ONE MORE EASTER CARD

 

Pop-up cross cards seemed to be all the rage in card-making land this past Easter, and I know why.  Not only is this THE perfect design for Easter, it's also an easy card to make.  I actually made several of these using assorted designer paper, but the actual cross was embossed cardstock on each of my cards because . . . well . . . I thought the cross really needed to stand out.

All of the cross cards that I saw online were adhered to a single layer of cardstock, but it bugged me that the card wouldn't stand on display and certainly wouldn't balance as nicely as I thought it could.  I worked with it for a little while and decided that a top fold card base would work beautifully and, as you can see in the photos, it really did work beautifully.  "He is risen" was a sentiment that I found online and printed since I didn't seem to have the perfect stamp for this card.

And YES . . . this card folded (nearly) flat for mailing.  You can see in the above photo that the pop-up column folds over to either side and, since the card base is slimmer than a regular A2 card, this flat card fits perfectly inside an A2 envelope.  My cards had considerable bulk, so I used extra postage to make sure there wasn't an issue with them getting delivered on time.

I guess I've made a little comeback with my blog posts this month.  I'd love to say that this is the new norm but, if I'm honest, it probably won't be.  Thanks for visiting and come back soon!

"STORYBOOK" EASTER CARD

 

The Storybook Moments Specialty Designer Series Paper is quite a unique product.  Not only are the papers too cute--some with images that can be cut with the coordinating Storybook Friends dies--but the paper collection includes two sheets of die cut images that can be used to enhance a project, create a scene, etc.  Simply adorable!  The card that I'm sharing today features quite a few of the products from Stampin' Up!'s Storybook Moments Suite.  I had every intention of creating a whole set of Easter cards similar to this one, but I never got around to doing that.  

Isn't the card adorable?  I liked it so much and regretted not having time to make more.  From the pictures you've seen so far, you can't even tell just how stinkin' cute and fun this card really is so take a look at it from the side:

It's a pop-up!  And it's just a piece of cardstock (layered with designer paper and ribbon) and a decorated Window Sheet held together with that little pop-up mechanism in between.  I don't know the name of this pop-up design, but my friend, Laura, sent a Valentine's card to me that was made like this.  I liked it so much that I had to make one.  It wasn't at all difficult to figure out.  Of course, I don't know her exact measurements, but my pop-up mechanism is 1.5" x 8.5" and scored at .5, 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5 inches.

In the above photo, you can see the Window Sheet a little better.  After adhering the Window Sheet to the pop-up mechanism, I was able to place all of the design elements in a way that hid the mechanism.  

Of course, this fun card lays flat for mailing, but it's difficult to get a photo of that.  These two layers could be adhered to an actual card base, but I just adhered a white cardstock panel to the back of my card where I could write a message and sign the card.

It's a really fun card, huh?

NAUTICAL MASCULINE BIRTHDAY CARD

 

My dad celebrated a birthday this month, so I pulled a few nautical goodies from the shelves and drawers to create this neat masculine card.  All of the products that I used are from Stampin' Up!; however, most (if not all) of them have been retired.  Here's a better look at the card:

I believe this card perfectly demonstrates how the use and placement of simple products can create texture, dimension, and visual interest . . . the kind of interest that makes someone pause to take in all of the design elements before opening the card to see what's inside.  And speaking of the inside, it was decorated, too:

If you ask most card makers what's the hardest kind of card to make, they'll probably say "anything masculine".  It's the truth!  But . . . the next time you need to make a masculine card, just reach for coordinating products (not flowers, of course) and add ribbon, embellishments, punched shapes, etc. to pull it all together.