Guy's Cards with Hero Arts and Other Products

I participated in the Hero Arts Spring Stamp-along recently and here are a couple cards I made with supplies and inspiration after the weekend. One thing I really like about Hero Arts Stamp-alongs are you can choose to buy the class supplies or not. The cost of the classes are very reasonable either way and usually I wait until after the classes to see which of the supplies I really need. 

Ralph Tyndall designed a stamp and die set that looks just like old fashioned composition notebooks and the classes showed several ways to use it creatively. I made a card with the large background stamp and with 3 mini notebooks. Then I made a more colorful notebook card here:

I never have enough guys cards so I also used a new die and embossing folder set from Open Studio/Memory Box to make the background on this card and then added some beer die cuts for an easy quick card perfect for Father's Day. 

Great Gift Card Giving With Crealies Gift Cards

I love to give and received gift cards especially when they are presented in a unique way. In my new video here I share many ways to give gift cards made with Crealies dies. Here is the fractured 5 x 7 card I made step by step in the video as well as another version in different colors:

 

I used the new Gift Card Sliders to create a slot for the gift card and also to create a place for a secret message.

My favorite of the new Give A Gift Card die sets are the Gift Card With Slots because of their hands which can be used to hold the gift cards. I was reminded of an American expression “hands down” which means absolutely or positively and I used the cursive writing Alpha set #5 to say that on the card front created with the Frame & Inlay Wendy set.

 

Here is the inside of this card with the hands holding the gift card and a sentiment created with another Alphie die set.

Here are a couple more gift card holders I created in just minutes with the new Give a Gift Card Bag and Gift With Bow:

 

I attached the bow to the inside piece with a gift card (held in place with removable glue dots) so the present can be pulled out with the bow. To see all of these projects and how easy they are to make, watch the new video here. 

 I am happy to share that Crealies dies shown can be purchased either on the Crealies website here OR in the United States at the Frantic Stamper website here.

I am entering my second card in the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday. 

 

April Class Cards

My theme in the classes I teach locally for April was Fun Folds and Interactive Cards and the above is a double arrow card made with pet sympathy cards from Taylored Expressions. Here is the inside of this card:

This is a bunny double pop up card made with stamps from Simon Hurley. Here are some views of the never ending card I taught and a gatefold card with a thank you sentiment:

I am entering my first card in the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday.

More Creative Craft Giftables

We all know teens and others who love their smart phones so I could not resist the Creative Craft Products Giftables Mobile Phone Gift Card Holder die set that easily made this card I share in my new video here. Here is a look at the inside where the gift card is inserted:

I had to buy the Creative Craft Products Easy Folds Diamond Fold Die Set when I saw this purse idea from Sam of Mixed Up Crafts here and I made this Christmas gift card purse based on her instructions. 

I used a Stampendous Mini Slim Cutting Die gift card pop up in the center of this card for my gift card presentation. 

I am entering my first card in the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday. 

Great Gift Card Giving Anytime of the Year!

I love to give and receive gift cards any time of the year because the recipient can choose exactly what they want! In my newest video here, I share many ways to present gift cards. Many of the gift cards are given in Creative Cards Giftables like this pair:

This set was made in just minutes with the Creative Craft Products Pretty parcel Gift Card Holder Die Set as I show in the video. I also show step by step how to make a gift card purse like these:

I made a Christmas version of this purse I designed to give gift cards in step by step in the video. Here is a look at the inside of each of these:

The layered sentiments on both cards are from Karen Burniston. I had fun making these projects and share even more in the new video and in a video next week featuring Crealies dies.

Classy Sophisticated Thank You Notes with Spellbinders Press Plates

My nephew is getting married this summer and I had volunteered to make the thank you notes for the bride-to-be's wedding shower. I showed her the elegant "Thank You" Copperplate Sentiment Press Plate from Spellbinders as well as the Mirrored Arch Nested Sprigs Press Plate. She picked her colors and I made these thank you notes with the BetterPress Cotton Paper Panels. It is so easy to use the Spellbinders BetterPress System that the 55 cards did not take too long to make. Here is a close up of the classy thank you notes I made:

It is hard to show in a photograph, but the press plates from Spellbinders create a debossed letterpress look that is very lovely. I added a little brown and greens inks with my blending brushes and the bride-to-be is thrilled with her thank you notes I made.

More Waffle Flower Postage Collage Backgrounds and One Bonus Card

I need a bunch of graduation cards this year and found a fun layered stencil from Pretty Pink Posh that I added the school colors to. The sentiment is from Karen Burniston. But what made them much more interesting is the Waffle Flower Postage Collage die I cut each one out with. Here is a picture of all the cards I made in the various school colors:

I am featuring the Waffle Flower Postage Collage die on all the cards I share this week. I couldn't resist the new Winnie The Pooh dies, stamps and paper from Impression Obsession  and was able to make some fun cards combining those with the background collage die. Here is another card I made with all of them:

And here is a bonus Pooh card I made with the adorable dies, stamps and paper:

Add Interest and Appeal to Any Stamp or Stencil

I stamped the cute tiger cub on a pretty patterned paper for this card but as I show in my new video, simply die cutting the piece with Waffle Flower's Postage Collage Die added so much more interest to this card. I layered on black and added a stamped and die cut sentiment also from Waffle Flower. They also have some Postage Collage Stencils and stamps in the line and I used them to make these cards:

As shown the die can be cut apart for individual "stamps" and we can choose to raise some layers if we wish. I love how all the cards turned out and hope you are inspired to give some of the ideas and products a try!

Magic Ingredient to Up Your Background Game

Plain stamped or stenciled backgrounds on a card base can be rather boring but I have discovered a magic ingredient that takes our cards to a whole new level and I share many cards with it in my newest video here. I show step by step how I made this card with the pretty Crocus Stencil from Pretty Pink Posh. The magic ingredient that added so much interest and beauty to this and all my cards is the Waffle Flower Postage Stamp Collage Die. I raised the center postage collage piece, added some dragonflies from Paper Rose Studios and some gems. Here are a few more stenciled cards I share in the video and all are so much more interesting and unique because of this one easy finishing touch:

Both cards were made in just minutes with stencils from Altenew and istencil, then I added a sentiment and layered on an A2 card base. 

I saw a card on Facebook a while back that combined Tim Holtz Eyechart Stencil and a really funny set of stamps from Unity. I didn't want to case the card exactly and when I did some stenciling and inking then cut the background out with the Waffle Flower Postage Collage die, my card came together in minutes. 

In the new video, I show how easy these cards are to make and share many more examples made with the Waffle Flower Postage Collage line. They have announced they will be adding more to that line all year and I can't wait to see what is coming!

Crealies Hexagon Shaped Stitched Beauties

I think shaped cards are so much more interesting and fun than rectangle or square cards, and when you add layers of stitching, the cards reach a whole new level of beauty! I had fun designing with the new Double Hexagon Card with 2 Layers and matching Frame and Inlay die sets from Crealies for my new video here.  Here is the first hexagon card I designed:

The outside hexagon frame is raised and I inlaid the stitched Frame and Inlay Hexagon Arda cut out with foiled floral paper. I added a flower created with two offset layers of the Fantasy Flower A small. Here is the tri-fold card I show how to create in the new video:

On this card I show how to use the new Double Hexagon Card and Frame and Inlay Hexagon Barbara in many different ways. Here are a couple more views of this tri-fold card:

I am happy to share that Crealies dies shown can be purchased either on the Crealies website OR in the United States at the Frantic Stamper website here.