A little birdie told me...

 ...to use that piece of patterned paper, rather than hoarding it!

For a long time, I had an 8" X 8" piece of DSP in my stash that was patterned with some pretty birds. Because each of the birds was quite large, I couldn't figure out how to use it for a very long time.

Finally, I decided to use a circle die and cut out as many of them as I could (four of them!) to use on cards. I came up with the card design you see above, where I have cut away a portion of the top of the card front.

I have some pastel pink, adhesive backed, polka dot fabric (yes, actual fabric) that I adhered to the front. I glued a piece of pale pink cardstock to the inside. It was important that the solid pink match the polka dot fabric because both would be visible from the front.

The die-cut circle with the bird was backed with a slightly larger circle of the same cardstock that was used to make the card base. It was then popped up with foam tape.

I added a pink vellum, two-layer, die-cut flower over one of the flowers in the paper's design, just for a bit more dimension. The flower center is a Nuvo Drop.

The sentiIment was stamped, die-cut and popped up with foam strips.

In this photo you can see how I cut the card base. I used the same circle die that I had used for the mat behind the bird image to partially die-cut the half-circle on the front.  This is called the "partial die-cutting technique," and there are many videos online showing how to do it. 

I used a ruler and a craft knife to cut to the left and right of the half-circle and then to cut along the score line up to the top of the card.

An arched rectangle die was used to cut the perfect size and shape for a stamped sentiment panel on the inside.

It was very satisfying to come up with a card design that showed off these pretty birds and to finally use up that piece of DSP. Do you ever get stuck for a while, not knowing how to use some of your supplies? I get a lot of bits and pieces from the thrift store, and I often have to leave them lay for weeks before I land on an idea for using them.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Paper-piecing fun...

 

I have a die that cuts this outline floral image from a larger piece of cardstock. I decided to make a couple of cards with it, but to paper-piece all the open areas in the flowers and leaves.

I used pink and purple cardstock for the flower pieces, along with a little bit of gold for the centers. I also used a dark green for the leaves. After seeing this color combination in the photo, I wished I had used all pastel colors.

The sentiment was stamped, punched out, matted and popped up on the card front.

I used a different die to cut a flower for the inside. I also stamped a sentiment to finish the card.

This time the colors were all pretty strong, except for the white. I didn't really like the plain white, so I added a tiny red dot to each "bud." I was much happier with it after doing that. 

Another difference with this card is that I applied the die-cut rectangle directly to the card front. If you look back at the first card, you can see that I applied it to a white rectangle first and then glued that to the card front.

I stamped and die-cut the sentiment and popped it up with a thin foam strip.

For the flower decoration on the inside of this card, I actually die-cut just a single flower portion of the entire die. I used a scissor to cut away the unnecessary parts, and then paper-pieced it the same as the flowers on the front.

I stamped the "Happy Birthday," and the card was done.

Paper-piecing is fun, but it definitely takes time and patience, especially when the pieces are tiny--like those that fill the leaves. I found it's helpful to leave the pieces in the die, add some glue to the back of each piece, lay the die over the die-cut and gently poke each piece into place.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Two rather crazy birthday cards...

Sometimes I like to go up to the edge of the deep end when making cards to donate. I like to see if a card that's just a little bit crazy will sell. I'm happy to report, these two did sell, but it took a couple of weeks for the colonoscopy card to lure a buyer. he he

Here's a look at both. They have the same layout, but one is a portrait card and the other is landscape.

The mats are actually a charcoal color, rather than black.

I cut apart a leafy die-cut that looked like the ones in the DSP and added parts of it to the sentiment panel.

I also added a few tiny turquoise gems for some sparkle.

The rest of the leafy sprig was added to the inside.

Both the front and inside sentiments  were printed with my computer.

The sentiment panels on both cards were popped up. I added the entire leafy sprig to the bottom of this one.

I saw these sentiments somewhere online--probably Pinterest--and I just had to use them. They both made me laugh, so I was pretty sure they'd make someone else laugh, too.

I liked the juxtaposition of having everything BUT the sentiment looking all dignified and respectable.

I decided to make this one a 50th birthday card, since that's the age when most people start getting colonoscopies. I know they are now suggesting folks start at 45, but I think it will take some time for that to become common practice.

These cards were fun to make. I may even make them again sometime!

Our summer is already shaping up to be a busy one. We have some graduations to attend and celebrate and a sightseeing trip planned. I hope those gas prices don't get much higher!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #230: Anything Goes or Beautiful Butterflies (use a butterfly)...

 

It's a beautiful time of year, and we've got a beautiful challenge for you at Let's Craft and Create: Beautiful Butterflies. Of course, you can also choose to enter our challenge under the "Anything Goes" theme.

I chose to create a butterfly-themed Easter card. I love making cards with butterflies and have oodles of butterfly dies. The one I've used for this card is a clear favorite, although I like them all.

I first chose some DSP that was lavendar with a subtle pattern of small yellow circles scattered across it. I decided where my circle cut-out was going to be. Then I adhered the DSP to the top-fold card front, making sure I didn't put any adhesive in the circle area. I needed to use the white circle die-cut to finish the card!

