Custom Handmade Birthday Card

The local store didn't have any birthday cards for Grandpas, let alone 85th Birthday cards. So I made one!

You can make your own card like this, it's a super-easy project that can be done in 10 minutes or less.

Here's what you need:

- card stock, 8.5 inches x 5 inches makes a card 4.25 inches by 5 inches (for the card size, measure your envelope and subtract 1/4 inch from both dimensions)
- colorful striped scrapbook paper
- textured red card stock (for the numbers)
- thin ribbon
- hole punch
- glue stick
- sewing machine w/ color-coordinating thread
- scissors
- paper cutter

Instructions:

1. Cut the card with your paper cutter, fold it in half to make the card. Run the edge of a scissor blade along the outside of the crease, shaving off just a little to make a good folded edge.
2. Cut a piece of striped scrapbook paper, fitted to the size of the card but leaving 1/4" on each edge and 1" on the top edge.
3. Position the striped paper on the card and use a straight-stitch to sew it in place. If you use a fancy satin or metallic thread, use it in the top spool (the bobbin thread should be similar or coordinating but could be white or plain thread).
4. Cut out the numbers from the red card stock. You may want to draw the numbers on the back of the card stock in reverse first so you have a line to follow when you cut. Use a hole punch to cut out the centers of 6's, 8's or 9's.
5. Use a glue stick to paste the numbers onto the front of the card.
6. Punch two holes in either end of the front of the card on top. (You don't need to go through both layers of the card.)
7. Thread ribbon through and tie in a bow.

Congratulations Hand Made Card

My sweetie got a new job so I wanted to make a card for his first day.

I started off with a nice piece of thicker scrap paper from an 8x8 pad.  The print is only on one side, so the inside of the card is blank for printing.  Instead of the more common side fold card I wanted to fold it tent style.

I wanted to write a big "congraduation" on the front side, but the design of the scrap paper is too busy.  So I took a piece of 8 x 10 cardstock that I wanted to put across the middle of the front. I picked a matching coloUr, yet still blank so the words would be the focus. 

Here you see that I've folded the underside of the paper that will be glued to the card front.  This is for two reasons

1) this will give the paper dimention to the paper instead of just a flat piece.

2) folding will likely create straighter lines than if i just cut on a drawn line.

Tip:  measure out your letters before you start drawing or glueing (cardboard letters) it to the card.  In this case even if I kept the letters uneven I still couldn't get the entire word on the paper, so I had to scrap this idea.

Do you see how there is a slight curve to the paper where it's not glued flat to the paper.  The size of the blank paper and the base are not proportioned giving it uniquness from the regular store bought cards you see.

Because I used card stock the back of my card is also pretty unlike the back of store bought cards which are usually just white.

I used sticker letters, here's some tips

1) spell out the word for you to follow; when  you are too focused on prettiness it's easy to make a spelling mistake, ~cough~ it's happened to me before

2) start by doing the middle characters first and moving outards, this will help center your word

3) play around, don't need to make your word be straight and exact.  Doing a purposeful uneven placement of your letters will cover any potential mistakes you may make if you tried to make it even.

Monopoly Cards

This was a fun project.  Ever though about reusing odd findings for your new cards?

Here I used a old Monopoly game set to create some new pieces.

Used a Die Cutter to cut out a tag from the monopoly board.  Can still write a special message on the backside which is blank.

In this case instead of using expensive paper I cut out a flower from Monopoly Community Chest cards, and instead of little flower stamens or a bead, I used the Monopoly House.

There is such a thing as to much embossing powder

I was experimenting with clear embossing powder.  For those who dont know what embossing powder is, it's a pigment plastic powder that melts at a very low temperature.  Popular for card making and scrap booking.  Hmmm I guess I should make a tutorial on how to use this stuff.

To come, a Tutorial on how to use embossing powder.

On with the story . . .

I wanted to see how CLEAR the clear embossing power really was, so i tried melting it onto one of my glass pendants.  This way I could test the clarity of my picture (in my glass pendant) and see if it has become foggy or warped.

Results:  Great
Well let's give a shout for Clear embossing powder because it truely is clear, it barely affected the visual appearance of my picture.  There are some weird blue lines though, but that's actually from the stamping ink I used to get the powder to initially stick on.  I'll need to get a different ink pad for the future.   And now my glass is coated in a plastic, you can feel the texture has become different.

Ok here's the word of caution.  You CAN use too much embossing powder.  As I melted the embossing powder I kept adding more, so I could completely cover the entire surface in a thick coat of this stuff.  Well as it kept melting and running down the side and adding more and melting and running down the side.  I melted a lot of plastic.  I couldn't move it while it was hot, for two reasons 1) too hot, 2) if i used any tools I'll make markings in the plastic that will be left there as it dries (like those kids who put their hand print into fresh concrete, and it's there for 30 years).

Well it cooled and hardened.  And I couldn't remove it!  The plastic had run onto the wood board I was working on and fused to it.  ~sigh~ my tray has a random marble stuck.

Easter Cards

Bunnies and eggs are for kids! I decided to stick with a spring floral theme for these Easter cards. Pastels and bright colors helped bring Spring to the cloudy gray rainy Sunday.



Cards are a great craft project for a crafting party! My friend Karen put the cupcake and chick designs together for her crafting party and then I got to make them and take them home. I love the little chick.



Little chick says "Cheep!"

Cosplay Week #3 - Ultimate Otaku

So in a previous post I had shown a collection of anime card wrappers put together into a bag. Anime Trading Card Bag  But what to do with the cards?

I made a flapper dress out of the cards :)  Yea I know some of you are probably pointing at me and screaming "that's not cosplay".  Let's go back to the definition that had previously defined back in an earlier cosplay post.  Cosplay Week #1 - Melissa Seraphy

Old definition of Cosplay:  Dressing up as an anime (japanese cartoons), manga (japanese for comic book), or video character from primarily the Japanese culture
New definition of Cosplay:  Dressing up as any characters or persona

Thus this is a persona cosplay
 




So how did I make it?  (feel free to yell at me, I deserve it)

1. I made a quick bag dress using stretchy material.  This served as a frame
2. Then a took cards from about 36 different anime and video game series and made a tab off of the trading card using scotch tape (using scotch tape means I could remove them cleanly later
3. Then the hot glue (eeep, i did get some on the cards ~sniff sniff~)  and glued each card onto the dress, starting from the bottom up.

Using hot glue was a bad idea, besides destroying cards by accident.  I was shedding cards like a dog sheds fur. People were trailing behind me picking up and returning my lost cards to me.