Okay, I finally had the chance to do some cardmaking! Wooohoooo!! I am trying to prepare for the summer which I HOPE will be busy. I'm planning on selling cards and other items at a booth in Bothell, Washington. When I finalize the application and info, I will post it :) And maybe if you're nearby, come and visit! Anyways, I always find that I do not have time to hand make cards...so I end up giving presents away without one.....I KNOW! What kind of cardmaker does this?????? The kind that blogs, experiments with new techniques, an hand makes a lot of gifts but runs out of time to make the card to go with the gift I'm giving!
So here's my solution! I premade a bunch of cards ahead of time! I decided to leave off the sentiments, though. My thought was to also premake a bunch of sentiments. Then, when it comes time to give away a card, I choose the proper sentiment and pop it on!
I would recommend bold patterned papers, especially if you are going to use primarily word sentiment stamps.
With this project, I decided to use my scraps again!!!! My file folder is getting WAY TOO FULL!!!! You can use scrap pieces of ribbon too!
A great way to somewhat "organize" your scraps is to place them in file folders by color. I organize patterned paper by patterns: polka dots/circles, floral, vintage, stripes, and miscellaneous. Another way would be to place your patterned cardstock with the dominant color in the pattern.
This was the first card I made, then I realized I could leave the sentiment off. You could also use sentiments that are pretty broad like the one above "from the heart" or "thinking of you" or "friendship"....they could work for a number of occasions. If I decide to change the sentiment, I could place one of the premade pieces right over the existing one.
I love the colors used in the "in bloom" flowers by Making Memories.....red, oranges, peach, light blue....so cheerful!
The premade sentiments included various themes: birthday, friendship, thinking of you, congratulations, baby, love...etc. You can choose to place your foam dots on them so that they are ready to go. If you choose not to, you then have the option to keep them flat if you desire. You can always add foam later.
Tip: use white and neutral cardstock for your card base and for your sentiments. Above, my sentiments are stamped on white carstock and mounted on a neutral colored cardstock which happens to be textured as well. This way, your sentiment pieces coordinate with all the other cards. I would recommend stamping in a dark brown ink like Staz On Timber brown so that later you can water color them if you happen to have the time :) Use Staz On for images you want to water color later to prevent the image from bleeding.
So now your cards are all premade and all you have left to do right before you give it away is pop on your sentiment....viola.....your card is done!!!!Below is the specific stamp set I used. I believe it is retired though. If you REALLY love it and have to have it, check out Ebay. The name of the set is "For a Friend". It was one of he hostess sets offered in a past catalog.
Below are some other sentiment stamp sets you could use. (Available in the current catalog.)
(Image below copyright Stampin' Up!)
(Image below copyright Stampin' Up!)
(Image below copyright Stampin' Up!)
(Image below copyright Stampin' Up!)
(Image below copyright Stampin' Up!)
for other sentiment stamp sets, CLICK HERE TO BROWSE MY STAMPIN' UP WEBSITE
(click "shop") at the tip right corner of the page)
Another tip would be to use punches. Below is a really cute set you could use with a coordinating scallop punch!
Say It With Scallops 111678
image below copyright Stampin' Up!
image below copyright Stampin' Up!
Here's another tip. Foam adhesive can be a little pricey. You can purchase sheets of foam. I like the ones that have one side with adhesive backing already. You cut them all up in tiny squares or rectangles. When you add a square to something, you just have to place glue on the side that doesn't have the adhesive. (I got this cool idea from my Stampin' Up! upline Caroline.) Remember though that these are not usually acid free so I only use it on cards...not scrapbooks.
Another option would be to place 3 D dots on the backs of the premade sentiment pieces when you are ready to mount them on your card. If you do not have any glue dots or foam adhesive, just glue your sentiment down without them and your card will look great anyway!Another thing to keep in mind as you are creating your cards is to be sure to make some fairly flat (if you plan on mailing some). Stampin' Up! makes foam adhesive that is thin enough to go through the mail....I've never had any problems sending cards when I use them). They aren't as thick as some foam dots or squares. The 3D glue dots from Zots probably are too thick to use on cards you plan on mailing.
I used a chipboard flower which I glued ripped scraps of patterned paper to. You take your chipboard piece and place adhesive on one entire side. Add your strips right on top of it. When adding strips, you need to make sure you put adhesive on the entire bottom side of the paper (the side glued on to the chipboard). If you don't, your strip will fall right off after you cut the chipboard away from the excess paper. (I will make a tutorial on this and post hopefully within 2-4 days so CHECK BACK!)
I used my craft marker (the side with the flexible felt tip) to color the edges of my chipboard flower. It can get right in between the petals. I really like using glue dots when gluing chipboard to cards and scrapbook pages. To secure layers of flowers on each other, I use glue dots. Zots are VERY sticky and you don't have to worry about your embellishments falling off! They're really secure! I like to have many different sizes on hand. 
When gluing on buttons to a project.....glue dots are AWESOME!!!!
I made sure that I also had a masculine looking card available if needed.
The card below leaves enough room to add a word sentiment or a larger stamp with an image.
I used lots of buttons and flowers on these cards. I've got tons of buttons in jars that I need to use up!
A set of cards like this would also make a great gift! Just be sure to include some foam adhesive or tape adhesive so that the recipient can add the sentiments later!
I plan on making more cards as time allows! Before you know it, I'll have enough cards to last me the rest of the year!!!!
Have fun with this project! As always, let me know if you have questions. I would love to hear other ideas as well! Have a great week!
Hey girl! Jumped over from the VP site. Those cards are great! I like all of them. I am have just started making cards and enjoy it, although I found it to be quite different from making layouts.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are so gorgeous, my friend!
I hope you are having a great weekend!
;P
B