Countdown to Thanksgiving...

I've been busy this week planning for our big Thanksgiving meal--even getting started on stocking up on the groceries I'll need--and making some Thanksgiving cards for personal use and to donate.

I made a couple of cards like this one, using scraps of DSP that were in Autumn colors.

The great thing about this card design, is that the four small rectangles of DSP are all the same size. That makes it easy to cut them out and add them to the card fronts.

I started by cutting a brown mat slightly smaller (in length and width) than 4" X 5 1/4".  Then I cut a panel of each DSP pattern at 1/4" less than the brown one in both length and width. 

I cut the two DSP panels in half in both directions left me which resulted in four small rectangles of each pattern. I adhered two of each pattern to the brown panel as you see in the photo.

I cut two arched rectangles for my focal point--one in brown and one in off-white. I stamped a sentiment on the off-white one and adhered it to the brown one.

After gluing these to the card front, I added a dimensional leaf sticker. The sticker had a bit of sparkle on it, but of course it doesn't show in the photo.

Before making this card, I had used my computer to print out some Thanksgiving sentiments, so I used one of them on the inside of this card.

Because I had four more of those small DSP rectangles, I made a second card just like this one.

I took my first batch of Thanksgiving cards to the thrift store last Thursday. I don't think a lot of people send them out, so it will be interesting to see if they all sell.

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #237: Anything Goes or Use a Sketch...

All of us at Let's Craft and Create want to help jumpstart your creativity, and one way to do that is to encourage you to use a card sketch. 

I keep a little soft-cover photo book filled with card sketches.  When I find one online that I want to use, I copy the image, size it to about 4" X 6", print it and cut it out, then add it to my photo book. That way, it's easy to flip through all of them and choose one that inspires me.

Here's the sketch I used for today's post:

Instead of making just one card with this sketch, I decided to make three of them, with some tweaks to the sketch for each card.

Sketches are only suggestions, so we can feel free to change the measurements used or even the layout.

Can you see the basic layout of the sketch in each of these cards? It was fun to actually try to mix it up a bit, but keep the core design intact.

This card featured a die-cut flower that shared some features with the flowers in the DSP. The small rectangle was popped up with foam tape and the sentiment strip, which was glued directly on top of the flower, was quite a lot shorter than the one in the sketch.

I also added a thin black strip where the two pieces of DSP meet.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside and added a strip of the red cardstock used for the small rectangle.

For this card, I used a larger, matted rectangle as a focal point, popping it up with foam tape. The sentiment strip was placed at the top of the rectangle, rather than towards the bottom.

I stamped a sentiment and a few decorative flowers on the inside.

My final card was a Thanksgiving card in non-traditional colors. This time I used a couple of arched rectangle dies for my focal point. After cutting the white arched rectangle, I dry-embossed it with a leaf-patterned folder and then lightly inked the embossing with some aqua ink and a finger dauber.

The matted, arched rectangle was popped up with foam tape, and the pumpkin, leafy sprig and sentiment banner were glued directly to it.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside and embellished the panel with another die-cut and lightly inked pumpkin and leafy sprig.

The other members of the Design Team have also used sketches to inspire you, so I hope you'll take a peek at all their creations here.

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

Cheryl

To the perfect pair...

 

I saw a card like this somewhere online and decided I had to give it a try. I created a top-folding A2 cardbase with blue cardstock. I added a panel of DSP that was 1/4" smaller in length and width. Then I selected a square die and cut an aperture through both layers in the card front.

I added a pale yellow/green panel to the inside of the card. This color, along with the blue, were drawn from the leaf pattern on the DSP used on the card front.

Then I used some more of the blue cardstock to cut a smaller square, which was decorated with a die-cut leaf sprig and some gems. I popped this square up in the center of the aperture. 

A sentiment was stamped on some of the pale yellow/green cardstock, then cut out and matted with some blue cardstock. It was also popped up on the front of the card.

An additional sentiment was stamped on the inside, far enough below the blue square so that it didn't show when the card was closed.

You can just draw a pencil line on the inside across the bottom of the square aperture, and then stamp beneath that line. Once your stamping is done, just erase the line.

This is a fun card to make with an interesting end result. You can use any shape you want for the aperture, as long as you have some smaller dies of the same shape.

I love the way a frame is created when the layer on the inside is a different color than the card base and the DSP used on the front.

You could actually make a double frame if you first cut a larger aperture in the DSP before adhering it to the card front, and then cutting a smaller aperture. Had I done that, it would have resulted in a blue frame, then a yellow/green frame, and then the popped up blue square.

I hope you'll give it a try!

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

Cheryl

A cozy-looking card...

 

My sister has an embossing folder that creates this knitted look with cardstock. Months ago--maybe even a year ago--she sent me some pieces of cardstock she had embossed for me. I've used one of them on this card.

I used some extra sticky, double-sided tape to adhere the knitted panel. I didn't want it to lift up around the edges.

