Monday, January 13, 2025

Cheers! Floating Drinks on Vertical Bandstand Cards in Two Sizes!


I love to find new fun folds to try and also to share new die sets like the Love On the Rocks from Spellbinders Happy Hour Collection. I came across a tutorial from Sue Stampfield on how to make this A2 sized Floating Vertical Bandstand Card. The strawberries from Spellbinders appear to be floating on the acetate strip and the inked embossing was made with a Spellbinders Feather Flourish 3D embossing  folder. I liked the A2 version but had some bigger drinks from Spellbinders I wanted to float, so I created a 5 x 7 vertical floating bandstand template and then made this card in my new video:


I knew I had to get the Love On The Rocks die set from Spellbinders because the drink can be made to look just like a Brandy Old Fashioned which is our family drink when we celebrate. I embossed the pieces on the band with any older embossing folder from Darice and added some hearts rainbow patterned paper on the back of the inside. The sentiments on the front and back were all foiled in my Glimmer Machine with a new BetterPress set with matching dies called Valentine Happy Hour Sentiments from Spellbinders. Here is a look at the back of this card which stands up for display and folds flat to mail in a 5 x 7 envelope:



Here is another 5 x 7 vertical floating bandstand card I made and this one features the Sunset In a Glass die set also from Spellbinders. I share all these cards in the new video and it is easier to see them in that but here is a side view of this card:


The drinks appear to be floating on the acetate strip. I love this new fun fold and here are pictures of my templates to make it easy if you want to try them:



I do walk through making the 5 x 7 version in the video step by step but these measurements might be something you can save if you want to try either size. 

Friday, January 10, 2025

49 & Market Card Kits and Stained Glass


I recently discovered 49 and Market has Card Kits that include gorgeous paper with matching envelopes along with rub on images and sentiments. I purchased the beautiful Alena Card Kit  from 49  and Market and used it as a starting point to make a gift set of cards. I also recently purchased a set of Stained Glass Effect Squares from Crafter's Companion and together they created easy lovely cards. 


Each one of the cards I created has a matching envelope. I put a sunflower transparency in a circle frame and on the second peach circle card, I simply added some rub on flowers. Each of these cards also has a rub on sentiment on the inside, but I didn't take pictures of those or this blog post would be very long.




On these cards I simply framed the stained glass image with dies and added a few more rub ons to the colorful cards from the kit.



After I finished all the cards in the kit, I decided I really couldn't throw away the matching and beautiful packaging so I cut a frame using a die from Hero Arts for my hummingbird stained glass picture. I added some rub on butterflies to the front and a sentiment to the piece in the center of this card. 

I think the person who receives this set of cards is going to be delighted and will spread the joy when she mails them out to loved ones. 

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Fabulous Foiled Fun Folds Featuring Deco Foil and Brutus Monroe

In my new video I show many cards I made after playing with all the fabulous new foils and Toner Card Fronts from Deco Foil and Brutus Monroe. I show how to do first, second and third generation foiling with no waste of any of the amazing foil. One of my favorites of the new foils from Brutus Monroe and Deco Foil is Gold Star and here is a telescoping circle card I made with that foil as well as some Red Static foil also from Brutus Monroe and Deco Foil:


The foiled stars on this card seem to move and the circle on the top (cut with a Kat Scrappiness die) is a 3rd generation of foiling as I show in the video. Here is how this card looks open:


The sentiments were created with the new Lots of Love Toner Sentiments. Here is another card I created with the new products:


Another of the new colors of foil from Brutus Monroe and Deco Foil is called Pewter Lane and is perfect for a masculine love card like this one for my husband. I did a 2nd generation of foiling with a black toner sheet and then added strips of Berry Crush, Gold Star and Indigo Dreams for a fun color change on the pewter strip. 


Another favorite of the new transfer foils from Deco Foil is called Candy Heart, and has tiny hearts that sparkle and move when the card is opened. I show in the video how to foil the Heartstrings Toner Card Front and then create a 2nd piece as we don't want to waste any of that gorgeous foil. But I didn't want the hearts and flowers to be black so I used a white Poly Glaze sheet from Gina K Designs instead of a Black Toner sheet and here is a look at that second piece up close:


This card is a Peek A Boo Tri-Fold Card that I closed with a brad and some gold string. Each of the cards I shared in the video have several layers to showcase all that sparkly foil in different ways. I hope my cards inspire you to give some of the ideas and products a try and then send some sparkle and love out into our world. 

