Cutting Die 16575 (I used the third largest rectangle), Happy Birthday Chunky Script Stamp Set 24640.  
Other Supplies: Ranger Alcohol ink in Cranberry, Gumball, Lemonade, Limeade, and Denim.  Copic markers in BG93, YR15, R02, E97, Y15, Y11, RV17, RV25, RV21 for the poppy border. 

This is a really simple card fold to make and while I've used the butterflies and poppies, you could easily use whatever you have in your supplies to make it.  I think it would be fun with some acetate over the window to really make it look like a bay window.  It could also be a scenery card if you have stamps and dies for that. Or Christmas florals ... so many options!  :)

I've made a video for you to show how I created this card.  If you want more directions, please CLICK HERE.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you're having a happy, creative day