I didn't start out to make a get well card, but when I saw the knitted texture, I decided it was perfect for helping someone feel warm, loved, and taken care of.

The burlap flower had been in my stash for a long, long time. I honestly was perplexed about how I could use it, but when I made this card, it seemed like the perfect embellishment. I die-cut the leaves to add just a bit of green and glued them in place.

The sentiment was stamped onto the lacy-edged rectangle. It had been die-cut with one of the dies in my stash that I don't use nearly enough.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside to finish the card.

I still have a few of these embossed panels left, so I think I'll make another get well card and maybe some baby cards with them. They've been a lot of fun to use.

THANKS AGAIN, SIS!

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

Cheryl

Son-in-law birthday card...

 

Our son-in-law had a birthday this month, and this is the card I made for him. I'm not sure which set of directions or tutorial I used, but click here to go to a similar tutorial with clear instructions and dimensions.

This photo shows the "card" adhered to the inside and the sentiment on the front of it.

Finally, this is the innermost sentiment. It was stamped on the inside of the inner "card."

This card is really fun to make, and my son-in-law remarked about its unique design. He seems to appreciate cards that are a bit different from the norm. 

I am finally done making Halloween cards and have moved on to Thanksgiving cards. I don't make nearly as many of them, so it won't take me long to finish them.

Do you make cards for Thanksgiving, or do you move from Halloween to Christmas?

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

Cheryl

Balloon jack-o-lanterns...

 

Balloons for jack-o-lanterns is another idea I have used before. The difference this year is that I have a new set of balloon dies of different sizes.  I picked out three of the dies that would fit on an A2 card front. I cut them out from different shades of orange cardstock. I also cut out some black strings for the balloons.

The sentiment was stamped directly onto the DSP panel on the front of the card.

I pulled out my jack-o-lantern face stamps and selected one to fit on each balloon. 

The largest balloon was glued directly to the DSP and the other two balloons were popped up with foam tape.

The strings were glued to the DSP.

I cut an extra balloon for the inside and added it alongside the stamped sentiment.

If you have balloon dies, this is a quick and easy Halloween card to make. If you don't have the face stamps, they could be hand-drawn. I would suggest you draw them with a pencil first and then use a black, fine-point sharpie to fill them in. 

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

Cheryl

Would you like a little scream with your coffee?...

 

I have used this sentiment (printed with my computer) on cards in previous years, but I love it, and it always gets a fun reception from others. They usually tell me that the sight of the spider on the cup makes them squeamish.

The die-cut spiderwebs are always a fun addition. The skull and crossbones on the cup came from another Halloween die-set. It's a little small for the cup, but still works okay, I think.

The cup and it's "steam" are popped up with foam tape and glue dots.

The sentiment on the inside is actually a rub-on. I have a few of them, and--when I can remember to do so--I use them on cards.

Do you have some favorite card designs and sentiments that you use year after year? I am able to donate these cards to the thrift store, so I don't worry about giving the same card design more than once to family members.

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

Cheryl

Pocket card...

 

This card has a very simple design, but I think it will work well for someone who wants to give a cash or gift card treat to a loved one.

I created a cardbase with some striped cardstock. It came from an old Halloween paper stack with a couple of pages of cut-aparts. I used one of the cut-aparts for the focal point, matting it with some embossed orange cardstock and then popping it up with foam tape.

On the inside, I stamped a sentiment and then added a pocket beneath it with the striped cardstock.

I glued a thin piece of black cardstock across the top of the pocket and added a sentiment that had been stamped on a thin piece of orange cardstock.

This card was added to the "thrift store box," so I put a little note inside the pocket to let the purchaser of the card know they could insert a gift there.

I always give my teenage and young adult grandchildren money at Halloween so they can buy themselves a treat. I figured there are more grandmas out there like me!

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

Cheryl

Three little pumpkins, all in a row...

 

I had a lot of fun making both of these cards. The faces are from a set of Peachy Keen face stamps. I got two sets of face stamps (one for animals, one for humans) years and years ago. Peachy Keen is still in business, but they are transitioning to all digital images, so I don't think these are available any longer.

EEK!" was made from die-cut letters and glued directly to the DSP. The pumpkins and stems were die-cut and glued together. I inked the edges of the pumpkins and then stamped on the faces. I used a white gel pen to add the whites of their eyes. Once they were completed, I popped them up with foam squares onto a strip of green cardstock that I had embossed to give it some texture.

The die-cut spider was added just for fun. And the banner underneath the green strip? That was added because it was there, lonely and unused in my stash.

This is the stamp I used on the inside. A solid color stamp like this needs to be stamped a few times to get good coverage. That's when I really appreciate my stamp positioning tool!

I finally mailed out my Halloween cards today, but I'll continue sharing some photos of them over the next few posts.

Now I am ready to move on to Thanksgiving cards!