Monday, January 6, 2025

Layers and Layers of Foiled Love


If you are like me and love the sparkle of foil on your cards especially the foils with amazing movement, you are going to love the newest foils just released by Deco Foil and Brutus Monroe! Deco Foil and Therm O Web also just released 3 new Toner Card Fronts and several more new foils perfect for love cards and Valentines. My favorite of the new foils is Disco and here is the card I made with a Love All Ways Toner Card Front and the silver sparkly Disco Foil:


This is a double heart easel card created with heart dies from Crealies and several generations of foiling. I never want to waste any of the gorgeous foil and I show in my new video several ways to get 2nd and 3rd generation foiling for many different looks. Another fun way to display several layers of foiled beauty is a telescoping card and I show how to make one in my new video. Here are two telescoping cards I made with Spellbinders Mirrored Arches dies:


The cards close like this to mail and then open to show all three layers of foiled love:


I used the new Brutus Monroe Circus foil on the telescoping card on the left along with the beautiful Indigo Dreams from Deco Foil and Heartstrings Toner Card Fronts. I made the card on the right step by step in the video and it features Disco and Indigo Blue Foils and Love all Ways Toner Card Fronts.

To see many more cards made with the new foils and Toner Card Fronts from Therm O Web and Deco Foil, watch my new video here. Stop back Wednesday to see pictures of the rest of my love cards with layers and layers of sparkly foil. 

Thursday, January 2, 2025

Here's to 2025 and a New Business Venture


The new year brings a new adventure for our daughter-in-law in Chicago as she becomes the owner and managing partner of the business she has been a part of for many years. She is an event planner and now owns the business along with another managing partner. We are very excited and happy for Kristy and this great opportunity! We celebrated last weekend and she loved the card I made from all of us. I created the front of the 5 x 7 card with various die cut sentiments and Concord & 9th Confetti Dots Turnabout Stencil. But the real fun part is when the card is opened:


I used Karen Burniston's Photo Fan Pop Up die set to pop up all the pictures of the employees and owners of the business, the name and an encouragement message. It really is so much more impressive when you see the card actually being opened and popping up, so here is a quick mini video of that action:


(To my subscribers- I love that you subscribe, but I don't think Blogger puts videos in the emails you receive, so to see this video, click on the title and go to my actual blog.)

The Photo Fan Pop Up is my favorite Karen Burniston pop up die and that is saying something as I have been huge fan for years and have them all! It is so easy to work with and the pop surprise is amazing! 



Monday, December 16, 2024

Change Your Scraps into Squares, Triangles and Gorgeous Cards


I was inspired by some cards I found on Pinterest to turn my scraps into squares and triangles and then into beautiful cards which I share in my newest video here. I made this love bridge card step  by step after finding the 3 color heart pattern here. I created my stitched triangles with Concord & 9th's Pinwheel Quilt die set. the layered sentiment die is from Gina K Designs and the stitched heart cover die on the white strips is from Kat Scrappiness. 


I saw this heart pattern created also with triangles on a board of cards here and even without any instructions I was determined to figure out how to create it. The love sentiment die on this card is also from Gina K Designs. Here are two more cards I found inspiration for on Pinterest:




I love a classic sketch with positive and negative color use like on the first card and the rainbow of triangles created out of squares folded in half for dimension is such a fun idea which I found on this blogpost. I had leftover pieces from the Studio Katia Dotted Stitched Square Frame Die I used so I added a frame on the front and here is the inside of the card:


The squares left a tic-tac-do pattern so I added it to the inside of the card to challenge the recipient to a game and added some perfect sentiments from Karen Burniston. I had great fun using my scraps to make square, triangles and cards for this video and hope you will do the same soon. 











Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Card Kits - No Subscriptions - Easy Gift Giving!


Sets of handmade cards make lovely gifts anytime of the year, or we can just send one card at a time to spread joy. In my new video I share 8 cards I made in just minutes with the 49 and Market Tranquility Card Kit and Clear View Transparencies. The card kit includes 8 beautiful card bases with matching envelopes as well as rub on transfers with sentiments, flowers and butterflies. There are many collections from 49 and Market that include card kits, and you can find some here. Of course you can create card bases with their awesome patterned cardstock and use an envelope maker to create matching envelopes, but as I show in the video why do the work when the kit gives you everything you need. Here are a couple more cards I made in just minutes:



I also stepped outside the box and cut one of the 49 and Market cardbases apart and made a version of a joy fold fun fold like this one in the video:




The small card opens up and the diagonal flap opens as well. The pretty patterned cardstock from 49 and Market is on the inside and the front diagonal flap. And of course there is a matching envelope from the 49 and Market card kit and I framed another Clear Views transparency on the front of the little square card. 

I hope my cards encourage you give some of these ideas and products a try and then send some joy out into our world.