I used a slightly smaller circle die to cut a piece of yellow paper and, centering it on the circle cut from my card front, glued it down.

Then it was time to create my beautiful butterfly. I die-cut the front wings and back wings from white cardstock. I used small blending brushes to add the yellow, aqua and purple inks.

Then I cut the body and wing tips from black cardstock and assembled my butterfly.

It was added to the circle by adhering the body first and then popping the wings up a bit with some tiny foam squares.

The sentiment was stamped, die-cut and also popped up with a thin foam strip. A few gems were scattered on the card front for some sparkle.

This is how the card looks when opened: The butterfly circle is on a mechanism that pops it up and keeps it visible on the inside.

Finally, I stamped an Easter sentiment just below the circle, leaving plenty of room to sign the card.

If you'd like to watch a video tutorial on how to make this card, On Y Go Stamping has a great one here.

I hope you'll give this fun card a try! Be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team has  made to inspire you on the Let's Craft and Create blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

If you don't think brown is an Easter color...

 ...just think chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs. I'm a bit of a choco-holic (dark chocolate only, please!), so I'm a firm believer in brown for Easter cards. Here's an example of one I made:

I started with an A2 white card base. I cut 3/4" off the right hand side of the front and then used a border punch to create the scalloped edge. When that was done, I cut a panel of brown DSP to adhere to the front.

I used my "bunny on a stool" die set, a stitched egg die and a sentiment die to create all the pieces needed to finish the card front.

If you look closely at the bunny, you'll see that I added some pink to his ears and his cheek.

The Easter eggs were cut from DSP, so no stamping or coloring needed to decorate them.

I added a 1" strip of some coordinating DSP to the right side of the inside and rounded the corners. Then I added a panel with a computer-printed sentiment on it to finish the card.

I think it's fun to use unexpected colors for cards occasionally. At Christmastime, I like to make a few cards using pastel pinks and blues.

A big "Happy Easter" to all who celebrate!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Easter cards for the grands...

I always make an Easter card for each of our five granddaughters and five grandsons. Here's what I made this year:

This is the card I made for each of our granddaughters. I die-cut the top layer with all the bunny ears inside the egg apertures. I measured to determine the size of the pieces of pastel cardstock I would need to back each egg aperture. Once I had them all cut, I taped them together (on the back side) and then tested this taped rectangle on my card to make sure it would fit correctly. This was such a good way to use up some scraps!

This method worked great, and by the fifth card, I could do it pretty quickly.

When I had all the colored pieces taped together and sized correctly, I adhered it to the front of the cardbase. Then I added thin foam strips to the back of the die-cut and positioned it over the colored cardstock piece.

I made sure I put a thin foam strip behind each ear so that it was supported. If you look closely, you'll see one of those foam strips peeking out from behind the ear in the yellow egg shape.

The sentiment was stamped, matted and glued directly to the card front.

I made one card using little pieces of DSP as backing for the egg apertures. 

I even made one card with a colorful backing made from leftover strips of pink and purple cardstock.

This photo shows how I stamped the sentiment on the inside and added two little eggs for embellishments. The eggs were always coordinated with the colors/papers I had used on the card front.

These are the cards I made for our grandsons.

Some of them had a bunny peeking around the trunk of a tree...

...and others showed the bunny peeking around a brick wall. Both the tree and the brick wall were created by using embossing folders on strips of brown or beige cardstock and inking them with a finger dauber and some brown ink.

The bunnies' ears and noses were colored pink with an alcohol marker and a little pink chalk was added to the cheeks.

The cloudy backgrounds were created with a stencil and a blending brush, and each sentiment was stamped, matted and popped up with foam squares. The image panels were matted with the same dark blue cardstock.

This was the sentiment stamped on the inside of each grandson's card.

I had lots of fun making these cards. I love using simple, but effective, die sets that help me make a memorable card.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

A pretty basket of Easter eggs...

 

I had this blue embossed piece in my card parts. It had already been inked to better show the embossed design. I am certain I did that by gently swiping an enk pad across the top of it.

I matted it with a navy blue cardstock and adhered it to the card front. 

I cut a small white rectangle with a coin-edge die and stamped it with "Happy Easter."

The basket was in my Easter box, a die-cut left over from last year. After inking it a bit for more dimension, I punched out a few pieces of greenery, die-cut some eggs and filled the basket.

I glued the basket to the white rectangle, putting one of the extra pieces of greenery under the lower right corner, as if it had fallen out of the basket.

After popping the rectangle up on the card front, I knotted a short piece of navy blue, sheer ribbon and adhered it to the basket handle.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside and added a couple of eggs with some of the punched greenery. With those ready-made card parts, this card was done in a flash!

We had a beautiful Palm Sunday here. The weather was perfect for spending some time outside--no jacket required! Some of the trees are beginning to form buds, which means that a steady stream of warmer weather is truly on the way.

 A prolific writer by the name of Anonymous wrote: "Spring: a reminder of how beautiful change can truly be."

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl