There's A Use For Everything!

 

RIBBON SCRAP CARD

As a general rule, unless something looks truly hopelessly useless, I don't throw stuff out.  Most of the cards you see are made from whatever I have lying around.  I am sure I could make superb cards if I went out and bought new stuff everytime and planned ahead, but I'm a fly by the seat of my pants (impatient) kind of girl, so I work with what I have as best as I can :)

A card like this is perfect for using up scraps of ribbon!  Plus it's just plain cute!

Ok, so I selected my main card size as 10.5 x 14cm (it will be white, as usual!).

Now cut a piece of coloured card at 5 x 13cm.  One centimetre in from the right edge, cut a slit.  I used my paper slicer to do this, however as it's a rotating blade, it's hard to gauge where it is cutting in instances like this.  I went for "safe" and extended it out with a hand blade.

As you can see it's straight but a little dodgy at one end - NOT a big deal!  You don't want a big gaping hole or anything, but the ribbons will disguise this anyway.

Next I got some contrasting paper (about 6 x 13cm) with a colour in its pattern that matched my coloured card.  I used an edge punch to pretty it all up a bit and stuck it to the front of the coloured card, at the left side, leaving roughly a centimetre of the coloured card (to the left of the slit) visible.  I trimmed the left edge of the patterned paper so that in total now it is 5cm from left side to scalloped side.

As you will see in the picture below, I also got the same patterned card (another piece about 6 x 13cm), and stuck it to the underside of the coloured card with about a centimetre and a half sticking out the right hand side of the coloured card.

IMPORTANT:  Don't stick down the coloured card to the right of the slit or you can't feel ribbon through it!

Ribbon time!

Pick out a menagerie of colourful ribbon scraps and and slide them through the yellow slit upside down.  Take the time to decide what order you want them in and what colours work for you.

Now fold each ribbon over and, imagining your worst enemy, jam a reeming tool through the ribbon and card (in the centre of the ribbon, a few mm from the edge of the coloured card).

I use a cheap thick old-style foam mouse pad for "reeming tasks".

Once folded and reemed (ooer!!), carefully hold the ribbon in place while you replace the reeming tool with a mini brad.  I started with the two end ribbons, then did the middle ribbon, then finished up with the rest - just to make sure the spacing was ok.

It gets a bit messy flipping it over each time you stick a brad in, so let it sit in there and keep doing the same to each ribbon.  It actually helps everything stay where it should be while you work because the brads are wedged into the foam mouse pad.  Then, once all the brads are in place, carefully lift the card up, flip it over and secure the brads properly.

Trim the ribbons to look how you want them to look - generally the front half of the ribbon is shorter than the back half.

And now the finishing touches -

• Affix your ribboned card onto your main white card, keeping the margins even on top, left and bottom.
• One square coloured card 4 x 4cm layered beneath one square white card 3.5 x 3.5cm.
• Stamp greeting on white square, embellish if you wish
• Stick to the middle of the top patterned card

Done!

Happy Scrapping!

Dani :)

When I Should Be Sleeping

WHAT I DO WHEN I SHOULD BE SLEEPING...

Here I sit, so bleary eyed that I'm seeing triple.  I have been booted out of bed by a sick child, snoring husband and snoring dog!  So rahter than nap on the couch, what do I do?  Make cards!

Just some very simple ones and I admit to a bout of middle-of-the-night laziness so didn't get step by step photos of them - trust me, you won't need it :)

My Button Card

Simply string together some colourful buttons and stick them down the card!  I have wrapped the string around to the inside of the card and covered them with a large "sticker" I created with my mini xyron.

Then I stamped my greeting and surrounded it by my favourite mini buttons and some jewels!  Done!

My Swirly Card

I have a set of stamps I used that are of a whole lot of swirly designs - I just stamped the ones that I thought looked best!  Stuck on a couple of little flowers (the ones pictured are actually brads), some jewels and a greeting.  Finally, I layered it with contrasting card and that's that!



Sugar n Spice Card

This was one of those cards where I had so many ideas that they started to merge - and I like it!  It's got sweet and it's got spice :)  Plus it's quick and eye catching!

