Love You Card - for your Valentine

I have always liked the crisp look of white and one other color - my favorites are blue & white and red & white.  These combinations seem both old-fashioned and fresh at the same time.  Red and white are perfect for Valentine's Day.

CTMH Cloud Nine cardmaking kit - click HERE for details

Close to my Heart has a special offer for January - if you spend $35 you can purchase the Cloud Nine cardmaking kit for just $15 (it has a retail value of $46).  My friend Joy is a CTMH consultant (her website is HERE) and she sent me a cardmaking kit to try out. The colors are not ones that I would usually choose but I think they are bright and cheery.

The Cloud Nine kit includes this stamp set and while I am not 100% sure about the mustache at the top, I think the other four stamps will be very useful.  I particularly like the heart shaped stamp and decided to make a card that looked nothing like the one in the kit for a valentine.

This stamp set coordinates with the CTMH Artiste Cricut cartridge (one of the best cartridges ever!) and the size and page number of the coordinating cut are printed right on the clear stamp sheet.  This heart is on page 66.

A word of caution - the clear stamp sheet says to cut the heart at 2 inches.  I did that and discovered that I should have chosen "real dial size" to get a cut that is the proper size.  The first cut is on the right of this photo.  It is sized to fit on the "I (Heart) you" sentiment in proportional sizing so you need to use real dial size to get a cut you can stamp on.

I sometimes have trouble stamping directly on the cut shape but I discovered a couple of helpful things to do.  One is to be sure to have a contrasting paper color behind the shape that you are stamping.  The other is to use the thin foam sheet that comes in the stamp sets and sit the shape on the foam before you stamp.  This helps to hold the shape straight and also cushions the stamp to help make insure that the ink all transfers properly.

There was not a shadow shape for this heart so I decided to just try using cuts 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch larger.  I actually prefer the effect of the irregular border at these sizes over a normal shadow shape - I think it looks more interesting.  You could try to alter the shape to be a more even shadow by using the Gypsy or CraftRoom software if you want a perfectly even shadow.

I tried a few different variations and finally settled on this triple layer for the heart, the white heart stamped in red at 2 inches, a red layer at 2 1/4 inches and another white heart cut at 2 1/2 inches.

Here are the pieces for this card.  The card base is 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 folded to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches.  The white layer is cut at 5 3/8 x 4 1/8 inches and the red gingham is cut at 5 1/4 x 4 inches.  I just wanted a narrow line of white to define the edge of the card.  The ribbons with the zig zag design were from a grab bag I purchased in a sale - I think they were from Stampin Up.

The tiny gingham paper is from this 6 x 6 paper pad -Children at Play by Sarahjane Studios for Making Memories.

I used 1/8 inch ScorTape to adhere the ribbon to the front of the card.  I find this to be the best for ribbon - it holds very securely and doesn't buckle the paper.

 I wrapped the ends of the ribbon around to the back of the white layer - the ScorTape holds them down neatly.

Since this ribbon was rather thick, I used 1/4 inch ScorTape around the edges of the card to secure it to the card base.  I ran it right over the ribbon ends that were turned to the back.

Here is the card base with layers and ribbon - ready for the heart to be added.

I wanted the heart to be raised up on the card front.  To make sure my foam dots would not interfere with the ribbon, I put the shape on the ribbons upside down and added dots so they would hit the paper areas and not the ribbons.

Here is the finished card.  I'll have a few tips about the inside and alternative ides for the heart stamp in another post.  I think this looks so sweet but it is not overly frilly as some Valentines can be.

Be sure to check out Joy's blog Obsessed with Scrapbooking HERE for lots of great ideas.  Her Close to My Heart website is HERE.

Have you started making valentine cards yet?  Do you make a lot of them or just a few?  I have some designed in the Cameo software that I hope to cut out today - even if I am not snowed in!  

I hope you are safe and warm if you are in the path of the Winter storm Janus.  The worst of the big storm just missed us - we have a few inches of new snow but just south of here they had about 10 inches of the white stuff.

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Christmas Card Variations - Mix and Match

 

Christmas cards already?  My husband just shook his head when I showed him these cards - he doesn't understand that Christmas comes very early in the crafting world!  I had an idea that I wanted to try and you could use this technique for any kind of card - I just happened to decide that I wanted some snowflakes...

The Cricut Artbooking cartridge is the third in a series of absolutely full and fabulous cartridges that are available through Close To My Heart.  Each cartridge has used all of the available key positions (14 for each button) and there are 700 items that can be cut with this cartridge.  The section at the front of the book that shows the images takes up 28 pages - so many choices!  

