Papercrafting: Birthday Magic

 

I've been busy with updating and making home decor. I was thankful that a friend had a birthday so I had a reason to make a card, my first love!

Supplies: 

• Recollections Paper Stack, Spring Inks (Michaels)
• Recollections White Cardstock 110 lb (Michaels)
• Black and White Polka Dot Paper
• Capitol Chic Designs Die Cuts (Michaels)
• Crafter's Square Embellishments (Dollar Tree)
• Foam Tape
• Tape Gun

I pulled out some supplies from my stash. The Capitol Chic Designs die cuts,a while I picked up at Michaels awhile ago when they first came out. It's great having more diversity in crafting supplies and I love their work! I chose a couple of images to use as the focal for the card. I also love that Dollar Tree has increased and expanded their craft supplies and find a lot of embellishments there. 

I chose a foiled-marble paper from the stack that coordinated with the die cuts, and them made a card from white cardstock (5x7) and cut a panel (4.75x6.75) from the polka dot paper. 

I've had this Martha Stewart scoreboard forever and use it for all of my cards. I scored the 10x7 cardstock panel down the middle to create the 5x7 card, then applied the marbled panel and die cuts using foam tape to mount.

I skipped the cupcake stickers and just went with the rhinestones in coordinated colors to embellish. 

Et Voila!

Papercrafting: Layered Butterfly Mother's Day Cards

 

I always wait for confirmation from recipients that they've received my cards before sharing them. Maybe it's silly, but...

I always make Mother's Day cards for special women in my life. The Mumster, aunt, friends. And since I discovered layered cut files, I continue to be obsessed by them. These Layered Butterflies from Creative Fabrica are no exception! 

Disclosure: I am a Creative Fabrica Affiliate so if you decide to purchase  this collection and use this link, I do receive a small compensation. 

Supplies:

• Spring Inks Paper Stack (Recollections,Michaels)
• Shimmer Paper Stack (Recollections,Michaels)
• White 110lb Cardstock (Recollections, Michaels)
• Gold Foil Cardstock (Recollections, Michaels)
• Foam dots and Spray Adhesive
• Cut File and Digital Cutting Machine (Cricut Explore 2)

I already had the Shimmer Stack on hand but found the Spring Inks on a recent trip to Michaels and love that many of the Recollections stacks coordinate. No idea if this is intentional but they do! 

My cards as almost always 5.x7 so I cut the white cardstock to size, then cut panels of the Shimmer and Spring Inks papers to fit and layer. For the butterflies, I cut two layers from the solid papers and layered using foam dots. 

I did different color combos to coordinate with the variations in colors of the Spring Inks papers. 

The star of these cards though, is the top gold layer! The Recollections metallic cardstock cuts intricate details BEAUTIFULLY! 

They're so ethereal! Given how delicate this layer is, I used a spray adhesive to adhere these to the layered butterflies. 

The  gold top layer picked up the foiling in the papers so perfectly! 

Between the detail in the butterflies and the beauty of the marbled and foiled papers, the only embellishments I added were some tiny rhinestones on the wings. 

Sharing At: 

Handmade Gift: Layered Rose Monogram and Onesie Card

 

I've been in a bit of a slump lately, but I snapped out of it when I learned that one of my favorite baby cousins is having a baby! She lives in another state and I was so excited to see pictures from her baby shower which inspired this gift idea to go along with the really cute outfits I bought! 

Supplies: 

• 8x8 Box Frame (Michaels)
• Coordinating Scrapbook Papers (Recollections, Michaels)
• Digital Monogram Cut File (Creative Fabrica and Cricut)
• Foam Tape (Dollar Tree)
• Digital Cutting Machine (Cricut)

I had all of the colors I needed in my paper stash...the one that Mr. Chocolate thinks cannot be added to...HA! I pulled out the colors that coordinated with her shower and then downloaded a Rose Monogram from Creative Fabrica where I'm a subscriber. 

Initially (ha ha monogram nerd joke) I was going to go with these as shown but I switched out the pink for a pale orange so no, your eyes aren't deceiving you. I used the watercolor paper for the background and then orange, light turquoise and cream for the layers of the Z. 

