Tri-shutter Shoes Card

My almost final card for 2013 is for another daughter’s birthday. (Still one more to go before the end of the year.) I’ve been wanting to use the Tri-shutter fold for a while now, so that was the easy part. Choosing paper wasn’t as easy. I wasn’t able to get anything specific for this (oh, the ideas I have,) so had to go with what I had. (Yep, need to use the wonderful stash on hand.) I was happy to find something with shoes on it in the stack (I love,) Kellerkurtz & Company by Paper Studio. (All my girls love shoes. So does their mama.) Anyhow, I started with shoe paper and just started adding pretties that I thought she’d like.

Tri-shutter Shoe Card ~ from Me & My House

The card base is from the Old World stack from DCWV. I liked the combo of the red and neutrals. (They are generally her faves.) To make the Tri-shutter, cut the 12×12″ in half (6″x12″), then score on the short side at 2″, 4″, 8″ and 10″. Accordion fold the card and crease with your bone folder. (Look familiar? Same as Double Z card, up to this point.) Then open, and cut (on the long side) between the 2″ score and the 10″ score at 1.5″ inches from both long edges. Then refold with your middle section going the opposite direction as your top and bottom ones. Re-crease with your bone folder.

Tri-shutter Card ~ from Me & My House

You may choose to mat different places or sizes than I did (measurements above). They aren’t all standard, but I had my reasons. I rounded the corners and inked the edges of the mats, and inked the card base too.

The embellishments on the front start with a metal flower from Queen & Co. with a flat back pearl center, and 4 small tags from a printable from Eclectic Anthology, attached with a “Love” brad from the Prima Engravers collection. The stamped key is from Prima Engravers collection. It is heat embossed and has a flat back pearl also.

Tri-shutter Shoe Card ~ from Me & My House

Inside, the “31” number tiles and gemstone with a shoe on it are both from Paper Studio. I took the postcard from a printable from The Graphics Fairy and added the Scripture verse to it and printed it out, then stamped it with Birthday Wishes from Inkadinkado and Flourishy from Recollections. It is mounted with foam “pop” squares on the Kraft card stock (from Recollections). The “Cherish” and “Memories” stamps are from Studio G. All the above are stamped in Rich Cocoa from Memento. The flowers are from the same Prima set as the key and are stamped in Bright Pink Stampabilities dye ink.

On the last page, the chandelier is from the same stamp set as “Cherish”. It is heat embossed, and it and the shoe are blinged with “diamond” gems. (I had every intention of putting these shoes on the front and the others on the back, but mis-glued and didn’t want to start over. Shh. Don’t tell her.) The bookmark and the pocket for it (cut from another bookmark) are a free printable from Janet K Design. I Mod Podged the  bookmark so it would hold up better. The red bling is from Queen & Co. Everything is inked in, you guessed it, Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Tim Holtz.

I think I was getting predictable this week, but it goes to show you that you can reuse the same paper stacks, stamps, inks and even embellishment packs and get totally different looks from them. You don’t have to have a lot to do a lot.

What is your current go-to–whether that be paper stack, ink, stamps, punches or whatever? What do you find yourself grabbing time after time?

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ThanksGiving Place Cards

ThanksGiving Place Cards ~ from Me & My HouseThis afternoon, my only daughter left at home and I started nailing down details for ThanksGiving dinner. We will have 29 people at our house, so we have to pre-think the logistics a bit. She commented that we should get the place cards done today, so it wouldn’t be a last minute rush. My girls enjoy doing things like that. I’m glad.

I told her I had a few new little stamps for Fall/Thanksgiving, that I’d picked up from the dollar bins, that we could use. So we started designing.

We worked together, but I was also working on other (Christmas) projects, so she did all the stamping, inking and gluing. (I made the name labels, cut and scored.) So THANK YOU Shekynah, for all your help making some great place cards for this year’s table.

The card base is dark brown card stock (Colorbok) cut 7×3.5″, scored and folded in half. The mat and label are cut from Ampad Earth Tones card stock. The mat is 3.25″ square. The Harvest-Give Thanks and Be Merry stamp, and the pumpkins and leaves stamps are Studio 112 (2 different mini sets). Edges are inked in Vintage Photo (Tim Holtz Distress Ink,) and corners of the mat punched with Tonic Studio ticket-tag punch. I typed all the names into a table in Pages on my computer, (with the rectangles a bit larger than my punch,) then printed them and punched them out with the EK Success Photo Labels punch. All layered together with my ATG gun.

