Super Simple Owl Graduation Card (#1)

 I wasn't going to make any graduation cards this year because we didn't know anyone graduating in 2017.  However, I did spy some cute graduation 12x12 card stock, embossing folders and stickers at HM Ben Franklin Crafts and they just jumped into my shopping basket....LOL!

It took only a few minutes to whip up this card because the cute little Jolee's Boutique owl sticker was fully embellished with googly eyes, a sign, and a tasseled cap.  The message on the inside of my card was cut from the reverse side of the 12x12 Simple Stories graduation card stock.  The graduation cap embossing was done on white card stock but it would look good on gold or silver foil, too. If you have a lot of graduation cards to make this year, this style will make your card assembly line faster. Thank you for stopping by and please check back to my next post for a similar, but slightly different graduation card.

More Candles B-day Card

 My almost-a-sister, Carol, is having a birthday soon so I had to make her a card.  I knew I wanted to use a vintage design birthday card stock that was in a 6x12 Sizzix pad (recently purchased from Market City HM Ben Franklin Crafts). This card stock set the mood and color scheme for the card. I love the humor of Art Impressions stamps so I chose one of 'older' ladies holding a giant cake with an overload of candles.  The sentiment is from AI, too and was stamped on a Spellbinder die cut label and attached to the scalloped (Sizzix die) card with a music note ribbon.

For the inside of the card I wanted to include another funny AI saying so I decided to test out a new Sizzix thinlet label die that I purchased at HM BFC.  I cut the label twice; once in pink vellum and once in green pearlized cardstock from Paper Accents. I offset the two die cuts to showcase the intricate floral design.  The words were stamped in black and embossed with NUVO powder on a scrap of pink vellum before cutting and attaching to the label.  I like the way this birthday card turned out because it is humorous, vintage looking, and just right for one of my very favorite people.

Sympathy Card for a Strong Man

I enjoy making cards because I can tailor them for the occasion or person.  Recently, my neighbor lost her husband of many years.  He was a strong man who was also an intelligent, college educator.  For those reasons, I chose to make a sympathy card using a large tree paper die and cardstock with printed words.  The Impression Obsession  tree die was used on a grey Paper Accents pearlized cardstock.  Nuvo black sparkly embossing powder was used to heat emboss the words (Hero Arts stamp set) on a piece of silver grey vellum. This was a super simple card to make and I feel that it totally suits the spirit of wonderful friend and neighbor who will be missed.

Shadow Dancing Wedding Card

 This card was made for my son and his beautiful bride, Traci.  It came together rather quickly due to the new Xcut die, available at HM Ben Franklin Crafts. This window die has the ability to emboss and cut in one pass through the Big Shot.  At first I didn't think the folder would do what it promised but it did work well.  I suppose I should have cut the pearlescent mint green paper ( Paper Accents) separately from the pearlescent white card (from old stash) but I was afraid that they would be hard to line up later. (The green paper was not big enough to form the whole card.)  This double thickness of paper proved difficult to cut through requiring several passes through the machine, but I was patient and success was my reward!  

 Because the wedding colors were mint green and grey, I decided to die cut the couple (Marianne design) from a shimmer grey paper  (DCWV 6" paper pack) and adhere it to the back of the window. The bottom of the dress had to be trimmed so it would not block the hearts. Finally, a piece of vellum with sparkles was added to the inside of the card to give it a misty look and cover a handwritten message. I was very pleased with the outcome of this card and hope that it pleases the newlyweds too!

Lacey Die Cut Thank You Card

As promised, here is another card done with the same Xcut lacy floral bird die as the one used on the card in the last post.  This one started with die cutting the doily from pink vellum which looked okay with the Bo Bunny printed rose card stock, but it didn't stand out so I cut a second vellum piece from white vellum.  I didn't cut out the intricate part, just the basic shape using the outer die frame.  This added vellum helped to diffuse some of the design of the rose pattern and thus made the pink vellum design more eye-catching.  

Using the Impression Obsession 'Thanks' die on pearlized light green paper ( Paper Accents) made a graphically pleasing design, but it didn't 'pop' so I cut another 'Thanks' from dark green and adhered it underneath.  To make gluing the thin letters easier, I ran the die cuts through a Xyron sticker maker. Little pearl hearts and ribbon roses were added to complete the feminine look of this lacy doily die cut thank you card.  I hope that you will go shopping at HM Ben Franklin Crafts to see the new products arriving every day.  Happy Shopping and Crafting!

MOM Card

 The starting point for this card was my love of the Echo Park printed card stock, 'Beautiful MOM'. It is a colorful and busy card stock so it was a challenge to show it on the card without overwhelming all the embellishments. I also wanted to play with a newly purchased crafting 'toy'...err...tool, mini Alphabet Punch Board, made by We R memory keepers. I was amazed at how easy it was to punch all the letters of the alphabet with this one tool that comes with a complete instruction booklet.  HM Ben Franklin also has a larger version to use on banners or signs.  I wish that We R memory keepers had a smaller alphabet maker because I was able to fit only three letters on a 6" card.  Perhaps the letters would be good for making monogram stationery gift sets. The bunnies were stamped with a WA NO IKI set (sold at BFC) and I feel that they add a whimsical feel to the card.  The letters were cut from Lawn Fawn paper from a pad called 'Watercolor Wishes' and stitching lines were drawn in with a color pencil. This was a very easy and fun card to make.  I hope that it inspires you to experiment with new craft tools and designs.

Lacy Die Cut (Mother's Day) Card

I am very attracted to the new Xcut paper dies and embossing folders, especially the intricate doily ones.  HM Ben Franklin Crafts has a good selection of these including this rectangular floral bird one. I thought that it would look good cut from a Bo Bunny 12x12 rose pattern card stock, but I was wrong.  The design of the paper detracted from the die cut detail so I cut another one from iridescent vellum and just used the interior portion over the Bo Bunny paper.

This subtle effect along with the ombre Heiko ribbon ( from Celebrations) resulted in a card that really pleased me.  I found the sentiment in a KaiserCraft paper pad and thought that it made the card suitable for many occasions, not only Mother's Day.

If you use this type of lacy die, you will probably need to run it through the Big Shot several times to get a clean die cut, but it's worth it.  To make the process less tedious, I recommend that you get a Spellbinders handled rolling brush to clean out the paper chads from the die.  Also, the Heiko ribbons come in many widths and colors. I remove the wire from the ribbons so that the bows will fall more naturally.  I think the wire is in the ribbon so that it can be shaped or gathered to form flowers.  In the next post, I will show you another card style using the same Xcut fancy die and some of the supplies photographed here.  Please visit again soon and leave a comment if you have some free time. Thank you for stopping to read this post.

Asian Folding Screen Card 3

Here is the third card in the series of folding screen cards.  This one would be suitable for a graduation or perhaps a yakudoshi (man's 42 or 60 year party).

 I happened to have the red ribbon on my (super messy) desk LOL! so I used it to give the feeling of a graduation cap tassel. Adding a gold foil die cut 'congrats' (Hero Arts) seemed perfect with the addition of a KaiserCraft sentiment die cut piece. Sparkly red acrylic stickers were the final touch to jazz up the celebratory card. Hip Hip Hooray to all graduates!