Masculine Trifold Card

Hello Everybody!  I hope you are all having a wonderful Friday!

Today I'm going to share another masculine card.  It seems like I've been doing a lot of these lately, lol!  As girlie as I am, I do enjoy making masculine cards.  It gives me a chance to stretch my creativity in a different direction.

This card is a trifold card.  I did not use my Cricut machine on this project.  Instead, I fussy-cut directly from the patterned papers.  The collections I used for this card are The Main Street Stack and The Downtown Loft Stack, both by DCWV.  I really like these collections for the retro styling, as well as the multitude of unique backgrounds.

The striped background is a simple vertical stripe that I cut into one inch strips and mitered at each corner.  I didn't bother to match up the pattern in the corners, but you could certainly do that if you like.  The pattern features lots of different sayings and I chose two of them for the card front, cut them out from a different sheet, and popped them up for dimension.  

The metallic button was threaded with off white twine and adhered with a dimensional glue dot.  I then wrapped the twine around the card three times and coiled it around the button.  The dimensional glue dots are perfect in this instance.  Not only do they adhere the button firmly, but they keep the coiled twine from coming loose, too.

At the end of the twine, I added a letter brad by snipping off the tongs on the revers side with my needle nose pliers, and then backing it with patterned paper matted on black cardstock.  I used hot glue for this, since I wanted really good adhesion from end to end.

When the card is opened, the first flap you see is covered in a different pattern.  This pattern reminds me of a kerchief.  You can see from this photo that the card base is done in Kraft cardstock.  I love this cardstock!  I have found a multitude of styles that look great with it.  In fact, this is the end of my stash and I'm going to need to go shopping before I can create with it again...darn the bad luck, lol!  ;o}

This little emblem was made from the extra paper used on the front of the card and matted on black cardstock.  I added another metallic button at the top, threaded with black ribbon and placed over top of a loop of red velvet ribbon.  All of this was secured with hot glue to make sure it was secure.

The inside of the card was done in an off white brick pattern matted over top of black cardstock.  I love creating lots of layers for dimension and added interest.  

If you look closely you can see that I scored between each brick in the grout lines to add a bit of detail.

I then fussy-cut another piece of the patterned paper, again matting it on black cardstock, and adding metallic brads on each corner.  

The entire plaque is popped up on pop dots for dimension over top of red velvet and black satin layered ribbons.  As you can see in this photo, I always try to ink the edges.  It really helps to create the feeling of depth between layers.

Of course, each card needs its own matching envelope.  This envelope stands vertically and opens at the top.  I used my Martha Stewart punch to create the corners on the address label.  Didn't it turn out cute?  I love that punch!

As you can see here, the envelope is 1/4 inch deep to accommodate the thickness of the card.

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's project.  I had fun creating it.  Thank you very much for visiting today and I hope you will join me again soon!

Merilee

Valentine Candy Box Card with Creative Critterz Imaginations

Hi Everyone!  Today was my first post as a design team member over at the Creative Critterz Imaginations blog.  I shared a Valentine Candy Box Card that I did with my Cricut Imagine.  I hope you go check it out for all of the details.  You can see is here.

As a continuation of that post, I wanted to show you all the ways you can use this card base to meet your needs.  

I originally found this tutorial at the Whiff of Joy Tutorials and Inspiration blog here while looking for a unique gift idea for Christmas.  In addition to having darling stamps, they've got all kinds of ideas for great gifts.

This card base was originally designed to accommodate tealight candles, which fit perfectly inside the box.  However, I thought they would make great little candy boxes to give as gifts at Christmastime.  Some of these cards contain gift cards and other surprises, too, as you will see below.  I will go through each one of these to show you a few of the details.

First of all, each one of these cards were made solely using the pretty patterned papers contained in one paper pad:  the Holiday Stack by DCWV.  I used very few embellishments, since the papers were so ornate.  I used just a few rhinestones, ribbon, snowflakes and buttons.  Everything else was fussy-cut from the papers. 

After fussy-cutting the flower on the front of this card, I outlined and shaded it in various places, popped it up in sections, and topped it off with a rhinestone.

As you can see, this particular card holds an envelope, but what's inside is a surprise!  I cut the envelope with my Cricut and Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge just the right size to hold a card with a necklace attached.  The inside is covered completely with coordinating patterned papers, and I chose a separate pattern to highlight the candy box in each card.

