My Favorite Cards from Crop and Create - Cardmaking from Scrapbook & Cards Today AND YOU CAN SIGN UP NOW FOR THE NEXT ONE!!

Last weekend I was in the middle of FOUR days of classes and joy as part of the virtual Crop and Create Cardmaking event from Scrapbook & Cards Today. We had 16 full length classes where 3 cards were taught by nationally known instructors PLUS several other demonstrations and a long video from Jennifer McGuire with so many more ideas on how to mix up all the products. Above is the 120 page color manual with written instructions and pictures of all the cards we were taught.

I am sharing the cards I have finished so far and many of the products we received in our huge box of dies, stamps, stencils, inks, paper etc. The box alone is worth 3 times what we pay for everything and so are the classes, so these on line events are a bargain! I am not done with all the cards and learning, but am posting today and tomorrow so you  can see and maybe decide you would like to participate next year? IF SO- NOW IS THE TIME! Open registration is open today for the Spring 3 Day Cardmaking event March 21-23 2025 and here is the link where you can find out about it and sign up. I would encourage you to sign up fairly quickly- registration will  close on October 28- but if they fill up and they always do, it may close sooner. We had 3350 participants this time!! It gets bigger and bigger each time they do it. I highly recommend these classes and the box we get! If you  can't watch during the actual event or don't get all the cards done- AND YOU WON'T - you can watch again and again forever which is the beauty of on line cardmaking classes! OK- on to many many pictures of just some of the cards I have made so far:

In my pictures I am including some of the products we received but not all. These gorgeous cards were made with Brutus Monroe products including script and skeleton leaves rub-on transfers which I used completely up.

Omg- do you believe that Hoosier Cabinet card we made with Honeybee Stamps huge die set?? It takes a while to put together but is sooo worth it!! We also got the patterned paper and sentiment stamp set.

Spellbinders is one of my all time favorite companies and the embossing folder we received is just gorgeous! And we learned how to make this nature journal tri-fold card:

I love Concord & 9th's colors and we always get a sample of their inks with their classes. We also received a beautiful stitched cover die, a stencil and stamp set along with the instruction of course to make 3 cards.

I learned so so much in the Hero Arts class and the pictures of these cards just do not do them justice. One thing I love about these classes is that we don't need to make the cards exactly as the instructors show- we can make them out own. I used Hero Arts' copper spray instead of water spots on my cards and added more inking of the amazing stencil we received to my 3rd card. 

Taylored Expressions has the most innovative and unique layered stencils and we received the set of 4 stencils and matching dies that created the sentiments you see plus the fun background stencil. I used Simon Hurley's Astro Paste and that stencil on the last card. We also received two colors of that Astro Paste plus stamps and dies from Simon Hurley and Ranger to make these cards:

Gina K Designs taught us techniques with her beautiful silhouette stamps including kissing or double stamping. I did it too on the sentiment die on this card.

My Favorite Things gave us beautiful plaid cardstock, a die set and a gorgeous sentiment stamp set and these are the two cards I made with the instructor's help.

Come back tomorrow to see the rest of the cards I have made so far and remember if you would like to get a huge box of amazing cardmaking supplies and three days of inspiration next spring, you can read about it and sign up here. DON'T WAIT TOO LONG - it will probably fill up.

One Product That Will Make Gorgeous Holiday Cards and Tags in Minutes!

I love to make tags for Christmas gifts and with the new 49 and Market holiday rub ons and two sided cardstock, I made these in just a minute or two. No fancy dies needed- just nip the top corners, punch a hole and add some ribbon. 

In my new video here I also share several postcards made with the beautiful 49 and Market rub ons and the Vintage Postcard Stamp from Penny Black. Here is the other side of each of these and two more I made:

It is less expensive to mail a post card than cards so after making these postcards, it will save a little money to mail them too. As shown, the postcards don't need to be only for Christmas. I took a full sheet of 49 and Market flowers and butterflies, cut the 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 size and attached to the front of the first postcard here. As I show in the video, there is no need to rub on all the rub ons with a stick or bone folder. Simply attach them and run the whole piece through your die cutting machine. The pressure is perfect and way faster to perfectly attach the rub ons. Here is the back of these postcards:

No Time to Make Holiday Cards and Tags? Rub-on and Go!

There is so much to get done to prepare for the holiday season not to mention busy family and work lives that we might not have enough time to make our own holiday cards and tags. In my new video here I share a product that solves that problem - 49 and Market Rub Ons along with their two sided cardstock. Above is the fun fold card I made step by step in the video. I added rub ons to all the layers of this book binding z-fold card in just seconds. No need to use the stick to rub on these in the traditional way- I share a tip to get perfect rub on placement with just one run through your die cutting machine. 

