May Christmas cards: Toile silhouettes

For my May Christmas cards, I wanted to make something quick and easy. I planned to use some Designer Series Paper (DSP) and add die-cut shapes. But for whatever reason, "quick" cards like this always seem to take me a really long time to design. With this batch, my main stumbling block was deciding what images to use as the focal points. I must have tried just about every possible winter/Christmas die I have before finally settling on the Woodland Silhouettes dies from Taylored Expressions -- which were the ones I had originally planned to use. [Slaps forehead.] But the important part is that they're done -- and I'm posting them with more than a week left in the month!

Supplies:
Paper: Very Vanilla, thick Very Vanilla, Early Espresso card stock (Stampin' Up!); Toile Tidings DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Stitchd Shapes dies (Stampin' Up!), Woodland Silhouettes 1 and 2 dies (Taylored Expressions), Toile Tidings Glitter Enamel Dots (Stampin' Up!), foam tape (3M)

I love the patterns in the Toile Tidings DSP; they're so pretty and work really well together. Once I finally settled on a layout, these cards were pretty quick to create. I made a total of eight cards, using different combinations of paper and die-cut images. I tried adhering the patterned paper directly to the card base first (see the bear card above), but decided that I liked it better with a mat of Early Espresso card stock, so that's what I did for the rest of the cards.

The moose, bear, and reindeer silhouettes are glued directly to the stitched ovals, and the ovals are adhered to the cards with foam tape to add a little dimension. I finished each card with a couple of glitter enamel dots for the tiniest bit of sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by!

More cards from a calendar

When I made my February Christmas cards this year, instead of using stamps to create my focal images, I cut up pages from a couple of old calendars. Today I'm going to share a card set and a collection of birthday cards made with calendar pages.

Supplies:
Paper: Brilliant White 120lb card stock (Purely Simple Paper), glossy black paper (Concord & 9th), vellum card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Stardust Clear Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Smile die (Gina K Designs), Big Hello Sugar Script die (Birch Press Design), Celebrate Sugar Script die (Birch Press Design), Thanks die (Taylored Expressions), Thinking of You die (Honey Bee Stamps), Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

I love the bright, bold print on this calendar page, and I didn't want to detract from the colorful images, so I kept these cards really simple. I started by using an A2-sized stitched rectangle die to cut out the five hummingbird images, and then I adhered each one to a plain white card base.

I used a glittery gel pen to add highlights to each hummingbird, and I love the little touch of sparkle. I decided I wanted to add sentiments to the cards, so I chose five word dies and cut them out of glossy black paper. (A couple of them also had shadow dies, which I cut out of vellum card stock.) I adhered one word die cut to each card and finished off with sparkling clear sequins. These cards aren't fancy, but wouldn't it make you smile to pull one of them out of an envelope?

Supplies:
Stamps: Tiny Words Birthday (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Gray Granite, Basic black, Basic Gray, Calypso Coral card stock; gold foil sheets; swirls vellum (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Basic Gray (Stampin' Up!), Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Well Written dies (Stampin' Up!), Happy Birthday die (Avery Elle), Happy Birthday die (Stampin' Up!), Celebrate die (My Favorite Things), white rhinestones (Taylored Expressions), Bubble Blower droplets (Trinity Stamps), Iridescent Sequin Assortment (Stampin' Up!), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), clear shimmer spray (Avery Elle), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

These watercolor-style balloons were perfect for a collection of birthday cards for my stash. I cut several panels out of the calendar page and sprayed them with shimmer spray. I also traced the balloon strings with a Stardust Gelly Roll pen to help them stand out. 

I trimmed some of the panels, rounded some corners, and adhered each one to a card base. I used several card stock colors and coordinated the card base with the die-cut sentiment for each card. I finished the cards with a variety of sequins, rhinestones, or droplets.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

One layout, two cards

In my last post, I shared several masculine cards featuring nature images. Today I have two cards with the same layout -- but by altering the images and colors, I gave one a masculine feel and one a feminine feel.

Supplies:
Stamps: Nature Backgrounds (Dare 2B Artzy)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue, Really Rust, Mint Macaron card stock (Stampin' Up!); Natural Touch Specialty Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Bordering Blue, Really Rust, Mint Macaron (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), Happy Birthday day (Avery Elle), Neutrals Candy Dots (Stampin' Up!), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

The Nature Backgrounds stamp set from Dare 2B Artzy was perfect for my little experiment. The set contains seven different nature background images, so for the first card I chose three that seemed more masculine or neutral.

I chose an earthy color pallet of Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue, Really Rust, and Mint Macaron. I paired each of the images with one of the three lighter colors and stamped on the card stock using the coordinating ink. Then I die cut each stamped piece with a stitched rectangle die and attached them to a Chocolate Chip card base. Tip: Glue down the two pieces on the sides first, lining them up with the edges of the card front. Then adhere the middle piece, centering it between the other two.

I die-cut "happy birthday" once from Chocolate Chip card stock and once from a wood-textured paper. (You could use just about any sentiment with these images, but I always seem to need birthday cards.) I layered the two pieces together and added the sentiment on the card front across the stamped panels. I finished the card with two simple Chocolate Chip enamel dots.

Supplies:
Stamps: Nature Backgrounds (Dare 2B Artzy)
Paper: Soft Suede, Petal Pink, Soft Sea Foam, So Saffron card stock (Stampin' Up!); Natural Touch Specialty Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Petal Pink, Soft Sea Foam, So Saffron
Accessories: Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), Celebrate die (My Favorite Things), champagne rhinestones (Stampin' Up!), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

For the feminine version of this card I chose three more flowery images and a lighter color pallet: Soft Suede, Petal Pink, Mint Macaron, and So Saffron. I also used a word die with a script-style font and champagne-colored rhinestones as the embellishment. But the layout and stamping/die-cutting process is the same.

