Good Luck Cat

 

Make a good luck card with a cat peeking from the inside of the card

My friend is starting a new job soon and I wanted to make her a card to celebrate. That's when I realised I didn't have any job type images! Oh well, she really loves cats so I am hoping she loves this card.

How cute is this card with a little cat peeking from the inside of the card!

The small window is cut using a square die but you do not want to cut the bottom of it.  Therefore you run it only part way through your die cutting machine.  I have an A4 die cutting machine so I can run my open card through the machine across the width of the cutting plate (my card has a left hand folded edge).  However if your machine is smaller than A4, please treat your card as a tent fold card (top folded edge).  Position your square die appropriately (as per below photo) and run through your machine with the back edge of the card first and still stop when the lower edge of the die is under the rollers.

Tent fold card ready to run through cutting machine

Tent fold card with square part cut out

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Gorjuss Cat

 

Use a Sandoro Gorjuss Girl stamp to create this birthday card

The best bit about making cards yourself is that you can adjust them to suit the recipient. So this weeks card is a birthday card for a friends daughter who has beautiful red hair.

She's also a cat lover - so this card is a win, win!

I often get people comment - "I can't colour in". Don't forget it is a hand made card - just try your best. It really doesn't matter - it's come from the heart and the recipient will love it. I personally love promarker pens as they are very forgiving. For example I colour the girls dress in cold grey 2 pen. It doesn't show the pen marks, it just blends into one colour. To make the image look less flat, take the same coloured pen and draw lines where shadows would be. In this image, I drew a line under her arms and around the outside of the cat head on her dress. It leaves a subtle shadow but does make the image look less flat.

(Please excuse the photo's this week - they are a little darker than normal.  I was having to work without a light as the electrician was updating the fuse board ! - how rude!)    

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Birthday Circles

 

Use nested circle dies to create this greeting card from coloured paper or card

I recently got a set of nested circle dies and had an idea of putting random circles onto a greeting card. It didn't quite turn out how I imagined but I am pleased with the result. It's really quite a chirpy card.

It's such a generic style card so could be used as a greeting for anyone. Also if you have square, rectangle or star shaped dies, you can use them to create a similar card.

    

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Woof you anniversary

 

Use a Lili of the Valley downloaded digital image to make this circular anniversary card

I went to a craft fair this week and bought myself some stitched circle nesting dies. I needed to make an anniversary card so decided to use the circle dies to create frames for one central image. This is the card I came up with:

I've made some cards using Lili of the Valley digital downloads before and if you don't like colouring, you can purchase one of their full coloured images. This really makes it an easy card and after you have paid for the image and downloaded it, you can save it to your computer and use it many times.

I like digital images because it means I do not have to store paper decoupage sheets amongst my crafting supplies and can just print them as and when I need them - less storage and less creasing! Quite often you get several sizes or you can alter the size to make it suit what you need.

You can do the same frame idea with square, rectangle or heart nesting dies, just make sure the smaller one is used on the first layer that is glued to the image and the larger one on the second layer - just follow the steps below.

Some of my previous cards made using LOTV (Lili of the Valley) downloaded digital stamps can be found by clicking on these links - Fathers day easel card, Watch the Birdie card and Animal birthday cupcake card.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Wrapping Paper Robin

 

Making a card from some really pretty wrapping paper

I know Christmas seems like ages ago now and we are already half way through January but I was tidying my desk and found some wrapping paper I had saved from Christmas. It was such pretty wrapping paper that I want to show you how to make a beautiful card quite quickly from it. This particular card is a Christmas card but you could make a similar card using birthday or celebration wrapping paper.

I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned - I like to get my Christmas cards made in January! I know it's early, but the time leading upto Christmas gets so manic and I'm still in Christmas mood in January so I get them done early. I make quite a few Christmas cards each year and I've left making them till October/ November time and run out of time and they never turn out how I would like them to as they are rushed. At least by making them in January, I can take a bit of time and if I need to order items such as card, there's no rush to find some.

Not only that, these cards are made from some wrapping paper I salvaged from Christmas - I need to use it now before it becomes all creased and crumpled !  Isn't it good to recycle?

I've also used a bit of the paper to cover the front of a notebook. This is a notebook that I use for tracking Christmas gifts. As I buy items, I mark it against the people I need to buy for and any ideas, I can also note down. I do buy gifts all year - not purposefully looking, but sometimes you just stumble across a perfect item for someone whilst on holiday for example. I therefore cover my little notebook in Christmassy paper so I don't get it lost amongst my other little notebooks.

I have made some cards using some birthday wrapping paper in the past - if you missed this click here to be taken to the page

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made:

Shed Birthday Card

 

Use a shed peel off to create this really cool card

When I first started card making, I bought a lot of peel off's as they were an easy way of creating an image. I found this shed peel off and decided to make this weeks blog card using it.

You can really go to town decorating the garden part - adding a fence, path, plant pots or fish pond. If you stick the shed to a white base card instead of the craft coloured one, then you could colour your shed with brighter colours.

If you do not have a shed peel off or stamp, then why not use a house peel off or stamp instead?  You could draw one, print an image from the internet or even use a photo.    

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Large Picture card

 

Create a really simple card using just one large image

Whilst tidying my study recently, I found a couple of books with fairly large images in them. Therefore today's blog is to show you a really simple card that can be made using just one of these images.

The images I used are from 'The Little Book of Pampered Paws by Hunkydory. The images are 15 cm high by 10 . 5 cm wide. I chose a really simple design for this card as the pictures are so pretty - which is probably why I bought the books in the first place :) You can decorate with as much extra detail as you wish or could even 3d decoupage the picture using the duplicate images from the book. 

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Peel off flower birthday card

Use decorative papers and peel offs to create a pretty birthday card

I've done a previous card where you stamp onto patterned paper then cut out (click here to see this card) but this time I am using some peel offs. I have quite a few peel offs that I have accumulated over the years and I am trying to find different ways of using them.

I've used flower peel off's but any pictured peel offs with largish cut outs in them will work. I have a lovely kimono peel off that I may try later with some pink or purple card behind it. I've then used the same patterned paper to create the border at the bottom of the card.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made