Saturday, May 31, 2014

I Heart You Card

A simple card today with a simple message. The green embellishments are actually beads that I melted down  and adhered to the card.



Materials: White cardstock, black gel pen, melted beads
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Friday, May 30, 2014

Baby Card

Happy Friday! I created this card earlier in the week when I realized that I don't have enough baby cards. It seems like everytime I turn around, someone else I know has found out that they are expecting. I guess that's what the late 20s will do to you!



Materials: White cardstock, Alphas, melted beads
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Embroidered Ombre Monogram Tutorial

The card today features embroidery. I love the effect of stitching on a card - especially when the thread is ombre and teal. As much as I love this look, it is very time consuming. It doesn't bother me so much, I tend to like tedious work, but I feel like I should warn the rest of you. For your letters, there are lots of options. Anything that can be used as a template, will work (examples: stamps, printed from the computer, stickers, letter embellishments, or draw your own)

1. Letters: Once you have chosen the letter that you want, put it on some scratch paper or printer paper. (I drew my own letters on notebook paper below.


2. Next, position your letter over the cardstock that you would like to stitch onto. (Make sure you have something behind the papers to protect your work surface from holes. (I use kitchen towels). Once the letter is positioned, poke holes in the ouline of both the template layer and cardstock.

3. Remove the template and you can see where you need to stitch.


4. Take some thread and get to work (this is the time-consuming part). I like to use ombre thread, because it adds so much interest to a somewhat "flat" project. I like to use 3 strands of embroidery thread (it comes in bunches of 6 strands) for the perfect weight of the lines. And that's it!


Here is my finished project.



Materials: White cardstock, embroidery thread
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!


Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Debossed Thank you

Alphabet steel dies can be expensive. That's why I'm always trying to get the most of out them. Here is another way that you can use steel dies - emboss with them. To get this effect, you have to work with your machine a little bit to find the perfect thickness. I have a cuttlebug, but you could use any of the die-cutting/embossing machines. I first put down an A plate, then a B plate, then some layers of old Tshirt scraps, then my paper that I wanted embossed, then the steel dies, then another B plate. I used cotton letterpress paper as it tends to emboss beautifully; see for yourself!



Specifications:
Materials: Sturdy white cardstock MFT steel die - Die-namics by the Letters
Size: Standard A2 size (4.25" x 5.5")

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!



Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Simple Thank You

Less certainly is more with current card trends. This is about as simple as you can get! (I, of course, could have omitted the patterned paper and it would have been okay, but I NEED color. So that really wasn't an option for me.)





Materials: White cardstock, Patterned paper, Black gel pen
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Monday, May 26, 2014

I Love You Grid

Create an interesting focal point by weaving together scraps of white and patterned paper. Add some vellum hearts (or whatever symbols your heart desires) to give the card a theme.





Materials: Kraft cardstock, white and colored paper, red vellum hearts, white gel pen
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Simple String Thinking of You

Certain occasion don't need a lot of "fluff". I found myself needing a card for someone at work who is going through a rough time, but all of my cards seemed inappropriate for the occasion. They were all too feminine, or the focal point wasn't just right, or the sentiment didn't fit. Either way, this card is generic enough to work for lots of occasions, but unique enough to let your loved one know that you truly do care.





Materials: White cardstock, Sting, black gel pen
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Friday, May 23, 2014

Stitched Banner

I have a ton of colored cardstock that I've acquired over the years, but more and more I'm just using white and customizing it to make it work with my project. In this card, I just colored white cardstock (for the most part) so that I could achieve an entire color spectrum. Whether you have lots of colored cardstock or just white, this effect is simple to reproduce and has  certain visual appeal.





Materials: White cardstock, Bic Markers, stitching with white quilting thread
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Vellum Flower Card

I don't usually use embossing folders because I like flat backgrounds so that the focal point really pops. However, sometimes it's nice to have a soft background texture. Dry embossing is a very easy way to achieve this soft texture without distracting from the focal point.





Materials: White cardstock, Vellum, White embossing powder, Hero Arts CL495, Bic Markers, Cuttlebug embossing folder
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Trendy Stripes

I've been doing a lot of shopping lately for my spring wardrobe and I keep seeing all these black and white stripes everywhere. It inspired me to make something. Very simple, very modern, nice visual appeal.






Materials: White cardstock, Black cardstock
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Distress Ink and Embossing Get Well Soon

One of the few techniques you'll see me do that doesn't involve a white background. These inks blend so well, you don't even need high quality paper. You can also customize them is so many ways; seriously if you haven't tried them, what are you waiting for?






Materials: White cardstock, distress inks, metallic rub, white embossing powder, Hero Arts CL481, CL342
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Blue Stripes, Yellow Flowers

Just a simple card today: ocean blue cardstock and some two-toned yellow flowers, throw in a little bling there you have it.



