branching out

Today was a day. The sweetie is turning into a little explorer. I think she's getting to the terrible twos a little early. We managed to change her clothes three times today. It probably should have been four after she dumped her entire sippy cup of apple juice on the floor at her feet. (I only changed her socks that time). If she wasn't making a mess or getting into something she shouldn't, she was hanging on my leg trying to be held. I think I held her half the day. She may be teething, but wow, it is good to have it today behind us. She did have her sweet moments though, like putting a donut shaped toy in her mouth that pushed up her top lip and showed her front teeth through the opening in the middle. She looked  like a scary rabid rabbit. That was pretty funny. I'm only sorry I didn't get a picture. She also gave me lots of cuddles which are always priceless. I do love some cuddles! Well, anyway, it was a definitely a day. On to more related topics . . .

I've started playing around with combining design on the computer and handmade cards. I love the look of handmade cards, but sometimes it can be limiting (especially when I'm not willing to spend a fortune on crafting supplies). I thought a card with a branch coming out designed on the computer would be fun to dress up with leaves of any color, or blossoms . . . so many possiblities! If I can fine tune the details I will post it as a freebie. Happy Wednesday!

Freebie Friday: Super Mask Birthday Card

I guess January is always kind of an unproductive month for me. December is so crazy I think I just kind of ooze into a blissful indifference to getting much done in January. The first week or so I'm still running off the steam of Christmas and the hope of New Year's resolutions. But after that it just kind of peters out. And that is where I am. I have lots of great ideas floating around in my head. Like starting a quilt like this but expanding it to a twin size, and using this technique to make it faster. I want to start drawing again since painting seems to be too time consuming for this time of my life, and then I've got a paper mache lamp/ light fixture with Christmas lights as the "bulb" floating around in my head . . . and then a gazillion design projects including some Valentine's ones that may or may not get done before that holiday hits. But, instead I sat around reading Parenting and Time Magazine this afternoon for a good hour or so while the buddy watched TV and the sweetie played dolls and tried to figure out how lego's work (don't worry she's past the eating them phase).

Anywhoo. . . I did make a boy version of the printable Birthday cards as a Freebie Friday for you today though: (Actually I made them over a week ago because I had a nephew's birthday come up, but that's beside the point, right).

Click here to download the Super Mask Birthday Card. 

Each page makes two birthday cards with instructions for the birthday boy to cut out and color the mask themselves. I recommend printing on white cardstock so they can color it however they choose!

Enjoy!

Freebie Friday: Birthday Crown Card

When I was a girl I had one uncle who sent me birthday cards. Not every year, but often enough that I felt that he cared. I felt special and important to someone I didn't see very often and it meant a lot.

So as an aunt (and sister and in law), I've tried to do the same thing: remember family birthdays with cards. It's a big job. The hunny and I both come from large families. We're rounding out to about 60 cards a year. This year I've decided to make it a little bit more fun for the nieces and nephews and a little faster for me too.

The birthday crown card is going to all my nieces this year. In the past I've always made them a personalized card, but I think this will be more fun for them, still it's a card with a personalized note from us inside, but they can cut it up and turn it into a birthday crown to decorate and wear!

I thought it would be fun to share: click here for the Birthday Crown Card. 

 A letter size sheet makes 2 cards. I recommend printing on colored cardstock, and then cutting in half longwise. (along the dotted line).

When they cut out the crown they will use the bottom strip to go around the back of their head, and tape it to fit. Instructions are included on the card!



ENJOY!


** I'm also sorry about the poor pictures. My camera batteries died during the photo shoot, and  I'd forgotten to charge the back up set. So these are mostly thanks to my phone. Alas.

easy card decor: scallop punch flowers

Yep, still working at birthday cards. For these I used a scalloped punch to cut out several flowers, crinkled or folded them and layered them to make a simple embellishment. Added a Happy Birthday sticker to grosgrain ribbon . . .

Freebie Friday: Happy HOOlloween Cards

About 2 days before Halloween last year I needed some Halloween cards and designed these in an hour or so. I thought they were fun and simple, but it was so close to Halloween I didn't have a chance to share them. I don't think the owls are "in" as much as they were last year. But they are still festive and cute, right? Anyway, print on letter size white cardstock and cut in half to make two cards-then fold them in half.

Get the free printable cards here.

Enjoy!

Freebie Friday: Father's Day Folded Cards

Father's Day is coming up quick! Have you got a card yet? If not, grab one of these fun pop up cards.
Two options today: A simple pop up card that says "We are your biggest fans" on the front, and a cool spinning origami type pop card that says "You make the world go 'round" on the front. See a cool video of it in action here. Okay, I'll admit the spinning father's day card is not for the faint of heart. Just remember, dad's like cool gadgety things right? The hunny sure thought it was awesome anyway.
 

I can't take credit for the Spinning Father's Day Card. I found the master plan for it here. I probably should have made the circle one, but alas my brain has a hard time thinking in 3D and tonight wasn't the night for being extra technical. Get the printable here.

And finally a few visual instructions:

Cut card in half. Write or draw something fun on the inside center :

  Cut on blue lines.

Fold dotted lines as mountains and black solid lines as valleys being anal careful not to fold parts you shouldn't. The center gets really tricky. The "master plan" I copied suggested using tweezers in the center. Not a bad idea.

Wiggle and prod until it folds up correctly. It should spin around as it folds shut.See a video of it here.

The second card is a simple pop up card. Get it here. Definitely faster and easier but maybe not quite as cool!

A few visual instructions:

cut card and hand out:

Fold hand in half matching tabs:

fold card in half. Fold tabs on hand out:

Tape tabs to inside of card. (I used double stick tape, stuck one side on about an  inch out from center and then shut the whole thing to get the second tab in the right spot).

enjoy!