Put black card through the cuttlebug with embossing folder.  To give the card some more "gloss", I ran a black ink pad over it.  Wrapped some purple ribbon around, wrapped some sheer ribbon (with a buckle) around the purple ribbon.  Attached to the card with foam tape.

Cut out butterfly with cuttlebug, bejewelled and applied a ribbon.  Stick to the card with foam tape.  Attached this to the main card and inked the edge of the card in an eye-catching colour!  Done :)

Happy brainstorming!

Dani :)

Book Card

WHEN DOES A CARD LOOK LIKE A BOOK?

Just had to make a faux book :)  Saw a pic of one in passing and decided to try and make one up as I go along!  So the below instructions are how I muddled my way through it - no doubt there are better/easier ways!  I patched and coloured as I went and am still happy with my cute little book :)

It is a very fiddly project, but I think it's worth it for something a little different!

I started with a piece of white card, 14.5 x 8.5cm.  On the back of it, I used a ruler and pencil to mark lines on every side at the 1cm mark and the 3cm mark.  You can see I tried lots of ideas, it's a mess, but nobody will see it!

What you're making with this is the inside of the book - the 'pages' - essentially a little white box.  the folds along the 3cm lines will make the walls of the box and the folds at the 1cm lines will form a little lip that will be used to attach the "pages" to the book cover.



Now trim, cut and fold as above picture shows.  Easier to show than describe!  What you trim off is the small squares in the corner and the small rectangles beside them along the long edges of the card.

Along each "wall panel" (on the visible side), you need to rule a series of lines (in black, grey, brown, gold, silver - whatever works for you) very close together and matching as well as possible at the corners.  This is to make the box look like the bound pages.

Just as when you make a box, apply glue or double sided tape to the large square tabs and fold the sides up and fasten.

Fold over the 1cm lips that have the additional tabs (on the short ends) and fasten the tabs inside the box.

Fold over the 1cm sections on the long sides to complete the box.  Set this aside.

Now we move onto the cover.  You need a piece of chipboard 15.5cm x 20.5cm.  Score 9cm in from the ends so that you have two 9cm sections and a 2.5cm spine.  Gently fold to make sure that it's even and that the box sits comfortable inside it with overhang of about 0.5cm around it on the covers.

It's ok if the chipboard breaks up along the folds, it will be hidden (and held together).

Cut a piece of patterned cardstock 18.5 x 23.5cm, this will cover your book.  Stick the spine down with double sided tape first, making sure it's centred.



Now you need to fold up the cover before sticking the rest of the cardstock onto it.  If you don't, it won't have the freedom to fold afterwards.  When sticking the cardstock down, smooth from the spine across to the other side.

Ok, I'm first to admit, this is where things got a little dodgy for me.  I trimmed it up the same way that I would contact a school book., however this wasn't much good when I'm trying to hide the chipboard.  But anyway, this was what I did (above) and folded over and stuck down each edge.  THEN, because there were bits showing, I cut little triangles to hide grey sections where the cardstock didn't meet properly.

See?  Still not perfect but I'll tell you a secret - I dodgily fixed up any more exposed areas later on with a pen of a matching colour! LOL  PLEASE - if you know exactly how to do it neater, do THAT instead of my way!!  I was playing by ear :)

For the visible inside cover (inside the front cover), I cut some patterned cardstock with a design that would compliment the cover but stand out on its on.  This piece was cut at 9cm x 15.5cm but I did trim a couple of mm off the top and side so that it wouldn't go quite to the edges.  I inked the edges with an ink that matches the cover and stuck it inside the front cover of the book.

I also then inked every edge of the book, inside and out, including the exterior spine.  This just gives it a little boost!

I decided a bookmark would be a sweet little addition for my book and so stuck this on next.  It was a length of ribbon, about 30cm long (give or take), with a knot tied on the end and a charm threaded onto it.  I stuck this down a few mm from the spine, taking it about halfway down the cover to anchorn it well.  What you have hanging out needs to be long enough to go over a 2cm wall of your box, down the entire front and hang out the bottom of the book by at least 2cm.

