Slimline Shaker Shower Card

I needed a baby shower card and wanted to create something different.  I chose the Whimsy slimline cloud die because I thought that it coordinated well with the Pebbles card stock that I chose. The 12x12 card stock had flying storks on one side and safety pins on the other.  I made the standard shaker card using foam tape to create a window encasing the safety pin confetti.  The acetate behind the cloud die cut makes it hard to photograph the card without a glare.  I put an extra amount of confetti in because somehow they always seem to get stuck to the edges.

When the confetti is at the bottom of the card you can see the flying cranes holding the bundles of joy. The pregnant mother was stamped, colored and fussy cut before gluing to the top of the banner (from a Pebbles set).  

To the back of the one layer card I adhered a Lawn Fawn die cut pocket and decorated it with a die cut safety pin and die cut banner.  A stamped duck safety pin was colored and fussy cut before adhering onto the flap of the envelope. Little touches like this really add to the overall charm of a handmade greeting. Isn't  making one-of-a-kind sweetness why we all craft?

 

Bunnies in the Rain Spring Card

Just like the card in the previous post, this card was made to use card blank that was intended for an Easter card. (I found it unfinished on my craft desk after returning from a trip.)  It was super easy to stamp the Whimsy image. color it with Copic pens and fussy cut it out before adhering it with foam dots.  The Echo Park paper had a coordinating reverse side that was used for the band and circle with stamped heat embossed Lawn Fawn words. This card makes me happy because of the sweet image and cheerful floral print.  I am sure that this is a card that can be used for a variety of occasions...the birth of twins?

 

Happy Spring Bambi Card

I had some Easter cards ready to go but didn't finish them before going on a trip.  I decided that I would change the Happy Easter to Hello Spring and make a 'Bambi' card instead.  As a child I was in love with Bambi and even had a pink and white Bambi blanket, so of course I HAD to buy the Whimsy Stamps 'Woodland Critters' set.  I used Echo Park printed card stock to make the card base.  The reverse of the card stock had the gingham print that was used for the band and circle.  The Lawn Fawn words were stamped and heat embossed with gold embossing powder.  Bambi and the birds were stamped, colored with Copic pens, fussy cut, and mounted on foam adhesives.  It's a very simple card that would be appropriate for many occasions. I'm happy that I made use of the card parts that I had on my desk.  Please return to this blog site to see another version of this card...coming soon!

 

Panda-Monium Birthday Cards

These are super quick birthday cards to make because the pandas need no coloring and the images were die cut....easy peesy! Choosing the right background printed card stock is probably the most time-consuming part of card construction.  I like that the backgrounds change the look of each card especially since both recipients are quite different. I used a stamp aligning tool (Misti) so that I could print the pandas multiple times and get a dense black color.

The details of the small gifts were colored in with Zebra Click Art pens.  I love the juicy fine tip pens which come in a splendid array of colors.  This Hero Arts clear panda stamp set also has some pretty funny, usable captions.

Whether you are a kid or an oldster, the cake to me is a major part of any birthday. The cake-eating pandas remind me of what I really want to do on my birthdays...LOL!

I used a Lawn Fawn gift card die to make the add-on that holds the coveted HM Ben Franklin Crafts gift card.  It's a good idea to make several of these card holders and keep them on hand to add to cards when you can't (or don't have the time) to choose the perfect gift. In fact, making birthday, baby, thank you, wedding, etc. cards and keeping them in a stash is a wonderful habit because the special moments in life just keep happening.  Aren't you glad they do?

 

Mother's Day Bag Tag

Awhile ago I bought a huge amount of plastic bag tag sleeves, so every once in awhile I make a new tag for someone.  Sometimes HM Ben Franklin Crafts sells Paper Arts plastic bag tags that are slightly smaller than the one I used (bought online) and have a nice flexible hanging cord.It can be used as a gift tag and then the recipient can use it on his/her luggage or the tag can be the gift and mailed in a business-sized envelope. The Lawn Fawn mother fox die was irresistible and I knew that it would be great for a wonderful mother of sweet twin boys. Although the teeny-tiny pieces are a bit frustrating to glue down, the effect is delightful.  Some people apply adhesive (with the Xyron  machine) to the back of card stock before die cutting but I feel Beacon 3 in 1 glue allows more time to move pieces around if needed and if there is some excess glue showing, the plastic of the tag camouflages it. The grass was cut with the Lawn Fawn grassy hill die that was shown in a previous post.  .

This side of the tag is actually the back of the Echo Park printed card stock that the foxes are on.  Because the words die cut from the lavender side was a little hard to see, I applied some purple ink and that made it more visible.  The tiny acrylic heart stickers have facets so they really add a pop of sparkle to the tag. In hindsight, I should have reversed the baby fox to get the twin in reverse. Oh well , next time...I know I will use these adorable foxes many times in the future, surely in the autumn season.         

 

Hanging Possum Birthday Card

Birthdays seem to roll around way too quickly these days.  I often joke with my girlfriend that she is so-o-o old but then she reminds me that she's only older by six months.  Hahaha!  Anyway, I made this card for one of my OLD friends because I thought it might amuse her.  I found a balloon printed card stock to use as a background and stamped out the possum images before coloring them in with Copic pens.  I have trouble coloring in small areas with the Copic pens so I used some Click/art pens that I purchased in Japan.  (They are Zebra brand so they maybe available in the U.S.) The tips are similar to the Copic pens only much smaller. Fussy cutting the images took a little effort but I think it was worth it after they were mounted on foam dots. 

There are lots of cute images in this Art Impressions stamp set,.  I chose the three hanging possums for the inside of the card because the birthday girl, her sister, and I often have birthday luncheons to celebrate our special days. The words were stamped out on white card stock.  I drew the conversation bubbles and cut them out freehand.  I think this inexpensive, homemade card is successful and hopefully it will make my friend smile on her birthday.... so it's priceless!

 

Floral Mini Slimline Thanks Cards

These cards were inspired by the new Whimsy Coneflower Mini Slimline die.  I started by die cutting the pink one from white card stock and the lavender one from white watercolor paper. Next I colored the card stock die cut with Copic pens....easy 5 min. job.  The watercolor paper one was colored with Kuretake watercolors (from HM Ben Franklin Crafts) .... about 20 min. for my non-skilled abilities.  I think the lavender watercolored one is more successful mostly because the background was a floral print from a Whimsy slimline paper pack and I was able to coordinate the watercolors with the background.  The pink Copic colored card has a Pebbles printed floral card stock background which is pretty but doesn't have a dimensional look. 

The mini slimline cards are a little larger than a standard envelope so I like to use the envelopes sold at Daiso ($1.75 for a 10 pack).  They are a bit larger than the mini cards but they do come in lovely pastel colors. The words used on these cards were die cut and stamped with items from a Hero Arts stamp and cut set. The flowers and frame for these cards were glued down but the petals of the flowers were left unglued so they could be bent slightly to give a more realistic look to the card.  I have more plans for this floral die, maybe a shaker card. Please visit again soon to see what's shakin' !