April Fools! There IS a Freebie Friday today!

Yeah, I wasn't sure there was going to be one, but this Freebie is brought to you by the pile of dinner dishes still sitting in my sink from last night . . .

Today is a friends birthday (Happy Birthday Kari!) and I had a fun idea for a birthday card last night that will be today's freebie.

Each "card" is a fourth of a page-I plan to use them as card embellishments. Just print on cardstock. But you could also just keep it as is and send it as a postcard, or whatever. Get them here.  Enjoy!

Freebie Friday: Monogrammed A to Z Cards

I mentioned these monogrammed cards a couple of weeks ago, and still think they are fun and versatile-especially if you don't mind cutting out with a craft knife. Although, sometimes I feel like I'm the only one without a silhouette machine and a lot of the things I spend hours doing (and enjoying most of the time) have become effortlessly achieved with it, alas.  I really would like one  . . .  someday. So, if you have a silhouette-go make some fun cards and think of me.

If not, come print a monogrammed card and cut it out old school, use double stick tape or glue to add some dimensional paper or fabric underneath. Then mail a sweet note old school (through the actual mail) and make someones' day!

*A few helpful hints:

• only print the page with the letter you want on it-not the whole document. (Use the print range menu in the print dialog box)
• See other printing suggestions here

• For the cards like "A" or "O" or "P" where there is a piece completely cut out of the middle, I just saved it and stuck it on with double stick tape where it "should" go.
• If you're new, or old, at cutting with a craft knife, this is a great tutorial.

enjoy!

banner cards

It's been too long since I made cards without using some sort of computer element. I had a really hard time figuring out where to start and what to do. I finally came up with these. But I still feel like something isn't quite right. I think I just need to sit down and turn out a bunch to get back into the rythmn of handmade cards. That always works best.

*I used a 1 1/4 inch hole punch and folded it over with double stick tape to make each bunting "flag" worked great-a little big though. I wished I'd had a smaller hole punch.

man cards

I always struggle to make birthday cards for men. Hand made cards have a definite tendency towards the feminine. Of course most men won't look at the outside of the card for more than a few seconds anyway, so maybe I make it too big a deal. But, I care. So this year I have decided to go with more a simple statement for the plethora of men in my life (aka. 1 grandpa, 1 father in law, 1 father, 12 brothers/ bro-in laws (yeah we have big families)). Here's what I've come up with: I think it is working really well, and helps to streamline all the birthday cards while still making them individualized. It's good though, with several every month it keeps my fingers in card making-and I really like that hands-on process. I've thought about making this into a pdf for a freebie friday with all the letters of the alphabet. Any interest?

Tutorial: Star Paper Notes

A cute little package . . .

an eye catching presence . . .

*this one was made folding the white side in in step 2 and out in step 3 (opposite of pix)

and you can write in it!

I can't remember where I learned how to make these. But they are pretty cool, and fun for sending notes, or even hanging up as decorations. And fairly easy to make.

With Valentines coming up I thought it would be a fun tutorial:

*this one was made folding the white side out in step 2 and in in step 3-like the pictures show

First a little note: I'm a very visual learner. A lot of tutorials I just look at the pictures and know how to make it-I don't need to read it. (although a lot of times I wish later I had).  I'm not very good at explaining with words what to do.So, first, I'm sorry I'm bad at explaining, and second, you might want to read through the whole thing before starting.

SUPPLIES:


*Colored/scrapbooking PAPER. (the creases are usually ugly and big with cardstock)
*2-3 foot piece of ribbon/string
*chipboard (I like to use the backs of note books if there fairly stiff-or the back board of a stack of scrapbooking paper)
*Glue ( I use a glue stick because it's not too wet and won't curl your paper-but whatever you want).
*Scissors

optional, but nice:

paper trimmer
bone folder


1. Trim your paper to 5 inches square. (Or 6 if you want it a little bigger-and then you can just cut a 12x12 piece of scrapbooking paper in fourths.) You will need at least 5 sheets to make it big enough to open-but don't do more than 7 or it won't show all the pages open.

I did 6 different colors (I have more paper here because I made a few stars)

2. Fold each sheet in half open, and then fold in half the other direction.  *important. (If you want the colored side to be on the edges instead of in the middle fold it so the color is on the outside for these two folds--see pictures at beginning of post)

so it look like this (Use a bone folder for nice and easy creases).

3. Open it up and fold corner to corner the opposite way (if you've been folding with the colored part in-like the pictures-then fold this one with the colored part out).

This is what it should look like now:

4. line them up and glue the backs together really you are just stacking them on top of each other and gluing facing sides.

I like to keep them folded while you glue so that you only get glue on the part you are gluing.

after I stick them together I open it up and rub the glued part with a bone folder to adhere it well.

Once you've glued them all together it should look like this (they don't like to stay folded shut):

and this:

5. Cut 2 chipboard pieces 1/2 the size of your original page dimensions. So if you cut 5 inch squares for your paper, cut 2 1/2 inch squares for your chipboard.

 6. Cut another piece of scrapbooking paper 1 inch larger than your chipboard. (3 1/2 inches if your going with my measurements).
7. Cover the chipboard with glue and put it in the center of your paper like so: And then cut the edges off with scissors (I just eyeballed it).

8. Glue each side and fold in: like so: Repeat with your other piece of chipboard and paper.

9. Fold your ribbon in half and pinch to find the center.  Put the center on one of the corners of your chipboard and glue in place. Glue your other square and put it about 1/4 inch away with the center pinch of your ribbon in between the two squares.

10. Glue the two empty backs of your paper to the  inside of your chipboard rub down with your bone folder. When it's folded together it should look like this:

Tie a little bow and wala: you are done. Open it up and flatten one of the insides to write a special little note.