3 Slimline Cards (including Feb Swap Card!)

Previously I showed what happened when I did some Blind Cuts to make six A2 cards from a 12 x 12 piece of patterned paper from Heartfelt Creations' Woodsy Wonderland collection.  Today I took what I learned from that experience (i.e. it's OKAY to chop off part of something - even animals!), to use an 8 x 12 piece I had left over from the same papers (long ago I had taken the top four inches to use for "sky" on some cards that needed sky).  

I cut that 8 x 12 sheet into pieces that were 3 3/4" x 8" (leaving a little leftover for borders & such).  As usual, I wanted my cards to be 4" x 9" because they then fit into a standard business sized envelope (also called #10).  Obviously, it looks best if my panels are 3 3/4" x 8 3/4" so mine were 3/4" short.  You'll see in the descriptions below, what I did about that.  Here are the three cards I made - the last is the one I sent to my February swap partner.  (A reminder, CCC = Crafter's Companion Compendium of stamps)

Card #1:

This first card, is split where you see the green ribbon.  I inserted a plain white piece of card stock that was 3/4" x 3 3/4" into the panel - taping together on the back side with standard scotch tape.  Then, I added a piece of green 3/4" grosgrain ribbon over that plain card stock, wrapping the ends around to the back and securing them well, before adding the entire panel to the card front.  I die cut the greeting (Thinking of You word dies from Card Making Magic) from white and green as you can see - and added it with foam tape.

Inside:

I had a border strip that had images of the deer on it, so I used that top & bottom before stamping my sentiment (CCC - Thinking of You) in brown ink.

Card #2:

This time, instead of cutting the panel and spreading it apart, I added a border strip top and bottom (from the same set).  As I like to do, I taped the borders to the panel on the back side, so I could ink the edges of the whole thing before I adhering it to the card front.  A die cut sentiment (A2 card & box set from Card Making Magic) in brown and cream completed the card front.

Inside:

Inside I simply added a bit more of that border, a cut out tag from the set, and a die cut greeting (Stacked Happy Birthday from Creative Expressions).

Card #3:

This is the card I sent to my swap partner.  This time, to increase the length of the panel, I sort of did a combo of the techniques used on the previous two cards.  I added a border to the bottom, AND I cut and split the panel (not as much as before) - covering it with a die cut sentiment (Thanks Drop In die from The Stamps of Life) backed with a scrap so it looks similar to what it would be if the piece wasn't split.  It still looked a bit too stark, so I stamped the words "So Much" (part of a stamp from CCC -  Thank You) in blue ink below the die cut sentiment.  I also added a little stamp/color/die cut piece I made some time ago using stamps and dies designed to go with these papers (called Woodsy Landscape/Woodsy Treescape) - colored with Inktense pencils & a bit of water on a brush.

Inside:

Scraps from the front made the borders inside - a piece of the border pattern for the bottom, and a piece of the blue card stock (used for die cut greeting on front) for the top.  I stamped a message using two of the stamps from CCC's Thank You sheet - stamping them in a dark blue ink.  I added another of those little birds to the inside.

February 2023 Materials Swap - Snowman

As I enjoy doing, I participated once again in a materials swap on a message board I frequent.  Here is a picture of the materials I put in my kit & mailed to my partner.  It consisted of a page from Hunkydory's Little Book of WinterTime, a few Dazzles (HOTP), and ribbon, red glimmer paper, white glitter card stock, and card base - all from my stash.

And here is the card I made from my identical set of materials:

As you can see, I fussy cut the LB page to give me a cleaner background.  I matted it on the glitter card stock and then on the red, but before I did that, I die cut a sentiment from the red (Winter wonderland mini from Moonstone).  After gluing the layers together, but before adding to the card, I added a ribbon border at the bottom, and the sentiment near the top.

Inside:

Inside I created a border using scraps of the red glimmer paper & white glitter card stock.  I then stamped a message using a stamp from the Crafter's Companion Compendium stamps page called Believe in the Magic.

Materials I received from my swap partner:

Card I made from them:

I started with the snowy background and matted it with dark blue (cutting out the center so I could use it later - like for the INSIDE!)  I used a craft knife to cut right next to the tree, so I could slip the little die cut house behind it.  I added a border - matted on white card stock & wrapped with ribbon at the bottom.  Since she had sent a 2nd house, I used it and a small punch to cut out red "snowflakes" to give a bit of color on the border.  Last, I added the dimensional snowman sticker before gluing the whole to the card front.

Inside:

I used the leftover scene paper & some of the leftover blue card stock to help form the scene you see on the left.  I added another snowman sticker - but first removed all dimensional elements and glued it directly to the scene to decrease bulk.  The stamp is from CCC set called Warmest Wishes.

February 2023 DigiSwap

Here are a couple of quick and easy cards.  They started with a digital paper set - that's the backgrounds.  To that I added some stickers and holographic papers from my stash.

Card #1 (above):  This first with the tall buildings seemed the perfect backdrop for this jet airplane sticker.  The sentiment is also a sticker.  After cutting the background paper to size, I matted it on holographic paper and then used a black Sharpie to draw around the edge so it would stand out better.

Inside:

I simply stamped a sentiment on the inside and called it good.  This was from CCC (Crafter's Companion Compendium) - Birthday Male sheet.

Card #2:

This one called for car stickers - and I used more of them.  Otherwise, the card is made the same way the last one was.

Inside:

This time the CCC stamp was from the sheet called Celebrate.

