Card and Tag Kit

Hello everyone. 

 

PJ Challenge has posted a very interesting challenge. The challenge is in two parts. The first part, due by September 30th, is to assemble a package based on a pre-set list.

• 6 papers
• 5 stamps
• 4 inks
• 3 embellishments
• 2 ribbons, and
• 1 drink of choice

Here are my items. Three of the papers are double sided, hence the almost identical pictures.

 

The second paper from the right is maroon (not brown).

From left, the double sided papers are 1, 3, and 6

 

 

You will notice 4 ribbons in the picture but I will only use two of the four. I didn't want to unravel one of them just for the sake of the picture.

 

My drink of choice is in the blue cylinder at the top left of the pictures. It recently changed to water, trying to become a little healthier and shed a few useless pounds.

 

Are you asking "so, what is part two of the challenge?" I would be happy to tell you. The second part, due November 1st, is to use the items in this package to make cards and tags. The goal is to use as much of the items as possible. To use every piece of paper until there is only paper dust left.

 

So if this challenge peeks your interest as it has mine, either join the challenge or come back in November to see what I have created.

 

Till then, happy crafting.

 

 

Votives and Vinyl

I am entering this project into the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog, Challenge #177 - Vinyl for a chance to win a Cricut Expression from Cricket Vinyl Supplies .com. Cricket Vinyl Supplies .com will give away a Cricut Expression, the Jasmine cartridge and a load of vinyl if 100 people or more post their projects where they used vinyl and a Cricut machine.

The centre pieces at our wedding were potted herb plants circled by 5 votives. I brainstormed for days on what I could do to give the votives a little more decor factor. I tested etching, ribbons and decided that the best, easiest and prettiest way to decorate the votives would be to use our vinyl supply and my Cricut Expression to cut wedding related images. With the help of my parents, I used the Tie the Knot cartridge (blackout LoveBrds, Mr&Mrs) and the Calligraphy Collection cartridge (Matrimony Phras6-s, Gratitude Phras6-s, Inspiration Blackout Phras1-s) for the votive cutouts.

This was my first time creating a project using vinyl. However, my parents have a significant amount of experience cutting vinyl and graciously offered to help me. My dad owns a Roland Camm 1 PNC 1050 cutter. It is a commercial cutter and I love to tease him that it's just a bigger version of my Cricut.

I loved working with the vinyl. At times it was much easier than working with paper or cardstock. I found that the Cricut can cut a much more detailed, delicate image on vinyl. I will definitely use vinyl again in a future project.

Easel cards

It has been a while since my last post. I have been busy making 200 wedding programs and over 300 table seating cards for a couple getting married on Sunday, September 1st. Congratulations to the happy couple!

 

I have returned to my craft room and excited to create more layouts, cards and any other craft that tickles my fancy.

 

I created these two cards primarily for friends of mine but also for PJ Challenge's September Motivator.

 

The focus for the September Motivator is to get us to try something new and provide the steps or links to the steps so others can try it too.

 

Making these cards not only motivated me to try a new technique - easel cards but also to do something I haven't done in a very long time - colour!

 

 

Easel cards are a fantastic way to display your greetings and well wishes. They will lie flat when closed and then you prop them open for display.

 

 

 

Last fall I got my first glance at the mechanics behind an easel card at a Make & Take. What is a Make & Take? It is where someone teaches you how to make something and then you get to take it home, sometimes with written instructions. The easel cards are quite easy to make.

 

To create a 5 x 5 1/2 inch top fold card:

 

• Cut a piece of paper to 5 x 11 (this will become the base of your card).
• Cut a piece of paper to 5 x 5 1/2 (this will become the decorated top panel of your card).
• Place the larger piece of paper, long side horizontally on your score board.
• Score the paper at the 2 3/4 inch mark and then again at the 5 1/2 mark.
• Fold the card in half at the 5 1/2 score line.
• Decorate the top panel piece, the 5 x 5 1/2 piece of paper, as desired.
• Adhere the decorated panel to the 2 3/4 inch portion of the base card, the one closest to the short edge.
• Adhere a message or decorative element, using foam dots to give it some height, centered in the middle to lower portion of the inside of the card. This becomes the stopper when the card is propped open.

 

The Comfort Food card makes me giggle. The card was created following the same instructions as above. However, given  enough time, I usually go above and beyond. On this card I applied a second new technique; colouring with Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS). Colouring with OMS is not difficult but it is a little time consuming. Essentially you are colouring the same image twice, once with the colouring pencils and then again with a blending stub and the mineral spirits. I love the way the technique blends the pencil lines and gives the drawing a much smoother, softer look. I am going to use this technique in my other drawings.

 

 

 

I learned this technique from Trudy Sjolander a guest blogger on CardMaker blog and you can find her instructions here.
 

Hope you enjoyed these new techniques as much as I did. I can't wait to try the double twisted easel card.

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

 

 

From my supplies inventory:

 

   For the Welcome Home card

• Stampin'up - Baja Breeze classic ink pad
• Tombow
• Fiskar personal paper trimmer
• Scotch Advance tape glider
• Martha Stewart scoring board
• Martha Stewart punch around the page - French Scroll
• Cricut cartridge - Straight from the Nest (fence, tree 1), Pooh and Friends (Tigger 3 icon)
• Distress ink - pine needles, gathered twigs
• Pearl pen - Viva Decor - black
• Copic W5
• Zapdots - foam dots
• Big Shot
• Cricut Expression
• Lil'inkers stitched mats die
• Scrap paper
• Recollections cardstock
• Cardstock from Costco
• DCWV's The Great Vacation Stack

 

For the Comfort Food card

 

• Various cardstock
• Whimsy stamps - Big Comfy Cake
• StazOn jet black ink
• Prisma colouring pencils #345, 368, 329, 328, 370, 313, 305, 342, 336
• Copic markers W1
• Quick Quotes paper - Julie je t'aime
• Fiskar personal paper trimmer
• Martha Stewart scoring board
• Scotch Advance tape glider
• Distress ink - seedless preserves
• Crop-a-dile corner chomper
• Stampin'up - Sincere Salutations stamps
• Zapdots - foam dots
 

Supplies purchased:

 

For the Welcome Home card

• Nothing

 

For the Comfort Food card

• Blending stub
• Gamsol orderless mineral spirits