Adventures in card-making: A mannish solution

The age-old perennial dilemma for cardmakers is making cards for men.

Girls can be catered for with a plethora of generic items- flowers, cakes, shoes, dresses, patterns, dogs, cats, pretty patterns, any colour is usually acceptable.

Men are more difficult.  So many generic ideas are too girly for them.  Often, we resort to generic 'Man hobbies' for card-making.  

One solution, I feel, is your colour scheme. 

Using metallics and black and a simple minimalist look is something I think can work.  Not making a card overly fussy.

It was our friend's birthday and I decided to keep it simple and literally personalise the card by using his name and simple colours.

A black base card and 3 colours of metallic cards combined with some alphabet punches I was given one birthday and my hard-working star punch.

It actually looked fine without the stars but I thought to add a bit more detail

 Since I had those colours and the punch out, I decided to make another design just laying out a grid of stars with some outline happy birthday stickers making a border up the edge.

I often feel that whilst I love making cards and it is the act of creation I love, I don't want to spend too much money on expensive card-making elements so I do prefer to make this kind of card.

That said, I've had some more expensive elements like these larger outline stickers for a while, so I figured I would use some up to make this Man card.  Literally, you simply layer the stickers onto your choice background card and cut around them.  stick them on with 3D pads to make them stand out.

So... my key for making a simple man card is:

• A simple colour scheme
• Metallics
• Black background
• Simplicity in terms of details.
• Geometric shapes: Squares, stars, triangles...

Linking up to Creative Mondays with Claire Justine and the Daring Cardmakers Weekly challenge which this week is: "Let's hear it for the boys!"

Sunflower

Mum's birthday has now been and gone so I can share the latest card I made.  When my sister was about 10 or 12, my Mum made her an incredible purple and orange sunflower birthday cake. My Mum always used to make us the most wonderful cakes based on our interests and favourite things so we always used to look forward to her birthday cake. Thus, when I see sunflowers, I think of my Mum and sister simultaneously.  Thus, having made my sister a quilled sunflower card this year for her birthday, I decided to make my Mum one too but in a different way.

I have said this on various occasions, but the most versatile and recommended craft items include general punches like a flower shape. This daisy one has been used on many, many occasions- you can buy one similar here at Hobbycraft.

To create the 3D effect, I punched around about 6 daisies and then used an embossing tool on a piece of foam to emboss lines to create a texture which made the petals more realistic-looking.  Likewise, rubbing the leaves (also punched) in a circle in the middle of the leaf curls the edge up.

Linking up to Daring cardmakers and Creative Mondays with Claire Justine

Trying to avoid the January blues

Like yesterday's post, the Daring Cardmakers blog is another I enjoy but have failed to join up with in a while. Seeing, the prompt on Friday of January blues, I decided to make my Stepmum's birthday card with a blue flower as a statement, to stand out.

I used a few techniques here to make this:

• The flower was made from 6 punched circles. I used an embossing tool on them and rubbed in circles from the outside to the inside, lying the circles over a piece of funky foam. The effect is that the circles start to curl up at the sides, giving more of a flower feel. The card was recycled from an aborted card project.
• The base card was just a plain lilac one but I used the embossing tool over the foam again to indent spots to make it look like pre-embossed card.
• If I suggested you buy one thing for beginning card making, I do think a lace-edged punch is the way to begin. I used a Martha Stewart one . You can look at some here.  I used this one on all my Wedding thank you cards, table names and a zillion cards.  You can see I used it here to trim the top and bottom of my card.  
• To add a more 3d dimension to the centre of the flower, I grabbed a box of tiny pale blue buttons (I must have a good 200 in there and I bought in a charity shop for pence some years ago) and layered them on top and stuck down with PVA glue, applied with the end of a de-cottoned cotton ear bud.
• It struck me the card was a bit bare so I stuck a row of buttons to the top and bottom yet something was still missing.
• Having used my Martha Stewart punch on another piece of turquoise card for another card (coming soon, got to wait till the recipient receives it as she might see it on here!) all the debris from the puncher was sitting on the table and being Mrs-recycling, I seperated some of the turquoise circles and applied them the gap and round the flower. Somehow, this was what added the final finish to the card.
• It's not fancy or beautifully detailed like many cards I admire or love, but this is Ubiquitous me when it comes to cards.

All you need is: embossing tool, thrifted buttons, circle punch and edge punch, PVA glue, Prittstick, piece of funky foam, base card and coloured card scraps- all of which are versatile and can be used a myriad ways.


Hope you like it.

xxx


http://www.daringcardmakers.blogspot.co.uk/


Yay, Claire featured TWO of my posts in her picks of last week:
Linking to Creative Mondays with Claire Justine


Brilliant blog posts with Honest Mum blog


And if you scrolled to the end, how are you doing with the January blues?  Are you dealing with them ok? How do you combat them? Apparently today is the most depressed/depressing day according to one of my colleagues. It's a thing today!

xx

Scrabblicious!

