Card Making Time

As I had mentioned before, when I'm feeling creative and have some time I like to make a bunch of cards so I can stock up. So today I'm going to share some of my latest cards and a little about how I made them.

For all my cards I use a a standard size of half of a 8 1/2 by 11 which I then fold in half. The great part about it is that each paper can make two cards and the card also fit easily into standard sized envelopes.

For this birthday card I used a letter stamp set to spell out 'happy birthday' and then a flower stamp to decorate around it. I thought the blue ribbon complimented the soft pink nicely. It turned out to be a nice card that would work for a girl of any age.

This thank you car was a little out of my element, but I think it came together nicely. The flower was hand drawn with just a regular pen, and then I used my mom's craft scissors to cut the jagged edges along the card.

This was just a random card, it was a new stamp so I wanted to try it out. Overall I just went for a simple look with a couple of ribbons to bring some texture and colour.

This was another card that came together. I traced out both the flower and the little hart, and used some little trivets to attach the 'thank you' note to the card.

So that was another foray into my card-making adventures. Who knows, maybe I inspired you to make some cards of your own???


Happy Crafting,

PS: Here's where we link up.

Mother's Day Anchor Card

I know this is a little late, but my mom finally got my Mother's Day card for her in the mail yesterday, so now I can share it with you.

I came up with the idea for the card after spotting half of her present here on Etsy. It's a cute little anchor bracelet that just screamed 'Mom' when I saw it. Anchors have a special meaning behind them for my mom, so don't worry, this wasn't just some random gift. (P.S. - The bracelet arrived in under a month and was just as it looked like in the picture, if you are thinking of getting one for yourself).

But back to the card that I made to go with this little gift. I took an embroidery approach to this card, going with a navy blue and white contrast with paper and thread.

I started with white cardstock, cutting it half to 8 1/2 by 5, and then folded again in half so the front of the card measured 4 1/4 by 5. Then I cut out a piece of navy cardstock to fit on top.

Then I drew a line with pencil a little bit away from the top and bottom of the card so that I could embroider with navy blue thread along it. I had to pre-punch holes along the line to embroider through because the cardstock is pretty thick and hard to get through with a needle without a little bit of work.

For the anchor I found an image through Google, printed it out and then cut around it. I then traced it out on a piece of navy cardstock, pre-punched holes along the outline and then embroidered around it.

After that it was as simple as gluing the anchor on the navy cardstock onto the white card.

The card turned out just like I hoped and went perfectly with the bracelet!

Happy Crafting,

PS: Here's where we link up.

Embossed Birthday Card

For quite a long time now I've been making my own cards for special occasions with a little help from my embossing gun. Embossing is a great way to add a little flare to projects like cards. You can use any stamp and any embossing colour and create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece!

Today I'm going to show you how I used my embossing gun to create a fun little birthday card. Photos are hard to take because the process has to happen quickly, but I'll try to explain it as best I can.

I started with the supplies below, three sheets of cardstock, a embossing gun, pink embossing glitter, clear embossing ink and a bird stamp.

For the base of the card I used the purple cardstock cut in half to a 8 1/2 by 5, and then folded again in half so the front of the card measured 4 1/4 by 5.

Then I moved on to embossing. I chose to use the pink embossing powder on the pink cardstock to give a subtle tone-on-tone look. First I covered the stamp with the clear ink, and quickly stamped it onto the cardstock. Then, over a tray, I sprinkled the powder over the cardstock, making sure to completely cover the stamped surface. To remove the excess powder I lightly tapped the paper, letting the powder fall onto the tray (I later poured the excess back into the jar). The final step was to plug in the embossing gun, turn it on and blow gently back and forth over the stamped area. It is easy to know when your done, because the surface with slowly change to have a glossy sheen. Then there you have it!

To build the rest of the card I stamped out a strip of cream cardstock with a Martha Stewart stamp and then used double sided tape to stick it all onto the purple base. Finally I wrote 'Happy Birthday' out with a silver Sharpie.

Hope you enjoyed my little tutorial and that it was helpful. On a day I'm feeling creative I love to dig out all my crafting supplies and spend a couple hours making cards. It's a great way to stock up so I'm not scrambling for a card when I need one.  Please ask any questions you have in the a comment below. Next week I'll show how I made my Mother's Day card with some paper and string.

Happy Crafting,

PS: Here's where we link up.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

I have said before that you'll do anything for the one you love. Unfortunately, my hubby is a trekkie and  I have watched more than my fair share of Star Trek.

We've struck a deal that we'll watch one Star Trek movie and then one movie of my choice. That deal has saved my life. At least then watching Star Trek is tolerable, knowing that next up is a Chic Flick. But that doesn't stop Mr. Firefly from quoting the series, explaining how warp core works, and collecting memorabilia.

Now, thanks to Courtney, I am the best wife ever. She emailed me last week saying she had stumbled across an event that would be perfect for Mr. Firefly. I immediately bought tickets and now we're going to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to see Sci-Fi Spectacular! The host is none other than George Takei, one of the Star Trek characters. They are playing theme songs from all different science-fiction shows and movies. The show is tomorrow night and Mr Firefly can't be more excited. 

Of course, I couldn't just tell Mr. Firefly about the show over the phone. I wanted to let him know in a fun way. I immediately went to my craft drawer to look for some Star Trek inspired materials. My eye was drawn to the grey, red and yellow gold colours that are prevalent in Star Trek. 

Then I found a picture of a Star Ship and traced it onto the grey paper. I used the red paper for the base of the card. The yellow paper was perfect as an accent. 

I then made a pocket inside the card to put the concert description and email ticket printout. 

I put the card on his plate and he found it when he came home from work. 

I wish I had thought to have my camera out because the look on his face was priceless! I can't wait to get dressed up this concert. No, we won't be dressing up in Star Trek costumes. 

This is a great idea for any surprise or event. It makes it a fun way to tell someone exciting news. A few pieces of paper and a little imagination and you can make a fun little card for any occasion. 

Happy Crafting,

Kristin

PS: Look here to see where we link up.