Materials: Colored cardstock, rhinestones (actually taken off a pair of flip-flops after they bit the dust.) Fiskars small flower punch.
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Sunshine

Simple design, but so many possibilities. Multiple shades of yellow cardstock create this image that can be customized for endless occasions: note cards, get well card, birthdays, or any other special occasions.




Materials: White cardstock, yellow cardstock
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Friday, May 16, 2014

Fabric Scrap Card

Here I have created a card with some scrap fabric (this one comes from some T-shirt seams), but the great part of this design is that you can use almost anything as a backdrop! Patterned paper, wallpaper, watercolor, fabric, ribbon, tissue paper, the sky is the limit as long as it less than 1/8" thick. One of my other favorite things to use for this is images from storebought cards that I receive - especially if there are some nice colorful abstract images!




Materials: white cardstock, kraft cardstock, fabric scraps, white gel pen, foam dimensional.
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Flower Strip Stationery

Sometimes the best place to look for card designs in patterned paper. After all, someone designed the paper to look visually appealling, so why not use the existing design concepts to create something beautiful. These cards were created from paper that had a solid brown background lined with parallel strips of flowers. I didn't really like the paper because it was so straight and flat, but I thought the flowers in a row were interesting. So I cut out the flowers. Was it tedious? Yes, it was. Did I enjoy it? You betcha! So the end result: I kept the concept that I liked from the paper, but got rid of the design concept that was not my style. Voila! A unique card that fits my style. I left the blue and pink blank so I that I can add a message to fit the occasion later. The "happy birthday" sentiment on the red flower card was stamped with StazOn black and a TPC stamp set.








Materials: White cardstock, flowers cut from patterned paper, StazOn in jet black, TPC "sentiments" clear stamp set
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Silly Love Card

Sometimes, just get a silly idea in your head and it just doesn't leave. I made a card similar to this years ago and it was so cute that I just had to make another one. I like to think of these little guys as microbes - fun, loving microbes. This would make a truly unique gift for a special couple!




Materials: White cardstock, patterned paper, 4mm wiggley eyes, red cardstock
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Stiched Arrows and Heart

Here is a similar take on a recent card that you may have seen on this blog. For one, the arrows are smaller, and two the sentiment has been replaced with a heart. The arrows were adhered with liquid glue and then machine-stitched into place.




Materials: White cardstock, dictionary paper, stitching with white quilting thread, red cardstock
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Scraps Thank You

Scraps, scraps, scraps. I am ALWAYS looking for ways to use 'em. It's a losing battle, I'll admit it (I feel like I'm always creating more scraps no matter how many "scrap cards" I may make), but at least it's a great crafter's challenge! Here is a card that I created using lots of paper strips to essentially create my own patterned paper. It's a great way to get just the right colors that you want and (of course) to use up those scraps. I decided to overlap the sentiment and make it a little crooked because I needed to offset the straightness of the stripes for visual appeal.




Materials:
White cardstock, paper scraps in assorted colors/patterns, MFT die-namics by the letters
Size: Standard A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Dictionary Paper-Covered Tray Tutorial

Today, I have something just a little bit different. First of all, it's not a card! Awhile back, I said that I had covered a  (really ugly) tray with dictionary paper and now I am sharing it. Since this was done awhile back, I don't have any before pictures or any "along-the-way" pictures. I do have the finished product!








So to start out, the tray was orange! It is made from some kind of industrial fiber and then had a glossy glaze over the entire surface.

1. To start out my project, I tore a ton of dictionary paper into various small sizes (the smaller the pieces to use, the more you will need, and the longer this process takes).

2. After my paper was all ready, I mixed some inexpensive school glue with lots of water so that I would have a slightly sticky medium, but not so thick so that the paper wouldn't lay flat. It was really important to me to keep my surface flat so that I could easily carry drinks on this tray when completed.

3. I put my paper into the glue mixture in small batches and let it completely saturate the paper. Then, one piece at at time, I put it onto the tray. When I had covered the entire front with about one layer, I let it dry in the sun for an hour or more (you definitely don't want to rush the drying part, or you could get puckers if you keep layering wet stuff!) Then when dry, I did the same thing with the back. I did this process over and over again until I couldn't see any of the orange background. I think it was probably about 4-5 layers when all was said and done.

4. When I was satisfied with the coverage, it was time to finish it off. The glue/water mixture is great for keeping the paper in place, but doesn't protect the surface from moisture or wear very well. So I bought some glossy Mod Podge and coated the entire surface with 2-3 coats. I didn't want any liquid to be able to seep through and make the paper pucker.

Materials: Tray, dictionary paper, school glue, Mod Podge

Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Disclosures:
I use the craft products that I like to use. I am not paid by anyone or any entity for marketing of the various products that I may mention on this blog.

If you like what you see, I invite you to follow my blog or visit me on my pinterest or Etsy sites! Just see the right-hand side of the screen!