So, I’ve got a lot of stickers – through no fault of my own mind you đ They’re usually added complimentary to a paper collection or some such. Or they come so incredibly cheap that I simply cannot help myself đł
I find that although I like the idea of them, I don’t use very many of them. I mean, what do you do with those flat sticky things that in most cases turn out not to be even that adhesive in the long run.
Since I had an especially large number of stickers to go with my All is Bright paper collection (by My Mind’s Eye), I decided they should be used up – or at least 75% of them anyway.
So, here are some ideas for those of you who, like me, don’t know what to do with their darned stickers. đ
As my first Christmas mini has been completely loaded with family Christmas pictures since last year’s holiday season, it was time to create a new one – yea! đ
I rummaged through my (by now fairly impressive) stash and came back out with the beautiful vintage-yet-fresh All is Bright papers, a 2012 collection by My Mind’s Eye. With its 18 x 25 cm (7 1/8 x 9 7/8″) it’s larger than its Tis the Season predecessor. It sports nine interactive page layouts, plus what I’m calling a box pocket on the inside front cover.
I created one of these box pockets before, in my large Girly Girl’s Precious mini (see picture below), but this time I incorporated it in a tutorial! It’s already waiting for you in my Etsy shop đ
Since the box pocket can hold all kinds of nice things, like a stack of photo mats, cards, a mini folio or even an entire hardcover notebook, I have not included my mini folio in the album tutorial. Instead it’s part of its own – very affordable – tutorial set, including a bonus cutting guide for a larger version!
Check out the video if you’d like to see all the fun & interactive page designs, and sing along with the Christmas tune:Â “Aaaaall is calm, all is bright….”
In my last blog post I showed you my first ten Christmas cards, created with two so-called card art stencils.
This week I have two extra tips for all of you who are preparing to get your craft on and make your own Christmas cards for this year:
Combine leftover die-cuts & cutaparts from one collection, with papers from a fairly neutral collection. Like in my case, the 6×12″ Wood Texture paper block by Joy Crafts;
Create a large card, e.g. A5-sized, and create elaborate layouts without it getting to ‘busy’ to look at.
There’s actually a third tip hidden inside the video, namely to use what I have dubbed scrap mats, in other words: meticulously paper-pieced background mats. Check out my free video tutorial on how to make them – you’ll get a lot more paper real estate from your leftover papers!
Recently I decided to experiment with Dutch Doobadoo’s card art stencils, which you use by simply tracing around their various edges to two nested shapes. So I bought two of the stencils and created ten (early) Christmas cards, using a cherry red cardstock as a base.
I decorated with the Warm Winter Wishes paper collection by Marianne Design and die-cuts from the wonderfully cosy-looking Scandinavian Winter collection by Studiolight. In the video below I show you all ten cards, all of them sporting “Joyeux NoĂŤl” (by Crealies, among others) as a die-cut sentiment – a.k.a. Merry Christmas in French.
I really enjoyed working with these stencils, their ‘fun factor’ definitely exceeded my expectations. Plus I found them a very useful alternative for a die-cutting machine, so they are perfect to take with you to places where you know you won’t have access to any die-cutting tools (like when I go to my mom’s đ ).
So enjoy the end result and let me know if you have any experience with these or other card art stencils! đđť
Usually I’m quite structured and disciplined when it comes to designing and creating new papercraft projects. But sometimes I just like doodling around with some paper, and simply watch the magic happen in my hands while a project seems to create itself đ
This is how I created the cards, or perhaps more aptly card-letters, that I’m sharing with you this week. I was playing around with a piece of paper, randomly folding and turning it, until I decided to cut off some excess pieces and be done with it. I was surprised by the results!
So I decided to create a second one and do a process video tutorial for you all, to share my method – no measurements taken this time, for every such card will be unique. Hopefully you will enjoy creating your own just as much as I did creating mine.
Have fun watching the tutorial video and be aware that there is a second doodle-fold card I share at the end of it, so you’ll have two examples. Also, you can see both of them in the pictures below đ
So, for the final post of this year đ I’ll leave you all with one last Christmas card tip – which you can of course use the whole year round: combining several paper collections for a paper craft project. This offers fun new challenges, for you’ll have to really think about colors and patterns: which ones coordinate well together, which combinations provide some elegant tensions and what color of cardstock will benefit the whole.
For these four Christmas cards, I mixed three paper collections and added embellishments from another four companies! I’ll list them all below. I also did some die-cutting of my own, which is always a great way to add to your projects.
Materials used:
Season’s Greetings 6×6 paper pad by Panduro
Cutapart sheet from Glistening collection by Authentique
Wood Texture 6×12 paper pad by Joy Crafts
Die-cuts from Winter Memories collection by Studio Light
Large clock brads by Scrapberry’s
Several flowers from collections by Prima Marketing
Wooden Christmas pieces by Craft Sensations
I also used a Crealies Create-A-Card die for the step card.
