A simple idea for some fun cards...

 

These two cards were made to donate to the thrift store, and they were quick and fun to make.

The numbers were die-cut and glued directly to the DSP panel on the card front. The circle sentiment was stamped, die-cut, and popped up with a foam square.

The candles were cut as 1/4" strips. I don't remember exactly how tall they are, but I would guess them to be about 4". Of course, you could make them any height you wanted.

I used a scissors to slightly round the top corners of each one.

The flames are actually leaves, cut from metallic gold cardstock, using a leafy frond die. This worked so well, because the tiny "twigs" that connected the leaves to the main stem became the wicks for the flames.

I popped up every other candle with some thin strips of foam tape, but all of the flames were glued directly to the DSP.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside. Every 7-year-old loves to be called awesome, don't they?

This card was made exactly the same as the first card, except for the different number of candles.

And this is the sentiment I stamped inside of this one.

I happened to use a scrap of DSP for the candles on these cards, but a piece of heavier printed cardstock would work great, too. You could even use a lighter-weight patterned paper if you adhered it to some cardstock before cutting the candles.

You could also use plain cardstock. Remember those boxes of birthday candles in several colors? You could mimic them with different colors of cardstock.

I hope this gives you some fun ideas for birthday cards for kids.

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

Cheryl

Using up some paper scraps...

Today's cards were all made with some paper scraps from my stash. They didn't make a noticeable difference in the pile of scraps, but it still felt like an accomplishment.

A stamped image and sentiment on a matted rectangle finished the front of this card. The rectangle was popped up with foam tape.

To finish this card, I stamped a sentiment on the inside.

On this card, I matted the white rectangle with the DSP scraps before gluing it down. Then I  popped up the coin-edge rectangle on which I had glued a vellum butterfly and stamped a sentiment.

This is the sentiment I stamped on the inside.

For a change of pace, I used three scrap pieces of DSP to create banners and stacked them at the top of the card.  The orange DSP panel was also a scrap! The sentiment was popped up with foam tape...

...and a brief sentiment was stamped on the inside.

I have a notebook filled with funfold card ideas. Now I think I need to start a notebook with lots of ideas for card layouts using scraps. It would be fun to meet regularly with a group of cardmakers who'd be willing to contribute to it. A girl can dream...

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

Cheryl 

A card for a 99-year-old...

Not long ago, on one of the Facebook cardmaking sites, there wa a request for cards for someone soon to turn 99. They were hoping to get 99 cardmakers to each send a handmade card, and I was more than happy to help out. It is now in the mail, and here is what I made:

I thought someone turning 99 might enjoy looking at some old-fashioned clocks. I think they all look like Cuckoo clocks. 

I actually bought a couple of Cuckoo clocks in Bavaria when I went to school in Germany many decades ago. I believe I paid the equivalent of $20 for both of them! Times--and prices--sure have changed. I asked Google's AI program what the average cost of a Cuckoo clock is in Bavaria right now, and it said you should expect to pay $300 - $1,000.

The sentiment was stamped, backed with a dark brown shadow piece and popped up with foam tape.

One of the clocks on the front of the card has been fussy-cut and popped up. Can you tell which one it is?

The popped up clock is the one with the gold pearls as weights at the end of the chains.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside and added some lines around the 99 with a gold glitter pen.

I also made a tiny smudge on the paper, so I added a narrow strip of gold metallic paper to cover it up.

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

Cheryl

A 21st birthday card...

 

This is the card I made for our grandson who recently turned 21 years old. It's a fun card to make, and I think it looks impressive when done.

The red cardbase was cut at 4 1/4" X 8 1/4", scored at 5 1/2" on the long side. Once folded, the shorter side is the card front.

The white rectangle that has the stamped sentiment and the die-cut 21 measures 2 1/4" X 3 3/4". The red mat is 2 1/2" X 4". Put this together, but don't glue it onto the front just yet.

When the top flap is lifted up, this is what you see--another small card!

The blue card base is cut at 3 1/4" X 9 1/2", scored at 4 3/4" (i.e., folded in half).

After adding a white mat to the inside of the red cardbase, this smaller blue card was adhered to its center. Once this card is glued down, you can go back and add the rectangle (with "cheers to you 21" on it), making sure it is centered over the blue card.

The red DSP on the blue card was cut at 3" X 4 1/2".

I don't remember what the measurements were for the white cardstock with the sentiment, but I would guess it is 2 1/4" X 3 3/4". You could make it whatever size you want, as long as it doesn't show when the red card is closed. You could even put a die-cut or other image here, rather than a sentiment, if you preferred.

This is how the inside of the blue card looks. I added another sentiment and created a little pocket where I could put some cash.

I hope you'll give this card a try.