This cartridge has a focus on mini books and scrapbook pages but there are many ways to expand on the use of the images.  I decided to try using one of the overlay images to make some cards (and of course they had to be sparkly!).  I started with the overlay image on page 52.  The overlay is meant for a summer sun page but it can easily be switched up for other purposes.  I cut the design at 4 inches (Real Dial Size) to fit a standard A2 card.  It is important to note that you will need to use Real Dial Size often with this cartridge if you are cutting something that you want to use for a different project than the project shown on the page in the book.

I cut the ray design in three colors of glitter cardstock (Core'dinations Core Couture).  Then, while one frame was still on the mat, I rearranged all of the cut out rays, alternating colors to create three card toppers.  (I did not use any software to alter the size of the image to fill the card front but you could do this with the Cricut Craftroom or the Gypsy).

I adhered the overlay to a white card and then added the individual rays.  If you have them set up on the mat it goes a little more quickly but the shapes are easy to distinguish so it is not strictly necessary to do this.

I find it easiest to place the frame on the card and then scribble in the empty spots with a glue pen.  The photo above shows the card with the dark blue background so you can see the glue more clearly.

The cut pieces are easy to arrange and you can just pick up the stack and fit them into the proper openings - it's sort of like doing a jigsaw puzzle.  This method saves times since you don't have to flip over each individual piece and add glue to the back.

In keeping with my wintry colors, I looked through the cartridge book for some snowflakes and found several pretty choices on page 76.

I cut a few samples and decided that the best size for the cards was 2 1/2 inches (Real Dial Size).  If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I love snowflakes and I think these are very pretty.  If you were using the Gypsy or the Craftroom to cut your images, you might want to hide the small inner cuts on the bottom right snowflake - they are tiny and a bit tricky to poke out but they do give a nice effect.

The "Happy Holidays" sentiment from this set (B1412 Perfect Fit-Holidays Holiday) is just the right size to fit at the bottom of the card.  There are several of these sets available for different holidays and they coordinate with Perfect Fit Frame stamp sets (Perfect Fit - Frames and Perfect Fit - Frames 2) that have perfectly sized openings in the centers - just pop in the circle you want to use.

I didn't have embossing powder in the right shade of blue but I discovered that the Tim Holtz "Broken China" Distress Ink was a "close enough" match so I stamped the sentiment and then used clear embossing powder to give it some dimension and shine.

I chose this snowflake for the first card but I wanted to pop it up and didn't want the adhesive to show.  It turns out that a 3/4 inch circle (punched out but you could cut it with the Cricut) is a perfect fit to fill in the central area of the 2 1/2 inch snowflake.

The contrast of the light blue and white is subtle but pretty.

A large pop dot can now stick to the snowflake without showing...

I added a clear gem to the center and some more gems in two sizes to the left of the sentiment.  Card number 1 - finished!

For the second card, I centered the white overlay on the dark blue card base and added the two contrasting blues as shown above.  I chose a blue snowflake for this card...just to be different.  A clear gem in the center of the snowflake adds some more sparkle but the sides looked too plain.

I pulled out some silver "peel off" sticker borders that a friend sent to me a long time ago and they added just a nice bit of sparkle on each side.

I chose not to add a sentiment to the front on this card.  I'll add a white liner and stamp the message inside the card.

For the third card, I turned the overlay to place the circle at the top right.  For this snowflake I used a bright blue gem in the center.

I wanted to add a sentiment on the front but it looked odd to have the white area showing so I cut a piece of the dark blue cardstock at 4 by 5/8 inches and placed it at the bottom of the card.

The "merry & bright" sentiment is on page 56 of the book.  I set the machine for "fit to length" at 3 1/2 inches.  It can be a bit confusing to see the calculated size pop up - it said "cutting at 7 1/2 inches" for the 3 1/2 inches fit to length.  This is because the sizing is based on the design of the project - in other words a 7 1/2 inch album size instead of the 10 inch album the cut was designed for.

The dark blue strip gives the sentiment a place to rest and helps it to stand out on the card.  It is hard to show the brightness of the glitter in a still photo but it really sparkles in person.

I cut the word art from the DCWV "Glitzy Glitter" stack.  This super shiny glitter cardstock is thin and cuts easily, even for very intricate cuts.

Here is one more look at each of the three snowflakes...