The next card was finished to lend a bit more of a masculine vibe...

 

Again, the leaves were fussy-cut and popped up.  I also added some sparkly snowflakes in different colors, as well as some cute buttons and berries.

This card doubled as both a Christmas gift, as well as a birthday gift.  The envelope that holds the gift card has a button closure with twine that wraps around.  Dimensional glue dots are perfect in this application, since the glue dot not only pops up the button, but it also serves to hold the twine in place so it doesn't come unwound.

This card is feminine, with poinsettias fussy-cut from the paper.  My Martha Stewart punch is perfect for punching sparkly snowflakes for the centers.  

You can see the flower detail above, as well as the inside detail.  I just love how versatile these cards can be!  You can tweak the size of the box to fit virtually anything you like.

This card has more of a wintry theme, rather than being so closely associated with Christmas.  Perfect for winter birthdays, which is what this card was for!  :o)

I wish you could see them in person--photos just don't do them justice.  The patterned papers are so pretty and vibrant.  This envelope is simply held closed with a tiny bow.

The final card did double-duty as necklace holder, too.  Again, the center medallion was fussy-cut and popped up for dimension.  Another snowflake and rhinestone in the middle set it off just perfectly, don't you think?

These candy box cards are so fun to make and everyone really enjoyed receiving them as gifts.  They are a great way to show you care in a simple, informal way.  I hope you give them a try!

Thank you for stopping by today!  I'll be back again soon with more ideas and inspiration.  Have a great day!

Merilee

Altered Wooden Frames

Hi everyone!  Hope your day is going great.  Mine has been busy, to say the least, but busy is always great.

Today I am sharing a project that is near and dear to my heart.  I absolutely love dogs (and cats...and all animals, in general, lol!) and I made these special, altered wooden frames as gifts for my cousin who shares my love in all things furry.

These were made as a set of three to be hung side by side.  My cousin, John, is a bachelor (an "eligible" bachelor, by the way) and has an outdoor theme in his home, so I grabbed a paper stack dedicated to our furry friends entitled, The Pets Stack, by Die Cuts With a View, and chose my background papers accordingly.  These frames feature my cousin's furry family (from left to right), Jessie, Dagny and Polly.  Aren't they adorable?

I began this process with three raw wood frames that I found in the clearance bin at Michael's for a dollar each.  Before I did anything else, I stained the front and sides with wood stain.  Once the stain dried, I turned the frame upside down, laid it on top of the 12 x 12 patterned paper, and traced the inside opening.  I then cut the paper to fit.  In order to get good adhesion to the frame, I grabbed my Mod Podge, coated the entire front of the frame, and applied my patterned paper.  I then smoothed it out very carefully to avoid any air bubbles, much the way you would when wallpapering. 

At this point I borrowed my husband's file and rasp from his toolbox and began to rough up the edges all around the inside and outside of the frames.  This added a rustic feel, as well as filed off any paper hanging over the edges.  Once I had it adequately distressed, I coated the edges with a bit more Mod Podge to seal them, leaving the face of the frame clean.

This is where the fun began!  I tied twine around the frames in various places and attached Tim Holtz corners with hot glue.  My husband very kindly drilled holes through the frames and attached the three knobs I had found on clearance at Hobby Lobby.  He was careful to countersink the hardware on the back of the frame so it would lie flat against the wall.  From there, I inked all of the edges, inside and out, as well as inking the twine here and there to add a bit of age.

Around each knob I hung Tim Holtz charms, being careful to choose the perfect statement unique to each dog.  In this case, Dagny's charm says "cherish".  I then opened my bin of silk flowers, dug out some acorns I had found on a nature walk one day and, with glue gun in hand, had the time of my life decorating the frames!  Incidentally, my husband nervously watched over me, making sure I didn't make them too girlie, lol!

The Milk Bones on each frame are real Milk Bones with a coat of Mod Podge over top and inked with various Tim Holtz inks until they looked perfectly toasted.  I probably could have toasted them in the oven, lol!

Jessie's frame has an "inspire" charm hanging from her knob.  She's also got little acorns here and there.  The twine on this frame is wound around the frame vertically.