Next I got some scraps of cardstock, about 8cm long and stuck them roughly to the back of the box (onto the lips).  This is to provide more area for the glue to grip and hold the box on properly.

Stick the box onto the back inside cover, pressed right along the spine.

I used a standard crafting glue, but if I could go back, I think I'd use hot glue.  Better hold, faster drying.  Anyway, I applied more glue to the spine of the book and then held it shut, making sure the box was still firmly pressed against the spine and sitting where it should.

I then sat something on it that was heavy enough to hold it shut firmly but not heavy enough to squash anything...and left it overnight to dry properly.  The problem area you need to make sure sticks properly is the spine.  You only want the front cover to be able to open and close.



Once dried, I completed the inside.  I cut a piece of coloured paper to fit the front of the box.  I then found a crappy book I had lying around and I cut a page out of it!  I trimmed it down and stuck it in the centre of the box.

Now, using double sided tape, the book mark is stuck down along the inside edge of the box and left to dangle at the bottom.

And finally, I applied the greeting.  Mine says "Many dreams to live ... Many adventures to have ... Many stories to share ... Have a Wonderful Birthday!"

Now you can decorate the cover however you want!  I kept mine minimalist as usual :)  A flower, some pearls and a greeting, "Life's Sweet Journey" (I wanted it to sound like a book title).



Done! :)

Happy Book Making!

Dani :)

Apron Card

 

SWEET LITTLE APRON CARD

Bear with me, I've not charged my camera battery yet!  So this is all photographed with an iphone - yuck!

I have seen these cards here and there on the internet and think they're just gorgeous!  I'd love to be creative enough to create little rolling pins and such for the pocket, but for this first attempt, I dont think I'll push my luck :)

This is a card that would be great for people who love cute things, love cooking or love gardening.  I put a thank you message on it because it looks, to me, like a card that is perhaps ideal for for someone whose home you stayed in - an acknowledgement of their hospitality!

So first of all, Google (or create) a template of an apron.  Fold your main card in half and place the template along the fold and cut around it.

The first thing you want to put on your apron is the loop for the neck.  You can use either ribbon or cardstock / paper for this.  In this instance I have used paper.  I cut a strip of card 15cm x 1cm and secured to the top front of the card, in a loop (see above), with double sided tape.

On top of the neck loop, put a decorate "frill".  I used a border punch and some white cardstock to create mine, but you could also use some lace for a more 'authentic' look.  To fit my apron, I created a border punched length of card that was 6cm x 2.5cm.  Apply more double sided tape to the top of the apron and attach the frill.

Now cover the front of the apron with double sided tape and lay it face down onto the back of the patterned card you will use for the apron.  Make sure that the top edge of the card is exactly where you want it at the top, because you can't trim around the detail you've already put down!

If you want, you can use the template to cut out an apron shape and stick it on, but I find this quicker and less likely to be stuffed up by crooked applications or edges that don't quite meet.

Cut around your card ink the edges (carefully, lightly across the top so that you don't ink the frill - or if you plan ahead better than me, ink the top edge before you stick it down!!).

Now it looks a lot like an apron :)

Pocket time!

Cut out a rectangle of a contrasting cardstock colour - mine is 8.5cm x 6cm.  Round the two bottom corners.  On the back, mark 1cm down on both sides of the pocket.  That is the stopping point for the double sided tape you will place around the edge of the pocket.

You can now stick the pocket onto the front of the apron.

What I thought would be cute is an insert (for a message), for the pocket, that can be pulled out.  I incorporated the pocket "frill" into this.  I had the frill 8.5cm x 2.5cm.  I cut out cardstock that matched the base card (5.5cm x 6cm), rounded the corners and stuck it to the back of the frill, with mo more than a 1cm overlap.

I put another strip of paper that matched the apron (1cm x 8.5cm) that I placed along the bottom of the frill with an overhang of only a millimetre or two.  This was just to make it look a little nicer.

Stamp or write a greeting on the little card.