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

Cheryl

More Halloween jokes and an anniversary card...

 

As promised, here are the other Halloween joke cards I made. I think kids will enjoy them. They've certainly sold quickly at the thrift store. The mummy was die-cut, and I added some gray coloring with an alcohol marker before he was glued together.

The mummy die set included a die for a Halloween candy, so I cut it out, glued the black stripes on and added a little shading before gluing it to the inside.

This die-cut ghost was adhered to the card front with an action wobble. It has lots of movement with just a flick of the finger. I had a few star-shaped gems in my stash, so added them for a little sparkle since this card will most likely go to a girl. The stars were in fun Halloween colors of black, purple, green and yellow.

The answer to this riddle is so perfect for Halloween!

The skeleton on this card was die-cut and glued directly to the orange DSP. The sentiment/riddle was matted and popped up with some foam tape.

All of the sentiments were printed with my computer. Please feel free to use them if you like.

Finally, I have an anniversary card to share with you. It is my DH's and my 27th anniversary today. It is a second marriage for each of us, and we've had the best life together. The time has gone by so fast, and we've had so. much. fun.

At our son's recent wedding, a doodle artist had been hired to do doodle drawings of the wedding guests. She did a doodle of my DH and me, so I decided to use it on an anniversary card for him.

I made a copy of the doodle drawing, cut it out, framed it, and popped it up with some thin foam tape. I had the two leaf stickers in my stash, so I added them as embellishments to the frame.

The sentiment was stamped onto a really old Spellbinder's die-cut and popped up with foam tape. If you look closely, you'll see that I added a tiny pale pink pearl on each side of it.

I matted my sentiment panel on the inside with some more of the coral DSP.

This card was 5" X 7" to accommodate the doodle drawing. I could have decreased the size of the drawing when I copied it, but I decided to keep it at its original size.

We are going out for a nice dinner tonight to celebrate.

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

Cheryl

Birthday tulips and a Halloween witch...

 

I had this pretty tulip-patterned DSP in my stash and wanted to use it. It was a busy pattern so I decided to tone it down a bit by using a modern oval die-cut in the center of it.

I pulled out my tulip bouquet dies, but before doing any die-cutting, I decided to ink up a scrap of white cardstock. I only needed a small piece to cut the blossoms; the stems and leaves were cut out of green cardstock.

I pulled out some red and pink inks and, using a blending brush, I brushed them onto the white scrap in a random way. When it was covered with ink, I let it dry for a few minutes and then cut out my flower heads.

I glued them onto the stems and added my bouquet to the white oval, popping up the flower heads.

This particular die has a bow shape at the point where the stems meet. I simply cut that off and then added the die-cut "happy birthday" banner (also popped up).

The flowers got a finishing touch with some Wink of Stella, which I think is evident in the photos.

This is the sentiment I stamped on the inside.

I love using this witch die for Halloween cards because she looks so sassy. I created a bookbinding card base. This A2 cardbase is folded on the left side with the first 1 1/4" of the front glued to the back. You can see in the photo where I scored the front 1 1/4" from the left to allow the card to open easily. 

That lefthand 1 1/4", decorated with a strip of polka-dot DSP and some ribbon, is the "binding" part of the card. If this seems a little confusing, you can watch a video tutorial here.

I cut a 4" square of some orange dotted DSP and matted it with some black cardstock. 

The sentiment was printed with my computer and also matted with some black cardstock. I popped it up with some foam tape.

The die-cut witch was glued directly to the DSP.

The inside sentiment was also printed with my computer. I added a sticker banner across the top and a die-cut witch's hat in the bottom righthand corner.

I made some other Halloween cards featuring Halloween jokes, and I'll share them in my next post.

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

Cheryl

Just too bright!!!...

 ...is what my brain screamed at me when I saw this sheet of printed paper. And then I challenged myself to actually use it to make a couple of cards.

Since the colors of the DSP were so bright, I also chose a bright color for the cardbase and scalloped oval. After the plain white oval was glued to the scalloped yellow one, I adhered them with some thin foam tape. I wanted to keep this card very mailable by adding only a tiny bit of dimension.

I cut a flower head from some pink cardstock that matched the background pink of the DSP. The center dots of the flower were made with Nuvo Drops.

I decided to make this a get well card, thinking that the bright colors would cheer someone up. I think this sentiment works particularly well for someone who is recovering from surgery or a broken bone.

Only a sentiment was stamped on the inside, offering some relief from the super bright colors on the card front.

As I was working on the first card, I noticed an "adorable" sticker on my desk that was begging to be used. Luckily, its pink and green colors were a perfect match for the bright DSP.

I die-cut the whimsical border out of the same green cardstock as the cardbase, glued it across the middle of the card front and centered the sticker on it.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside and added three more tiny stickers that were on the acetate sheet along with the "adorable" sticker.

I felt pretty good about using this DSP. It's been in my stash, taunting me, for a long time!

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