The bonus with this layout is that it can be made to fit almost any occasion by changing the sentiment, colors, and/or images. You could even use patterned paper, embossed card stock, or ink blended backgrounds instead of stamping the three panels. And the cards wouldn't be too hard to mass produce for the holidays. The possibilities are endless!

Thanks for stopping by today!

The nature of masculine cards

I don't know about you, but I always seem to need to replenish my stash of birthday cards, especially the masculine ones. And I know that many cardmakers (myself included) sometimes struggle with making masculine cards. So today I am going to share some guy-friendly cards featuring different nature images.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: A Touch of Ink
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso card stock; Wood Textures Designer Series Paper (DSP) Stack
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Halloween Night Enamel Dots, Natural Trim Ribbon, Burlap Ribbon, Birthday Cheer dies (Honey Bee Stamps), Happy Birthday die (Avery Elle), Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz), foam tape (3M)

I know butterfly images are often associated with feminine cards, but that seems silly  -- butterflies are just insects, after all. So I challenged myself to make a couple of masculine cards with butterfly images. I think the style of this stamp set worked well for that challenge because the images aren't too delicate or ornate.

For the stamped layers, I used one half-sheet of white card stock and covered it with the butterfly, leaves, and splatter images. When I stamped the "filler" images for the leaves and butterflies, I used markers to apply the ink so I could get some shading. It's hard to tell on the leaves (the lighter part of the leaves is actually part of the stamp, so I probably could have just used one color with those), but you can definitely see the two shades on the butterfly wings.

For the rest of the cards I focused on neutral colors, woodgrain patterns, and word dies that didn't have a lot of flourish. I think all of those elements work together to create a couple of great masculine cards.

Supplies:
Stamps: You're a Fungi (Hero Arts)
Paper: River Rock, Very Vanilla card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: River Rock (Stampin' Up!), Chocolate Truffle amalgam ink (Gina K Designs)
Accessories: Wonky Stitched Circles dies (My Favorite Things), Burlap Ribbon (Stampin' Up!), Tiny Attached (Tim Holtz), Neutrals Candy Dots (Stampin' Up!), sponge (Stampin' Up!), foam tape (3M)

I love these mushroom images, and paired with the punny sentiment "You're a fungi!" they're perfect for a masculine card. Here are a couple of tips and tricks for this card:

-- To make the background, I positioned several of the mushroom images on a large acrylic block. Then I stamped all the images together a few times, rotating the block to change the orientation of the mushrooms. Much quicker than repeatedly stamping each individual image.

-- I love using a mini stapler to attach burlap ribbon for a couple of reasons. A) Regular adhesive can be visible between the fibers because burlap doesn't have a tight weave, and B) the metal adds an extra bit of texture and a masculine feel. On this card I used two staples crossing each other on each end of the ribbon; on one of the cards above I placed the staples parallel to each other for a different look.

Supplies:
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!); On the Bright Side 6" x 6" paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Accessories: Paper Layering Feather die (Hero Arts), Woodland Silhouettes I dies (Taylored Expressions), Layering Ovals dies (Stampin' Up!), Neutrals and Regals Candy Dots (Stampin' Up!), linen thread (Stampin' Up!), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

I made these two cards a long time ago, so I'm a little fuzzy on the exact details. I know I started with a paper pack that had this fun chevron print in several colors. I cut strips of each color and then did my best to line up the different strips so the chevrons appear continuous. (I think I was a little more successful with the card on the left.) I attached the strips of patterned paper to a piece of copy paper so I was able to just trim the edges and adhere it to the card base instead of trying to get the proper placement directly on the card.

For the card on the left, I used a die to cut an oval out of the patterned papers, and then I glued a white die-cut oval inside the opening. For the card on the right, I just adhered a Crumb Cake die-cut oval on top of the patterned paper. Then I added a die-cut deer silhouette to one card and two feathers to the other and finished each card with a few enamel dots.

I had a bit of the patterned paper "mash up" left over, so I added a strip to two panels of white card stock. I stamped sentiments on the panels and then adhered them inside the cards. (Unfortunately I didn't jot down where these sentiments are from, so I don't have that in the supply list. Sorry!)

Supplies:
Stamps: Stunning Silhouettes (Raisin Boat), Field Notes (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Early Espresso, Old Olive card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!), Distress Oxide inks (Ranger)
Accessories: Beautiful Wings Embosslit (Stampin' Up!), Stitched Frame Stacklets dies (Taylored Expressions), Clear Drip Drops (Taylored Expressions), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

This card started with the background layer, which I made at least two years ago and found in my box of bits and pieces. It was one of my early creations when I first tried using Distress Oxide inks. I don't know which exact colors I used, but it seemed perfect for a nature-y masculine card.

I wanted a silhouette image, so I stamped a few cattails along the bottom of the panel using Early Espresso ink. I die cut an Old Olive stitched frame and glued it to the panel. Then I stamped the sentiment in the upper right quadrant and attached the piece to an Early Espresso card base. To add just a bit of embellishment, I added three clear droplets (I like to think of them as rain or dew on nature-themed cards) and a tiny die-cut/embossed butterfly. (Hey! Look at that -- another butterfly on a "guy card"!)

I hope these cards give you some ideas for masculine cards. And I hope to be back soon with another post. Lately it seems like whenever I think I'll be able to get back to a more regular blog-posting schedule, something happens that throws everything off. So thanks for sticking around and stopping by today!