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

Pigeon Toast Wedding Card

Hello everyone, I was totally inspired by Jennifer McGuire’s recent video on making simple pendulum cards. It was sheer genius and the minute I saw it, I thought about using her technique with Gerda Steiner's pigeons. If you haven’t seen Jennifer’s video, here’s a link to it - Cards with Simple Movement.

Now, I know this is not your typical wedding card, but it is a fun one!

To make this card, I used a 5 x 5" card base and also cut a card front from white cardstock that was the same size, as well as one from the background paper which is from the Belle Fleur collection by Craft Consortium.  I wanted the background to look a little like wedding card material! I adhered the white card front and the wedding paper together.  I also die cut a circle from white cardstock and one that was slightly larger from silver holographic cardstock.  The Bubble Circle is from Memory Box, and I cut three of these from white cardstock and one from the holographic cardstock.  These were glued together with the holographic one on top. I glued the silver and white circles to the card front in the upper third of the card, and then glued the Bubble Circle around it.

I stamped the pigeon which is from the A Toast to You stamp set by Gerda Steiner Designs, onto Neenah Solar Crest 80# cardstock twice.  On the second image, I only stamped the lower half of the pigeon, below the piece of toast, and just masked off the toast with a piece of Post It paper.  I used Copic markers to colour in the pigeon (N4, N2, N1, N0, E34, E53 and E30), and then fussy cut them out.  For the head image, I only coloured to the end of the toast and only cut this part out.  On the bottom portion of the pigeon, I slightly extended the lines of the body before colouring, and then cut this slight extension out with the rest of the lower half.

To create the pendulum mechanism, I cut a small strip of packaging acetate (about 2" x 1/2" wide), and rounded the top edge with my scissors.  I attached a penny to the bottom of the acetate with double sided tape. I positioned the pigeon pieces where I wanted them to go on the circle, and marked with a pencil just behind the center of the head.  Using a large paper punch, I punched a hole here, cutting through all the layers of the card front.  I also cut a circle of doubled up foam tape, using a regular paper punch which was slightly smaller than the hole I had made on the card front. I attached this piece of foam tape to the top of the acetate pendulum, and from the back of the card, pushed the foam tape through the hole I had made, to the front of the card.  I attached the pigeons' head over top of this foam circle, securing the pendulum to the card.  I then glued the lower half of the pigeon in position under the toast. The pendulum can swing quite wildly if you don't minimize its movement, so I figured out how far I wanted it to swing and put strips of doubled up foam tape on the back of the card to stop it swinging too far. Finally, I placed doubled up strips of foam tape all around the edges of the card, being careful to not interfere with the movement of the pendulum.  To attach the card front to the base, I used low tack tape on the front of the card to keep the pigeon in position, and then removed the backing paper from the foam tape and adhered it to the card base.

I created the sentiment on my computer and printed it out.  I've got a new laser printer, so although it doesn't show in the photo, I did foil the sentiment in my laminator with silver foil.  I matted that onto a strip of the holographic cardstock and attached that below the pigeon.  Finally, I added a few silver pearls because, well, it is a wedding card after all! 

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you'll give this technique a try as it is a lot of fun!

See-Through Christmas Tree Card

Hello everyone, I'm so glad you stopped by.  I've got a Christmas card again to share with you today, and I must say I can never get these done early enough!

Supplies Used:  Christmas Fir Tree Large Metal Cutting Die 20589,  Poinsettia - Silver Foil 6x6 Paper Collection 27277, Crisp Christmas A5 12pc Sentiment Sheets 19772, holographic silver cardstock, gemstones, acetate (4.25" x 5.5").

I started this card by die cutting the tree out of white cardstock three times, and once from holographic silver cardstock.  I was very careful with the silver one and one of the white ones, to not loose the inset pieces, so I placed Glad Press 'N Seal onto the back of the diecut to keep all those little bits in place. The triple layers of the tree helps to give support to the acetate and keeps the card front from bending.  

I glued two of the white trees together, and then glued this onto a scrap piece of acetate.  The acetate gave me something to inlay the diecut pieces onto, but won't show up in the final card.  I trimmed this acetate so it didn't extend past the outside edges of the tree.  Then I used a fine tipped glue to inlay the white diecut pieces.  I only inlaid the non-circle pieces, as I knew I was going to put the gemstones in where the circles were.  The purpose of inlaying these white pieces was to make sure the holographic ones would show up better and not be lost in the depths of the tree.  I know that seems like an extra step, but I do think it was worth it and it really didn't take too long to do.  So the next step was to inlay the holographic pieces over the white inlaid ones. Then I glued the gemstones in place.  I also have a holographic tree now to use on another card. 

I used a top folding A2 sized card base (4.25 x 5.5"), and trimmed the front down to be 1.5" (or 4mm).  I also cut two strips from the Poinsettia silver foil cardstock, to be 4.25" x 1.5" ( 11 mm x 4 mm).  I also cut one of these strips from white cardstock.

On the card front, I used my tape gun to adhere the 4.25 x 5.5" piece of acetate over the remaining top front.  I found this easiest to do by lining up the bottom edge of the acetate with the bottom edge of the card base and then easing the acetate down onto the upper edge of the card.  

Next, I adhered the white strip of cardstock to the inside bottom edge of the acetate. I used my tape gun to apply adhesive over the white cardstock, then I lined it up flush with the bottom edge of the card base, and carefully lowered the acetate over it so it was all flush with the edges of the card base.  Finally, I adhered the silver foiled paper over the acetate, again using my tape runner.  Finally, I cut little strips of the metallic silver cardstock and glued them in place along the edges of the silver foiled cardstock.  I mounted the sentiment onto some more metallic silver cardstock.  To finish the card, I glued the tree onto the card front and added the sentiment above.  On the inside of the card front, I glued the third white cardstock tree shape over top of the front tree to give a clean finish.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope you're having a very creative day!