Here are the measurements (all in inches) to make a Book Binding Z-Fold like the one above that I made in the video: Card base is 5 1/2 x 11 and scored at 2 1/8, 4 1/4 and 5 1/2. Fold the first scored line up in a valley fold and the rest mountain fold. Glue the right side 1 1/4 inch together to fold book fold. (See video as that shows this clearly.) Top cover center piece is 5 1/4 x 3 and two sided pieces are 1 x 5 1/4. Inside center piece is 2 7/8 x 5 1/4. If you want to cover the inside left cover, that piece is 1 3/4 x 5 1/4. I cut a piece of the packaging for these rub-ons that matched the ones I chose for my card. 

This beautiful Christmas card took just minutes to make. The stars in red and green, the sentiment and the pine branch are all 49 and Market Rub Ons and all the two sided cardstock is also from new collections from 49 and Market. Here is another one I made with 49 and Market Rub Ons and two sided cardstock:

I love that sentiment and I picked this two sided cardstock from the new Evergreen Season collection because the sentiment had the same red checked pattern as the back of the cardstock. In the new video here I share many other projects including tags and postcards made in just a minute or two. 

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

49 and Market Evergreen Season Bundle Secret Boxes

I purchased the 49 and Market Evergreen Season Bundle from my local stamp shop, Let's Create and have been having so much fun creating cards and tags with all the awesome products in it. I am a card maker and not usually a box maker, but when we purchased the bundle, we also received membership in a Facebook group where all the stores involved are posting many projects we can make with it. Scrapbook Super Station posted a video and excellent instructions on how to make boxes with secret drawers to put little presents in. Here is a look at the red and green box open:

I received 49 and Market cardstock and decorative elements like the laser cut elements shown on this box. I am almost out of the 49 and Market Evergreen Seasons Mini Laser Cut Elements as I used them on the cards I shared here earlier. So I purchased another larger set of the 49 and Market Evergreen Laser Cut Elements. Here is another look at this box:

The 49 and Market paper I used on the second box could be used for a holiday project or not and I made another box for a birthday not Christmas. I added 49 and 49 and Market Acetate laser cut pieces from another collection . Here is another look at this one open:

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

Booo-tiful Wrinkly Texture Without Embossing Folders

In my newest video, I am sharing a new technique that creates awesome wrinkly texture with two very common household items and no embossing folders needed. I also share many cards and make the one above step by step. All you need to create the wrinkly texture shown is parchment paper and common white glue. I attached the wrinkled parchment paper to black cardstock for the outside strips and to white cardstock for the center strip before I added orange Staz-on ink direct to paper just on the wrinkles. The adorable ghost and sentiment is from Spellbinders and is called Dancin' Ghost.

If you apply the wrinkled parchment paper to white cardstock without adding any ink, these textured backgrounds are perfect for winter cards. But I am in the mood for fall and Halloween, so I created the next two cards:

You can choose to add black ink to the wrinkles and that creates a look similar to a spider's web so I used that theme on the first card. I suggest not using a dye ink as that did not want to dry at all even after hours and heat setting. You could try a fixative, but I recommend using a permanent ink like Staz-on. 

I made the 2nd card with wrinkled parchment paper over orange cardstock and put it in a shaker packet before adding an alphabet sticker "hey" and "boo" from Kat Scrappiness. I do not bake so have parchment paper only for crafting. I did discover after making these cards that parchment paper also comes "unbleached" which is a light brown color. I bought some and made this card:

Over dark brown it looks somewhat golden and is another way to use parchment paper to make cool backgrounds. The leaves are 2nd generation hot foiling using Fall Leaves Press Plate from Spellbinders.

To see all the cards I made and how easy this technique is to do creating great wrinkly texture, watch the new video here. 

New Christmas Cards with Last Year's Purchases

I saw a gorgeous card last year created with Hero Arts Northern Lights Polar Bears Bundle and couldn't resist buying it. But I ran out of time before Christmas and put it away unloved. I found it again recently and made this lovely card with easy inking for the Northern Lights. 

I am Norwegian and love the Nordic look that Poppystamps has been sharing in many of their dies. I bought these Nordic Doves and Nordic Tree Toppers last year and pulled them out to star on this card. The background was created with a snowflakes embossing folder and raised on adhesive strips. The Nordic Doves were glued down to the navy blue card front in the holes created with the shadow dove dies. 

3D Beauty Plus Dies, Inks and Stitching

In addition to the brand new 3D Norwegian Rosemaling Embossing Folder and floral die sets that are part of the Winter's Grace Garden from Spellbinders and Susan Tierney-Cockburn, I recently purchased the Spellbinders Stitched Starfilled Background. I share all of them in my new video here. I thought it would be fun to combine the stitched background with embossing and on the card above I didn't stitch any of the background. I embossed the blue vellum vase and cut out embossed leaves for inside the vase.

I brushed on gold ink to the embossed areas of this card and stitched stars only on the unembossed areas of this card. On the card below, I stitched some of the stars and the white embossing is subtle for a pretty look:

One 3D embossing folder inspired me to make many different cards and I share them all in this video.