One of the first reasons I really started making cards in earnest, some 10 years ago now, was my wish to be creative with packaging and items that would otherwise end up in the bin.  This was before my local authority did cardboard recycling so I was always trying to think of ways to use old, clean packaging.   My first card-making session, I made about 12 cards, all of them reusing certain boxes and packets!  Whilst I have evolved over this last decade, to include bought items and pretty papers, this art of recycling packaging might be old, but never forgotten! I've got stacks of bits and pieces in my stash from packaging!!That summer, I cut around 3000 mosaic tiles from packaging to make mosaic cards with the kids at our church's summer mission!

This Saturday, I finally unpackaged my Scrabble tile fridge magnet set and attached to a pretty large metal heart which is now hanging in my kitchen- it's alterable art- and I will show you sometime!

A friend came round for a cup of tea and stayed for quite a long while.  Thus, while we were chatting to him, I sat with the packaging to the magnets and cut out all of the Scrabble-tiles or logos on the packaging.

Then, I decided what I could do with them and this is what I came up with.


All of the above, I quite like because they'd be suitable for men/boys (if they like Scrabble) too.  The top one is intended for my brother in law and the rest, well, you'll just have to wait and see!
The top right one shows you what the anagram of Fridge magnets is- that's what the large tiles originally read! Admittedly a little random as a card, but you know, it's just a bit of fun.
All I used is some 3d pads, scissors and some black card I have had in my card stash since the very early days of card-making.  I forget about it from time to time but it always comes out, every so often!!

Linking to
Creative Mondays with Claire Justine


Daring Cardmakers weekly challenge with my Old, but never forgotten art!  Hope this isn't too tenuous, but it did put me in mind of my early days when I read your post!

Ribbon heart- easy Valentines card for the fashion-blogger or wearer-of-clothes to make!

Ok- so all of you fashion-bloggers who don't make cards (and Nicole, I am sure you might still have some of these and have not chucked them away!) and indeed anyone who has clothes, (fashion bloggers will obviously have more clothes to scavenge from) here's a really easy idea for a Valentines card (or other occasion that the recipient wouldn't mind hearts and ribbons).

You will need:

• Those annoying ribbon tags that come on the shoulders of tops and dresses- snip them off. Or those from tags of clothes that come with ribbons.
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape (or glue- but can be messier)
• A card blank
• Optional- pinking shears, decorative scissors or border punch. heart punch or scrap-card to make a template.

1.  Locate all those clothes with annoying ribbons for putting them on hangers that always show when you wear them.  Snip them off and display proudly.  

2.  Select the colours you want and store the rest in a jar of some sort to be used for various craft projects in the future (Weirdly, many of mine were pinky-purply)

3.   Iron said ribbons on a low heat setting.
4.  I cut a heart border with an X-cut punch at the bottom but if you've just got your ribbons and no fancy scissors, forget this.  Take some double-sided sticky tape and stick down strips across the middle (measure where the middle is and mark with a pencil line (do measure how much sticky-tape you will need for your ribbons' widths).


5.  Sort out the colours you want in what order.  I took a picture of them at this point in order to remember the order (here, you will also get the idea of how much sticky tape you will need.
6.  When happy, stick them down- I smooth them across slowly as I lead the ribbon with my other hand.  (I left a small amount of ribbon hanging off the initial edge and then left the other end hanging off.
7.  When you've got them down, trim the ends of the ribbons to the edge of the card.  If you have material scissors, use those- I just used Poundland scissors and my edges were a little ragged.
8. I trimmed some hearts from red funky foam (suit to your colour-scheme) - make a template or use a craft punch  and stuck a small square of double-sided sticky-tape to the back.

And dan naaaaaaa!!!! You have your finished card.

Yes, it's very simple and plain but that's what I was aiming for- simple and easy to make.

Plus, CBC gave me a very good idea- he said- when the person has finished with the card (if not sentimental like me and keep every handmade card you've ever been given), they can trim along the edges of the ribbon and have a lovely bookmark!

I am linking up to:

The Pink Elephant card challenge whose theme this week is LOVE!

The Daring Card Makers challenge whose theme this week is STRIPES

Claire Justine's Creative Mondays

Do check out all these blogs- Claire has upcycled some amazing shoes and the cards on both the card websites are absolutely amazing- so intricate and well-thought out! I don't think I could ever make anything that amazing!

It seems weird that I am blogging twice in an evening but I realised that both the challenges ended tomorrow and was so keen to join up so I hotfooted it through our bog-like garden to the shed to hunt with mobile-phone torch app for ribbons, tape, punches and card. It's now very late. Sigh.x

Do be sure to check out my Swansong.... my other post of the night!

Blue for a boy

Though it may seem to you that I am always making cards (possibly true!), I always seem to have a deficit in certain areas in having 'stock ready' as it were (not selling them obviously but you know what I mean!).  One of those areas is definitely 'new baby' cards.  There have been several opportunities over the last couple of months where I have missed giving a made card, because I've been busy and not had some ready!

So I was happy when the Daring Cardmakers blog challenge of the week was 'Child's Play' as it reminded me that this was something I'd need in my stash! I haven't linked to there in ages too, as not been able to get organised in time.  Their challenges are lovely, so it's worth going to have a look!  Their makers make absolutely stunning cards!