We had a lovely Father's Day. We attended church in the morning, then went to lunch with a cousin and daughter and son-in-law. Then we went to our daughter's home for a delicious dinner.

My DH even had time to take Mickey to the dog park.

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

Cheryl

A double-flap Father's Day card...

 

I have this wonderfully large "Happy Father's Day" die. It's big enough to be the focal point of any card. I decided to use it on a double flap card. 

I started with a cardbase from a 4 1/4" X 9 3/4" piece of blue cardstock, scored at 5 1/2". I turned the cardbase 90 degrees so that the fold was on the left and the shorter side was the front. Then I cut another cardbase from a 3 1/4" X 9" piece of dark blue cardstock, scored at 4 1/2". 

After adding a white embossed mat to the inside of the larger cardbase, I glued the back of the smaller card to the center of the mat. I made sure the fold of the smaller card was on the right so that I could put the front of the larger card inside the smaller card.

This is how the card looks when you open the smaller flap to the right.

You could put a sentiment here, but I chose not to.

I added a white mat, stamped with a sentiment, to the inside of the dark blue card.

I tried to keep this card CAS, but with strong colors. That's what men like, isn't it?

I really enjoy making these double-flap cards. They're quick and easy--but they look a little complicated.

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

Cheryl

Happy retirement...

A couple of months ago, one of the pastors at our church retired. During coffee hour after the service some cupcakes were served. Each one had a glittery "Happy Retirement" topper on a toothpick that was stuck into the top. As any crafter worth her salt would do, I grabbed a few of them that people had left laying on tables. I just knew they'd come in handy one day.

Here's a card I made with one of them:

The dark brown banner was made with a scrap of cardstock on my work table. The embossed white rectangle was cut from a store-bought card I received long ago and the leaves were punched from another scrap of white card. I guess the only "fresh" pieces of cardstock used were the background DSP and the cardbase.

I glued the "Happy Retirement" to the white rectangle and popped it up over the dark brown banner, adding the leaves at opposite corners.

I used another scrap piece for my stamped sentiment, matted it with some more dark brown cardstock and adhered it to the inside.

I always feel good using up some scraps and discarded items, don't you? Making this card with so many bits and pieces really brightened my day!

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

Cheryl

Best Dad Ever...

 

These were two cards I made to donate to the thrift store. Lots of dads cook on Weber grills, so I thought these would sell quickly.

The large sentiment was stamped and die-cut, then popped up with foam strips. "Especially when you cook" was printed with my computer, die-cut, and then adhered directly to the DSP.

The wooden handles on the gill cover and base were not separate die pieces. I simply used the larger die to cut those areas out of some light brown cardstock. I trimmed them to fit and glued them on where appropriate.

I liked this red gingham paper the best. It looks like a picnic table cloth to me.

I die-cut a hotdog for each grill to add a little something extra.

This die set included some grilling tools, so I used a couple of them on the inside above a computer-printed sentiment.

These were fun to make. I hope the dads who receive them enjoy them, as well.

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

Cheryl

Two more graduation cards...

I made a lot of graduation cards this year. We had two grandchildren and a great niece graduating from high school and several of our friends had graduates in their families, too. Of course, I also made quite a few cards to donate to the thrift store.

These were the last two cards I made:

To make this card, I started with a medium blue card base that was 4 1/4" X 9 3/4", scored at 5 1/2". The fold is on the left, and the front of the card is 1 1/4" shorter than the back.

I adhered a 5 1/4" X 4" piece of white cardstock to the inside. I cut another piece of white cardstock that was 4" X 4", embossed it and adhered it to the front.

Then I cut a second, smaller card from dark blue cardstock. This card was cut at 9" X 3 1/4", scored on the long side at 4 1/2". Once folded, this card was turned so that the fold is on the right. I added adhesive to the back, centered it and glued it to the inside of the first card.

2026 was cut from some corrugated,  holographic cardstock and adhered, along with some small holographic stars, to the front of the smaller card.

In this photo you can see the embossing on the larger card front.

You can also see how the smaller, dark blue card opens to the left.

I added a 4 1/4" X 3" piece of white cardstock to the inside of the smaller card and stamped it with a sentiment.

This card was much more straightforward. It's a 4" X 6" topfolding card base. I die-cut the line of graduates and glued them in place. Then I cut the numbers from the same corrugated, holographic cardstock I used for 2026 on the first card. I also added some of the same holographic stars.

I added a white panel to the inside that was stamped with a sentiment.

We have a ton of family birthdays during the summer months, so I am working diligently to get those cards made. I hope to share some of them with you in the coming weeks.

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

Cheryl

Another flip up, flip out fun fold card...