Slide the insert into the pocket.  It's starting to really come together - we're on the home stretch now!!

Now, if you're into sewing, by all means (before attaching the pocket!) stitch the edges of the card!  However, I'm a little "sewing challenged" so I drew my stitching on - around all edges of the apron and pocket.

Now that's done, it's time for decorating!  Go crazy and decorate your apron :)

There we go - a cute little apron card! :)

Happy Baking!

Dani :)

Ice Cream Card

DELICIOUSLY SWEET

ICE CREAM & WRAPPER CARD

Full of apologies already - my camera battery is flat and I can't find the charger so I can't do a step by step photo instructional.  I took this photo with my iphone in the middle of the night - it will have to do!  FYI:  That bow is actually a pretty pastel yellow :)

Anyway, it really is a simple card!

Ice Cream

1. 2 pieces of coloured card 5cm x 8cm each - round the corners
2. 2 pieces of white card 5cm x 8cm each - round the corners
3. Pick your "eaten corner" and use a round scalloped punch to make a "four tooth" bite mark on the coloured card and a "three tooth" bite mark on the white.
4. Line up and stick each white piece to their pink piece
5. Stick a paddle-pop stick to the back of one ice-cream piece using double sided tape.  Cover the back of the stick and the icecream with more double sided tape and then line up the other icecream piece and stick them together
6. Trim if necessary.

Wrapper

1. One piece if coloured / patterned paper/card 7 x 22
2. Fold the coloured paper in half and test that the icecream will fit - trim if necessary
3. At the open end (opposite to the folded end), use a decorative edge punch across the edge, per the above photo.  At the folded side, round the corners.
4. Place double-sided tape along the sides and stick the folded paper together to form a pocket, with an opening at one end (the decorative end)
5. Ink the edges
6. Create your greeting (for both icecream and wrapper) on your computer, print and cut out.

From there it's up to you how you want your greeting to look and how to embellish your wrapper and icecream!

Gently slide your icecream in its wrapper and it's ready to sweeten someone's day!

Happy Desserting!

Dani :)

Templates - Links

 

LINKS TO SOME GREAT FREE PAPERCRAFT TEMPLATES!

For some great shaped cards, boxes and other papercrafting ideas, here's a few links to get you started!

PAPERSCRAPZ

STAMPINGTON & COMPANY

MEL STAMPZ




Happy Fussy Cutting!

Dani :)

Cutie Dress Card

SWEETIE-PIE DRESS CARD

This is a card that makes me go "Awwwww" and then hope desperately that a little girl's birthday will hurry up and get here so I can churn one of these out!

What can I say?  Easy.  Quick. Super Adorable.

Go Google crazy and find a template online for a dress.  There are heaps out there, I liked the simplicity of this one - easy to cut out!

Here are links to a variety of other templates available on the web, too.

Fold your card in half and then lay the dress template over the top, with the shoulders along the fold (unless your template specifies otherwise).  Cut around it so that it comes out per the picture above.

On the front, lay out plenty of double sided tape.

Select the main colour/pattern you want your dress to be and stick your card to the back of it.  Cut around the card.  This is quicker and easier than using the template again because then you have to stick it on straight and trim here and there.  I'm a fan of cutting corners hehe!

So this is what you should have once you have cut around the card, which is stuck to your main dress layer.

Ink around the edges of the dress - not only does this help hide little imperfections, it just makes the dress "pop" a little more.  Keep it fairly subtle though!

Under the arms, going across the dress, run a line of double sided tape that folds over onto the inside of the card.  This is to hold the ribbon on.

Stick your ribbon along the tape and fold it over to the inside of the card also.  If you're keen, you can cut out another dress to stick to the inside of the card to hide the ribbon, but that's personal taste and I'm far from being a neat person!

Apply some teeny little roses to the centre of the ribbon using a strong glue.  Place some stick on pearls as buttons.

Decorate it how you want, really!

And there you have it - one cute little dress card :)  There are heaps of templates for all sorts of things on Google - why stop at dresses?

Happy Dress-Making!

Dani :)