After downloading the SVG file from Creative Fabrica, I uploaded into Cricut Design Space and sized to fit the 8x8 frame making the letters about 5.5x5.5. 

I cut each layer and then assembled by using foam tape to apply the middle layer to the bottom, then used spray adhesive to apply the top layer. 

I measured the watercolor background paper to fit the frame and then attached the monogram using more foam tape. If you're not using a shadow box type of frame, you can use spray adhesive to keep the layers flat for a regular frame. 

But a gift isn't complete without a card right? Used some of the leftover paper from the monogram and another piece of the watercolor paper to make the card.

I used a Onesie design from my library in Cricut Design Space and replicated the layering from the monogram. The card measures 5x7 with the panels 4.75x5.75 and 3.75x4.75 and 3.25x4.25.

Very happy with how these turned out!  And dang! There are some cute baby clothes out there! 

Halloween: Haunted Mansion Inspired Cards

 

"Welcome foolish mortals". I miss Disneyland so much, especially when it's decorated for Halloween. We'd hoped to go this year but COVID...

Anyway, one of my favorite rides any time of year is the Haunted Mansion. I love all the detail they put into the attraction and at Halloween it's totally decorated with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme. If you ever get a chance to do Disney for Halloween, it's so much fun! So when I saw this collection of layered cut files at Creative Fabrica included a "Haunted" Castle, I had my theme for this year's Halloween cards. Disclosure: I am an affiliate so if you buy this file here, I do get a small benefit. 

Supplies: 

• Halloween Background Paper (I used the Spook Hill collection from Michaels)
• Metallic and Glitter Scrapbook Paper
• Black Cardstock (Recollections 110 lb)
• Halloween Words ( Tim Holtz )

You can buy pre-made cards or cut your own. I cut my own from the Recollections Black cardstock measuring 7x10 to create a 5x7 card. Score down the middle. 

Cut background papers 6.75x4.75. Attach to cards. 

Download cut files and import design of choice into your electronic cutter's software. I used my Cricut Explore 2 and the Design Space software and deleted a couple of the layers, leaving 3 layers to cut. 

I did a combination of colors and mirror and glitter papers. 

Once you have your "houses" assembled, then layer onto prepared cards. Add the chipboard words. I also embellished with a couple of self adhesive rhinestones which the post office just loves! 

Enter if you dare! 

Every Child Should Be Celebrated On Their Birthday: Box of Balloons

 

April was a blur for me with getting my mom back to full health. So with doctors appointments and follow-ups ( many, many, MANY follow-ups) I didn't have a lot of time and even less energy for creating. But on a stop at my regular Starbucks, I got the jolt I needed and not just from the mobile order I was picking up. 

This location that has become my go to during the pandemic (shout out to the Hayden & Thompson Peak store in Scottsdale) and is partnering with an organization called Box of Balloons which works to provide Birthday Boxes to kids who might otherwise not have a birthday celebration. That hits my heart.

I LOVED my birthdays as a child because my Mom and Dad always made sure they were special. This was back in the day when parties weren't events planned like the D-Day invasion. Home, friends, family, but always special. Always a theme with matching invites, decorations, cake etc. I tried to make my son's special because that's what I knew and my husband, whose experience was different, was initially confused but loved making our son's birthdays special too. 

So when I saw this drive for decorations, favors etc. I knew I could put my skills and my tools like my Cricut Explore to good use for a good cause! There's a reason why I grabbed up the "Happy Cake Day" Hot Buy paper stack at Michaels! 

Supplies: 

• Happy Cake Day Paper Stack ( Michaels )
• Jewel Glitter Paper Stack ( Michaels  )
• Paper Scraps
• Cardstock 

This Happy Cake Day stack is SO much fun. You really need to get it if you see it and no I don't get a commission! It's just a great stack. Foiled and plain papers that all coordinate with each other and so much fun. 

There are a few pages with panels like this that you can cut for multiple cards etc. LOVE these in all of the paper stacks I buy. So I trimmed some from this sheet and another similar one to use as the focal for each card. 

Using cardstock I had on hand ( this was also a great way to use up existing supplies) I cut all the cards 5x7 and kept things fairly simple cutting the coordinating paper panels for the card to 4.75x6.75 and 4x6. I had fun just picking coordinating papers from these stacks and my stash. 