I can think of so many ways to use these!

This same procedure can be used on many of the overlay designs to create interesting multi-colored patterns that won't add a lot of thickness to your card.  This is a great way to use up all of the pieces so nothing goes to waste.  I think I may try a set in Autumn colors next!

The Artbooking cartridge and the stamps I used are available from a CTMH consultant.  My friend Joy Tracey of Obsessed with Scrapbooking is a consultant and she would be happy to help you with an order.  I am hosting an online Gathering on her CTMH website HERE.  If you decided to shop for the cartridge or other items, please click on the link on the home page of the site to join "Diane's Gathering."  If you don't see it listed, please try back a little later today.

There are some great specials this month, including the Stamp of the Month for just $5  and a special National Stamping Month triple set for just $10 when you spend $50 or more.  Joy has all of the details and lots of projects on her blog.  This cartridge could keep you busy for months!

Thanks to all of you who left comments or sent notes of support for our family in Jamestown, Colorado.  It will take a long time to rebuild and we are hoping that the insurance and emergency funds will be sufficient for everyone to get back to normal.  I haven't had a chance to answer all of you yet but I will and I wanted to let you know that your words have been comforting and very much appreciated.

It's "Talk Like a Pirate" Day - aarrrgh!  Happy Birthday to our nephew Jason who always has a reason to celebrate this day!

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation.

Simple Birthday Card

I can't resist pretty paper, especially when it is on sale.  I am sure this is an affliction that I share with many of you.  I wouldn't dare to tally up my paper stash but I have no doubt that I could spend a year crafting and I wouldn't run out (but I might not always have the perfect color...that's why we buy so much, right?).

Sometimes papers are just "too pretty to use" but I am working on conquering my reluctance to use them.  No matter how pretty the paper is - there is always new paper coming out that is even prettier and we need to make room for it!

 

I've had this pad of double-sided paper by Susan Winget called Spring Blossom for quite a while.  I was lucky to find it on clearance for about $8.  The large floral designs are beautiful but not something that I would generally use for a scrapbook page.

I chose this sheet of daisy paper and looked at it carefully to find a section that would work well for a card front.

Sometimes I cut pieces from the center but in this case the top left corner was just right.

The large daisy fits neatly in the typical A2 card size and there is a nice "blank" space for stamping the sentiment.  The "Happy Birthday" is from one of the stamp sets that comes with the Art Philosophy cartridge.  I stamped it with brown ink - I thought black would be too harsh on the pretty watercolor design.

The card base is pink shimmer cardstock.  Even though I am trying to use my paper stash, I still like to be "green" and conserve my supplies.  I've showed this little trick before (but not for a while...).  When I am simply matting a card layer, I often cut another shape from the bottom layer.  In this case I used a scalloped oval Nestabilities die from Spellbinders. 

This is the side that will be adhered to the card front.  There is plenty of room for the adhesive around the edges.

The brown layer adds a nice frame to set off the floral paper from the pink card base.  I cut the brown cardstock at 4 x 5 1/4 inches and trimmed the floral layer a bit smaller to leave just a thin line of brown showing.

I will keep the cut and embossed oval shape in a dish on my table and it will probably show up on another card soon.  Sometimes when I don't know what I want to make I "browse" through my extra bits and pieces and find interesting combinations.

I used a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page set called Geometric Frames to make a mat to write the message inside.  My punched edge was slightly misaligned  (look carefully at the corner) but I was planning to add some flowers to the inside and I knew that they would cover this.

The green flower was too light and bright so I inked it a bit with some Crushed Olive Distress Ink.  Here you can see the before and after.

I added a smaller white flower and held them together with an antiqued frosted gem brad in pink.

The card front is very plain so I decided to add pink pearls in three corners to coordinate with the flower inside.

I also added some pink pearls on the lower right corner of the mat inside the card.

This card was for our niece and when I was wrapping her gift I noticed that the pattern on the inside of the fabric card holder had a design very similar to the punch that I used - almost like I planned it!

It is a nice change to make the card front very simple and then add more decoration inside the card. 

We will be off on some adventures today - we might even end up in Salem (always a fun place to visit this close to Halloween!).

I hope you have a great Friday and a crafty weekend planned!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  For the rest of the month, everyone who leaves a comment on my blog will have a chance to win this Sizzix "Scrap Pink" set.  You can see more photos and details at THIS POST.  For more chances, you can leave a comment everyday for the rest of the month - but just one comment per day please.

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