Blind Cuts

Today I have a set of six A2 cards made from a 12 x 12 sheet from a Heartfelt Creations set called Woodsy Wonderland.  I used a fun technique demonstrated in a YouTube video by May May.  It involves cutting the sheet into six 4" x 5 1/4" pieces FROM THE BACK so you don't see where you're cutting (which is why I call this technique "Blind Cuts") and then using the pieces for your card fronts.  

It's so much fun to see how it works.  It's best when you have a scene that covers the bulk of the page - which I didn't have - but I got fun cards out of it anyway - from a 12 x 12 scene that I had been saving because I didn't know how to use it.  In addition to that page, and misc from my stash, I had a variety of cut outs from the same paper set along with stamp/die cut/colored pieces I had created with the coordinating stamps & dies.  Here are the six cards I made:

Card #1:

I chose to use the hardest piece first - the one that was a basic background with nothing that could serve as even part of a focal.  After looking through the coordinating pieces I found this focal of two cardinals.  I looked through my stash to find some coordinating brown card stock.  I didn't find a piece that matched as well as I wanted, so I added some ink to change the color a bit.  Then I started to assemble the card as follows.  

First, I inked the edges of the background with Peeled Paint Distress ink.  I die cut the sentiment from the inked brown card stock (Stacked Happy Birthday from Creative Expressions), cutting the two words apart.  I trimmed up the remaining brown card stock to form the lower border.  Unfortunately, I didn't have enough to span the full card, so I cut it and placed the gap behind the focal - which I added with foam tape.  Then I realized I really wanted something else on the border - so found the dark red trim.  Since I had already added the border & focal, I had to work really hard to get it added, carefully prying up adhered surfaces as needed & re-gluing.  It definitely would have been much easier if I had added the trim BEFORE gluing the border & focal in place!  After playing with different placements of the greeting, I decided I wanted something in the upper right corner and decided to use a stencil to ink the birdhouse, adding extra ink to the other upper edges as well (stencil was a 6 x 6 template from The Crafter's Workshop - called Mini Birdhouses).  Since the card was partially assembled by this time, I had to use several small post-it notes to cover the edges where I didn't want to accidentally add ink.  Finally, I added the sentiment and the card front was finished.

Inside:

Inside I simply added a stamped sentiment - Crafter's Companion Compendium (CCC) Birthday-Female.

Card #2:

This panel created a beautiful card front without much extra attention.  All I did was ink the edges with a brown ink and add a stamped sentiment (from Forever Fern - Stampin' Up).

Inside:

When cutting the six card fronts, there were 3 strips of the paper left over.  This one made a great border for the inside.  Once again I inked the edges - then added a stamped sentiment (CCC - Thinking of You).

Card #3:

This was a pretty piece, but again didn't really have a lot to focus on - just a pretty floral border at the bottom.  After inking the edges and gluing to the card base, I found these butterflies that I had stamped, die cut, and colored using Inktense pencils & water brush - stamps & dies from the coordinating stamp/die sets called Woodsy Wonderland.  That made me think of this sentiment with butterfly (from HOTP Butterflies stamp set).  After stamping the sentiment, I added the butterflies, then hand-drew the butterfly trails.

Inside:

A piece of paper from my stash looked to go really well with the paper, so I used it for a border which I glued in place after inking the edges.  I added a stamped sentiment (CCC - Thinking of You) and a couple more of those little butterflies - complete with more hand drawn butterfly trails.

Card #4:

This piece of the paper had a bunch of leaves with a few flowers in the upper right corner.  I felt it needed a bit more, so after inking the edges and gluing in place, I added a little bird and a squirrel (stamped, die cut, colored this time from the other two sets that coordinate with this paper - called Woodsy Landscape/Treescape, and Woodsy Critters).  Then I die cut the sentiment from white card stock & inked it before gluing in place. (Spellbinders Joyous Celebrations Sentiment)

Inside:

Another of the little scrap pieces - with inked edges - forms the base for the border.  There was a little sprig of leaves on it and I added a little squirrel near it.  Then I took a stamped/die cut/colored piece that showed log & foliage (again from the Woodsy Wonderland stamp and die sets) - cutting it apart so a piece is on the left side and a larger piece on the right.  Then I stamped the sentiment (from CCC - Heartfelt).

Card #5:

Next up was another piece with pretty floral border - this time along the bottom edge.  Once again I inked the edges before gluing in place.  My Mom was playing with me to try this technique, using a different piece of paper.  Her scrap wasn't of much use for her, but the back of it was this pretty purple that I thought went really well with my background piece.  I used it to create two nearly identical borders (I saved the second for the inside).  White ribbon and green vine ribbon glued near the top of the border dressed it up really nicely.  To each, I added a little flower from my stash (actually from my Mom's stash!).  After gluing the border in place, I added a stamped & die cut sentiment (stamps & die cuts are my Mom's).

Inside:

In addition to the border which I glued to the bottom, a stamped sentiment completes the inside (CCC - Thinking of You).

Card #6:

I thought this piece was so pretty (with the inked edges as for the rest).  It included the sentiment, but I felt it needed something in the lower right corner. I fixed that by stamping an image, coloring it with Inktense pencils & water brush, and then fussy cutting before gluing in place.  The stamp was one that came in a paper crafting magazine (set called Apple of my Eye).

Inside:

I only had a small square of the purple border left, so added it to the end of a too-short piece of green from my stash to create a full length border piece.  After inking the edges, I glued it in place & then stamped the sentiment (from a stamp set I picked up second hand from somewhere - I call the set Remember).