The knob and hanging charm on Polly's frame say "destiny" and are placed on the opposite side.  As you can see below, the twine was actually wrapped in an "x" pattern through the center and around the other side.

I used Rub 'n Buff  Metallic Finish to adjust the patina of the metal knobs so they would more closely  blend together.  The corkscrew twine was made by tightly wrapping it around a skewer and heating it in my oven at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.

I love the various flowers, berries and leaves, with acorns mixed in here and there--it's all so earthy and gives these frames a true outdoor feel.

And, the Tim Holtz corners not only serve a decorative purpose, but also further secure the paper to the frame on each corner.

Last, but certainly not least, these frames did not come with glass, so my husband was kind enough to search through his stash of plexiglass and cut three pieces to fit each one.  I used glazing points to snug up the plexi and sealed the edges with hot glue.

Well, that just about does it for this project.  I hope you enjoyed my altered wooden frames.  I'll be back again soon with another project!

Merilee

Corner Bookmark Card

Hello!  How is everyone on this fine Wednesday?  I hope this finds you all well and busily enjoying your day!

Today I have a corner bookmark card to share with you.  This is one of my all time favorite cards--I love the concept.

As you can see, it is a masculine card with the airplanes featured on the front, but it is also a useful card, which makes it a favorite of mine.  Instead of collecting dust or ending up in a keepsake box, or worse--a trash can (yikes) like so many other cards  :-O, this card can actually be put to good use once opened...and that makes me happy!

The construction of this card begins with a postcard base made from Kraft cardstock.  The papers used are from the Traveler Specialty Cardstock Collection by Me & My Big Ideas.  I bought this paper pack because of its uniquely masculine designs.  I love the maps and airplanes, especially since I was raised in and around the aircraft industry and then married a man in the industry, too, lol!

I found a great tutorial on youtube by jillsink1, which features a corner bookmark card.  Now, if you view this tutorial, you will see that I did not follow Jill's instructions at all...I can't help it, I can never follow creative instructions.  No matter how hard I try, I always seem to veer off course into my own direction, adding and/or subtracting along the way.  It is a default in my circuitry which I just cannot seem to correct.  However, having said that, I actually LOVE the way this card turned out and, better yet, it is uniquely mine, so that makes it all better!  :o}

Okay, back to the card...you can see there are several layers to this card.  I covered my card base with patterned paper matted twice--first in gray and then in blue, and then stamped a sentiment on a banner label cut by hand using the Foot Longs stamp set by Hampton Art.  (To save time, you could easily use your Cricut machine for this banner label.)  

I then searched my scrap bin to find a suitable piece of sturdy acetate and cut a piece to fit the front of my card base.  This particular acetate is recycled from the Cricut blister packaging (I never throw anything away--another default in my circuitry, lol!).   Using the star border from the Cuddlebug Measure by Measure embossing folders, I ran the acetate through my Big Kick machine to emboss and then poked holes through the center three stars through which I attached my tiny star brads.  I was a bit surprised at how easily this acetate was embossed and what a great impression it took from the folder!  

Once that was finished, I adhered the acetate to the bottom of my card using Scor-Tape for a secure bond, since that will be the only place in which the acetate will be held to the card.   Then I adhered my label over top to hide the bond and further secure the acetate to the card.  Isn't that paper clip cute?  I confiscated that from my husband's stash, lol!

On the upper edge of the acetate, just over top of the main focal image, I stamped my sentiment with the Hero Arts, CL156 stamp collection.  I always use StazOn Ink when stamping over top of non-porous surfaces such as acetate.  Once I was finished, I adhered black corners to define the airplane underneath the acetate.  Note:  As stated above, the acetate is only secured at the bottom of the card base.

In these photos, you can see the front (right) and the back (left) of the corner bookmark.  As you can see, the bookmark slips over the corner of the book page.  In this instance, it will slip over the corner of the acetate to be the focal point of the card.  (If you click on any of these photos, you can get a closer look.)

Here you can see what it looks like finished.  If you look closely, you can see that the photo on the bookmark is the same image featured on the card base.  I cut them to match up exactly when the bookmark is in place.

I will feature the bookmark with all of the details in tomorrow's post, along with a link to a youtube video tutorial.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed my card!

Thank you for joining me.  Have a wonderful day and I'll see you again tomorrow!

Merilee