Everything's better with glitter right? So I grabbed my paper scraps which were the perfect size to use to mat the focal panels I'd cut. They really make the cards look festive and fun. I was having so much fun, I ended up making about 3 dozen cards!

But wait! The other thing perfect for birthdays are tags and what's a better way to use up paper scraps than making tags? 

I grabbed a bunch of coordinating scraps and from the larger pieces, I cut some Balloons and Stars using my Cricut Explore and just had fun mixing and matching all of the paper scraps and cutouts. I layered the diecuts and attachd with foam dots to give the tags some dimension and then added bright ribbons. 

I couldn't forget the great team at my go to store. I LOVE the Starbucks Mobile App which allows me to order ahead, pop in and pickup my drink and I must go there enough because different baristas recognize me by name and know if my drink is ready, being worked on, that I want a straw etc. So I also made a long overdue Thank You card for them!

I had this cut file in my collection and used the Slice function in Cricut Design Space to add some coffee beans. I added a couple of the balloons left over from making tags since they're doing the Balloon Box drive, and  used a sheet from another favorite Recollections Stack, "Let's Wander" along with light green glitter paper and white cardstock. 

Being able to do what I love and give back to kids to hopefully make their day just a little brighter was EXACTLY the infusion of inspiration I needed. We're all in this world together. 

Sharing At: 

Our Hopeful Home

Cardmaking: Easy Card No Fancy Tools

 

This week's link party continues here!

As I've written before, I love my amazing crafting tools like my Cricut Explore Air2. But sometimes I also love the simplicity of making something that doesn't require tools.  Here's how you can make an easy card with just some pretty papers and a few basics. 

Supplies: 

• Scrapbook Papers (I used the Let's Wander Stack by Recollections from Michaels) and some paper scraps from previous projects. 
• Cardstock. I used 110lb Cardstock, Recollections, Michaels
• Stickers. I used one sticker from a pack by Crafter's Square from Dollar Tree
• Embellishments. Crafter's Square, Dollar Tree. 
• Double sided adhesive or tape runner
• Paper Trimmer or craft knife
• Scoreboard / bone folder or if you don't have, you can use an empty ball point pen

First, choose your papers and what you want to use for your card's focal. Stickers are great for this, especially those on clear backgrounds. I found these at The Dollar Tree and for $1 you can make multiple cards. 

Trim your cardstock to 7x10 inches then score in the middle at 5 inches. I use a scoreboard for my cards but you can easily place your cardstock on a magazine , use a ruler as a guide, and use an empty ballpoint pen or something else pointed enough to score your fold but not cut. 

To make the focal for your card, place the sticker you've chosen on a piece of cardstock then trim it to size. If you don't have a paper trimmer, again a ruler and a craft / utility knife and easy peasy. 

Cut the main decorative paper you've chosen to 4.75x6.75 (I used a pink swirly sheet) then mat your trimmed sticker focal on another piece of the same paper and mat with a solid ( I used a scrap of black cardstock). 

Since I've been at this a while, I have a TON of paper scraps from other projects but if this is the first card you're making, choose some coordinating sheets from the paper stack and play around. I grabbed some of my scraps and cut to sizes that worked with my trimmed focal. 

Assemble. Hint: I always assemble my layers before I attach to the card itself. So in this case, I put my matted focal on top of the scrap with the bows on it, then attached to the silver dotted paper, and finally on the pink swirl background. Then attach to your card. 

I always like to finish with some bling or some dots of glitter glue etc. In this case, I used a sheet of rhinestone embellishments by Crafter's Square from The Dollar Tree. They are really expanding their line of crafting materials and you can't beat the price! 

Lots of cards to make with all of those rhinestones! Most of the teardrop shaped ones have the little round ones attached. I used these for the bigger bows. For the smaller bows, just dotted with some other smaller rhinestones in my stash. This part is completely optional. 

But see? Easy, no fancy tools, and when you can get a beautiful stack of papers like the ones in this Let's Wander pack (currently on sale at Michaels 70% off!) then you don't have to spend a lot to make some pretty things! 

Sharing At: 

The House On Silverado 

Our Hopeful Home