Card no.1 FINALLY uses a rubberstamp I have had for aaaaaaaaaaages!  I saw this cute 'feet' stamp and knew it could be used in so many ways for baby cards.  I am not fond of rubber-stamps but this one was different!  I also used a set of alphabet stamps I bought when I'd not been long making cards!  I punched the circles around them once punched which is a revelation as I am soooooo bad at cutting circles! 



Card no.2 ALSO uses a tool I bought with the same idea in mind- a tiny foot punch! It looked a bit boring with just feet so I added little pearl accents with  Pebeo touch, 3d paint pen!  No matter how long I haven't used the Pebeo paints, they never dry up or clog the nozzle, unlike those horrible Anita's 3d paints which cake up after using the paints once, no matter how religiously I clean them!  So, if you'd like 3d paints, go for Pebeo NOT Anita's!

You're wondering what's been recycled in the making of these cards?  No?  Well, a 'London borough of Walthamstow' prospectus guide has been utilised for the feet and the white card with feet on comes from a church holiday club left-over sheet (it has a picture of a mountain on the back!)


Also, I couldn't resist this necklace over the weekend!



I saw it and HAD to buy it!  It was only £2 otherwise I probably wouldn't have!!x

Linking also to Claire Justine's Creative Monday
AND
Lakota's Tah-Dah Tuesday (if she's moved in yet!!!)

With thanks to Miss Katie Hook Line and Sink Her for making me realise that I too, can have pretty backgrounds in my picture rather than dusty looking wooden tables!

Pencils and ribbons!

Aloha! I hail here, fresh from an evening of lindy-hop!  It's just the best form of dance, it makes you feel so exuberant!  I want to do it well!!!! Got to go to regular classes!

Linking up to Lakota's 'Tah Dah! Tuesday' next week when it comes up!  (I shall be in Kent!) Back to my usual cards for the link-up!  Oh how I lack imagination! One day I will be linking up with some full-sized stonking-great Bayeaux tapestry-type contribution (Or maybe not? In your dreams girlie!)
Made 2 cards here:

One for CBC's art-genius sister- last year I made her origami pencils- this year, the humble cocktail stick is transformed into technicolour stationery! (Sorry about bad reflected photo! You get the idea though!)

 This card has been 'in the make' for about a year.  it is a variation on a design from my favourite mag, Papercraft inspirations, which was supposed to be lavender.  However, since I had the perfect-sized piece of electric blue ribbon, therefore, bluebells seemed in order.

Also it is serendipitous that the Daring Cardmakers blog has issued a challenge involving knots this week, so I am linking up to them with this design. As is usual with a Kezzie design, recycled elements, however small are a must so here I have recycled some white with lilac spots card for the background, the green stems are 2 envelopes, the pink ribbon comes from a top.

Likewise, through another blog, I discovered that the Pink elephant challenge blog was also linking up ribbon cards!I love discovering new crafty blogs!!!  So here I am with the cunning-use of knotted ribbon!!

I love seeing what people can do with ribbon!  Alas that I were more creative!

Also linking up to Annie the Felt-Fairy's 'Make a month' challenge- this is one of my August attempts!

Jubileh? Cards!

Hello!  Not quite sure what has happened but suddenly I can upload so am sneaking these in quickly!
I am linking up to The Daring Cardmakers monthly challenge for June which was to make a card upon the theme of red, white and blue.
I made this card recycling elements as is my habit!  the checkered background is the packaging from our paperchains box, the red card is the inside of my Lindt Easter egg box.  Literally, I made myself a template for the red cross as I went along.  I made the white using plain paper and a Martha Stewart edging punch.  I added white dots to the red with a white gel pen then layered the whole thing up with 3d pads onto a white card blank!  Quite pleased with it!  Also linking up to Annie the Felt-fairy's Make a month for 2012.

Last week's Daring card-maker's challenge was to make a card incorporating keys or locks which I failed to upload in time, not least because I was unhappy with it (it's lacking something, but somehow I am lacking the inspiration to do anything else to it, so here is is until a bright idea comes to me!  The recycling this time was the patterned paper which came from a White-stuff invoice and the spotty card for the house was a bit of a card that it seemed a shame to chuck!  The chiffon ribbon for the key was from a cracker!  I made the key by punching  a circle and then adding a hole-punched smaller circle. The end of the key was just an experiment with cutting!  The house, I just cut a house shape and I made the roof and window detailing by using a paper-pierced to poke holes!  The pink wall-paper in the background was ripped!

Hope you are well and happy!  I had a darling day out at Hylands park yesterday visiting a 'Right royal Knees up!' and then watching the Jubilee concert!  I am still wearing red, blue and er-grey (and soldiers!) in honour of the Jubilee.  Will post when I get a mo to take a picture!  Thanks for kind comments and advice re Picassa!

Also, (YAY at last!) linking up to Lakota's Ta dah Tuesday as I am pleased with the first card and pleased that I actually made something this month!

And, to MishelFlo's crafty challenge! and Craft your days away fortnightly challenge!

(Wow, the most links ever!)