Easy shaker card

Shaker cards are fun to give (and to receive!), but I admit that I don't make them often because I don't want to fuss with all the assembly. Well, at one of the craft shows I went to this summer, one of the vendor booths (Cre8tive Artz by Tall Mouse) had a display of shaker cards made with clear cellophane bags. I know this isn't a new concept, but for some reason it hadn't ever occurred to me to try it. And when the gentleman working in the booth came over to talk with us, he pointed out that you don't have to use new cellophane bags/envelopes -- you could re-use packaging you already have. Genius! I have so many cellophane packages in different sizes from items such as embellishments, adhesives, and even stamp sets, and it would be great to re-purpose them. So I gave it a try with a playful kids birthday card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Sweet Treat JB0837 (Jillibean Soup), Happiest Birthday Wishes
Paper: Whisper White, thick Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Yoyo Yellow, Cucumber Crush, Pacific Point, Lovely Lilac card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Basic Black marker, Smoky Slate marker, Basic Gray marker, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Yoyo Yellow, Cucumber Crush, Pacific Point, Lovely Lilac
Accessories: 2" circle punch, red/white twine (Target), corner rounder, foam strips, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack
Other: Cellophane packaging/bag

What do you think? To make the card front, I stamped and colored the image of the gumball machine on a panel of white card stock and then used a 2" circle punch to punch out the center. I punched small circles ("gumballs") out of several bright colors of card stock and placed them inside a cellophane package. (Be sure the pouch is large enough to cover the whole opening in the card front, but small enough to not go past the edges of the card stock panel.) I adhered the pouch to the back of the card stock, embellished the front and used foam strips to adhere it to the card base. Pretty easy!

Obviously when using the cellophane packaging for a shaker element, it doesn't have the same dimension as a "regular" shaker card. Because the pouch is flat, the pieces inside need to be pretty flat, too. But on the plus side, the card also has a lot less bulk, making it easier to mail.

The "gumballs" in my shaker pouch don't move quite as freely as I would have liked, but I think that's partly because the small card stock circles are so light. They do move around a bit when you shake the card, though, and I think that's enough to amuse a young one.

Inside the card I stamped a sentiment surrounded by a few gumballs. I also added gumballs rolling along the bottom of the card.

The next time I make a shaker card like this, I think I'll try using a variety of items inside the pouch to see if they move around better. But overall I'm pretty pleased with this card for a first effort. Thanks for stopping by!