I made a lot of Mother's Day cards and didn't share them all with you back in May, so I thought I'd share another one now. This was a fun card to make. If you want the details on how it's put together, check out this post.

The smaller, top-fold center card flips up and the polka dot triangular flap flips out. Hence, the name of the fold.

The flip-flops were some dimensional stickers that had been in my stash a very long time.  In fact, they had been laying around so long that all the stickiness had gone from the backside. A little glue took care of that problem, and I added a tiny gem to the flower on each one for a little sparkle.

The sentiment was stamped, punched out and popped up with foam squares.

The pretty scalloped border was cut with a die and glued in place on the front of the blue card.

This is how the card looks when the front of the blue card is lifted up.

And this is how the card looks when the triangular flap is flipped out. On the inside, I added a little scalloped border to the top and stamped a sentiment.

We have just returned from a 5,000+ mile RV trip, so I will be playing catch-up for a while. We traveled to Scottsdale, AZ, to visit friends, then to southern Utah to visit the National Parks there (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Arches). From Utah we traveled to Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA, to visit our kids there and to attend our granddaughter's high school graduation. On the way back to Minneapolis, we stopped in West Fargo, ND, to visit our daughter and grandkids there.

It was a fun trip, but after 3 1/2 weeks away, I was ready to get back to our usual routine at home. I tried to keep up with my blog-reading and commenting while I was away, but internet service was sometimes sketchy or non-existent. If I missed any of your posts, I apologize!

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

Cheryl

Like a fine wine...

 

I made these cards, hoping they could be used for men who happen to like wine. I always need masculine cards, and I hadn't used my wine-themed stamps and dies in a long time.

After adding some DSP to the card front, I created a smaller, matted panel for my sentiment and wine die-cuts. The panel was popped up with some thin foam tape that was about an inch wide. I like using this tape on cards because it adds dimension, but not too much!

The wine bottle was cut from some green vellum. I used a dark red marker to color the wine on the back side of the die-cut.

The label was cut from gold cardstock with an oval that was stamped and fussy-cut.

the wine glass was also cut from vellum and colored on the back side.

I used my Xyron sticker maker to add adhesive to the backs of both the wine and wine glass. 

The cheese was stamped with gold ink onto white cardstock, colored with a light yellow marker, fussy-cut and popped up with a dimensional.

Here's a look at the other card, which was made the same way. I thought this background DSP made it seem even more masculine.

This is the stamped sentiment I put on the inside of each card.

I'd love to know if you think these cards would work for a masculine birthday. If you think they're a little too girly, please say so. I'm really trying to broaden my repertoire of masculine cards, and I appreciate your input.

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #232: Anything Goes or a Penny for Your Thoughts (use a sentiment)...

 

Happy June, everyone! Often, at this time of year, our crafting time is limited because there is so much to do outside. And that's exactly why this month's challenge at Let's Craft and Create is perfect. Adding a sentiment to your card is usually much easier and quicker than adding an image. Of course, feel free to do both (like I did).

My card is a simple design with some pretty papers and one of my favorite "get well" sentiments.

The plain, dark purple paper has a velvety finish. It is so rich looking and soft to the touch. I think it definitely added some class to this card!

I glued the 4" X 5 1/4" purple panel to the A2 card front. Then I adhered the matted floral piece in the center.

I chose a die-cut that was simple. In fact, it's only the top part of a die-cut. I cut it first in green and then in purple. I fussy-cut the flowers from the purple die-cut and glued them onto the green one. As a final touch, I added some pink Nuvo Drops to the flower centers.

Before I glued my flowers to the sentiment shape, I ran its edges across a light pink ink pad. I liked the extra color that added.

The sentiment shape was popped up with foam tape.

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

Now it's your turn. We all add some sort of sentiment to our cards, at least occasionally, so I hope you'll join in this challenge.

Keep in mind, however, that you can also enter under the "Anything Goes" umbrella. Either way, we LOVE to see and comment on your entries.

Check out what the Design Time has made to inspire you by clicking here. 

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

Cheryl

Fabulous doesn't expire...

 

This AI image was offered online by its creator for anyone to use. I thought it was pretty funny, so I made a couple of birthday cards with it.

After printing it out, I matted it and glued it to an A2 card base.

Of course, I needed to add my own personal touches.

I coated the lenses of her glasses with Glossy Accents. I also glued a teeny, tiny bow to her waist and added a small gem to the center of it.

Finally, I put a small dot of glue on each scallop at the bottom of her skirt and sprinkled some clear glitter onto the glue. This added some nice sparkle to the image.

I used my computer to create a sentiment for the inside.

I enjoy seeing what crafty people come up with when using AI. I'm always amazed at their creativity and how they can get AI to produce such fun characters and sentiments. 

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

Cheryl