Have a creative 2017, create what you wish existed đ
Merry Christmas everyone, and the happiest of New Years!
For a swap with a lovely lady in Canada (hi Diane! đ ) I created this elaborate fold-out Christmas card. It counts six surface areas, offering great space for sentiments, stamps, pictures and other decorations.
I used the Season’s Greetings paper pad by Panduro, showcasing a lovely Christmas bear cutapart from the Sweet Winter Season collection by Studio Light.
It’s quite easy to make, and it’s basically part of a more elaborate wallet card I created for one of the Kaisercraft Exchange swap projects. If you’d like to learn step-by-step how to create this card, you can check out my tutorial.
Low-budget scrapbook papers are usually also fairly low quality; they’re thin, crack easily and they sometimes even lose their top layer – hence, their colors! Nevertheless, if you’re on a limited budget you can still create some lovely cards with the more affordable, brandless paper pads.
Just don’t fold them and glue them down really well…
Check out the video for two examples, in which I’m sharing some more low-budget tips – and have fun Christmas Card crafting! đ
Several people have told me they wish they could make their own cards (Christmas or otherwise), but that unfortunately “they have no experience”, “they wouldn’t know where to start”, or even the infamous “they are not creative” – which I do not believe is true for anyone.
So in this blog post I’m sharing two beginner’s level cards, to hopefully inspire you and to encourage you to “just do it”. This is an extra blog post, apart from the regular weekly ones, so no video but a blog exclusive đ
How to make these cards – in three easy steps
1. Buy a set of colored cards & envelopes. This way you won’t have to do any cutting and scoring of cardstock, and your card will automatically fit into its perfectly matching envelope.
2. Cut three pieces of decorative paper to fit the card; one of them will be the inside of your card so choose one solid pattern to enable you to write or print and/or stamp a message on it. If you’re not sure how to figure out the right measurements for matting, check out my free, easy to follow video tutorial on matting:
3. Glue these decorative mats onto the front, back and inside of your card, and you’re DONE! đ
Backsides
Three more optional steps, after step 3
4. Cut a journalling spot from a piece of colored cardstock and glue it onto the mat inside your card. This way you can use a patterned paper after all (instead of a solid). You could also add a ribbon or some strips of paper behind the journalling spot for some extra highlights.
Die-cut labels make perfect journalling spots; you can also cut a rectangle or square with a paper trimmer or craft knife
5. Add a small decoration to the front of your card. In my case I only added a gold-glittered bow to the top edge.
Done!
Papers used: Kris Kringle collection by S.E.I.
So I basically only matted three sides of my card, and my main concern only was which decorative papers to choose! đ
I hope this post was helpful to some of you to get started and go create your own Christmas cards!
Please click the like button before you leave đ – and see you next blog post!
Christmas time is nearing and for all of you who’d like to create their own Christmas cards but are wondering how not to make them all mostly the same, I’ve compiled a stack of cards – and 33 variation tips to go with them!
Have fun watching the video, then please find all of the 33 tips listed below for your convenience!
An altered object can be a great present for Christmas or someone’s birthday. It can be tempting to embellish your project with all kinds of decorations, like flowers, charms, trinkets and the like. However, keeping it simple and elegant is sometimes a more sophisticated choice. Let your beautiful papers speak for themselves, and use your creativity to choose the right combination of paper patterns & colors.
For instance, the gorgeous Enchanted Forest collection by Graphic 45 has such beautiful patterns, I thought it really wouldn’t do to cover them up by anything else đ So I used them to decorate this cute little wooden desk organizer I found in one of our home decor shops. This one was a bit smaller than my previous one, and its black color was the perfect base for the Enchanted Forest collection (and almost any other Graphic 45 paper line for that matter).
Personally I’m very pleased with the result – in fact I think I’ll keep this one for myself after all! đ
Using the collection’s signature sheet to decorate the left & right side of the organizer:
This week I’m sharing a tip for your Christmas cards. I know it’s early, but at least this tip will be on time for you! đ
Usually when creating a card you would create a cardstock base first, which you would then mat with design paper (and decorate). What I’m showing you in the video and pictures below is a fun and light-weight alternative: use double-sided design paper only and leave out the cardstock entirely! Your cards will be lighter and less bulky, making them easier (and more affordable) to send by mail, and you can decorate them just as you would any cardstock-based card.
As a bonus, the insides of these cards will be gorgeous without you having to put in any effort!
So have fun creating your Christmas cards, enjoying their new lightness đ !
Several people have told me they wish they could make their own cards (Christmas or otherwise), but that unfortunately “they have no experience”, “they wouldn’t know where to start”, or even the infamous “they are not creative” – which I do not believe is true for anyone.