I was actually pretty impressed with how fast these all went together. I told her, “Wow, if we can do these this fast, maybe we could make homemade Christmas cards.” 🙂 She agreed. She likes to make cards.

So much for having all my cards for the year (except that one last one for the very end of the year) done last week. But we had a great afternoon doing it. And it took far less time to make all those cards today than the one card that I will be sharing with you next week. Well, actually, the one next week took a lot longer design time than the design and making of all of today’s cards.

See all the cards I’ve posted.

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Happy Birthday Dad

Typing Memories Card ~ from Me & My House

Some of my earliest memories are of my father typing. My dad was a pastor and when I was a child, when asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, I’d reply, “I’m going to type, type, type, and work, work, work and shut the door and not let anyone in.” Evidently I remembered the times when dad needed some peace and quiet in our home with 5 children, but I wanted to be like him. 🙂

Thus the inspiration for my card for my dad’s birthday today. My dad is also an avid reader, so the “book page” background was a natural too.

Inside I included a few other goodies that remind me of him or seemed to go well, the car 3¢ stamp, bicycle, and compass gem with “Enjoy the Journey” stamped. I also had to color the bicycle seat red (just because.)

Typing Memories Card (inside) ~ from Me & My House

The front paper mat is from the same stack I used on the last card, Heirlooms from DCWV. I cut the corners of it and the inside mat with the ticket punch from Tonic Studio. (Yep, I must’ve had it before I did the tags on the last card. It is a double punch–tag and ticket.) Card base is Recollections Kraft card stock from Michael’s. Card stock for stamps and interior is from Ampad Earth Tones (from Walmart). Edging in Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Stamping with Rich Cocoa from Memento, (I think. See previous post.) Christmas Green is only dark green I have, a Stampabilities pigment ink from Hobby Lobby. Most of the stamps are Stampabilities from Hobby Lobby: Typewriter and “TYPE” from Typewriter set, 3¢ car stamp from Time & Travel set, bicycle from Vintage Outdoor set. “Enjoy the Journey” is from Recollections (I don’t see a name on it). “Memories” is from Studio G. “Happy Birthday” is from Hero Arts Many Birthday Messages. The Compass brad is from the Prima Engravers collection. The wood buttons are Hobby Lobby (see last post.) I tend to not mention ribbons, but they are usually from Walmart, Hobby Lobby, or JoAnn’s.

Again, being a man’s card, I didn’t heavily embellish it (even though I know this one will be saved.) I love that it so represents my dad, and hope he enjoys it (and doesn’t open his internet until after he opens his card today.)

I’d love to see the men’s cards you’ve made.

See other cards I’ve made and posted.

 

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Papercrafting Supplies 201: Stamps

Now the fun comes! You have your basic supplies of paper, measuring and cutting tools, and adhesives from the Papercrafting Supplies 101 series, and it’s time to move on to the decorating supplies. Although you could probably put together a plain album and even a decent card if you’re able to do nice writing or calligraphy on it yourself, most people are going to want to add a little extra pizzaz to their paper crafting projects.

What you actually buy, for all of these extras, is going to depend totally on personal taste. You know you and your paper crafting needs and desires. No one else does. What do you like? What type of paper crafting are you doing? Who are you doing it for? If you are making products for others, children’s birthdays, albums for friends and family members, etc. their needs and taste will also come into play for what you buy.

Papercrafting Supplies 201: Stamps ~ Me & My House

For that “extra”, again we’ll look at 3 categories: stamps and inks, punches, and embellishments. I’m classifying stamps and inks as one category, as you can’t use stamps without inks, but will be presenting separate posts for them, so they don’t get too long. (This one on stamps is going to be pretty long anyhow.)

I divide stamps into 3 types of designs, of which you’ll probably want some of each: sentiments, single design (which I generally call decorative, though of course all of them are decorative,) and background. There are also 3 basic kinds of stamps: mounted rubber, cling rubber, and cling clear. Let’s start with the types of designs.

Types of Designs

Sentiments are word sayings, like Happy Birthday, With Deepest Sympathy, Just Because, etc. You can buy sets with an assortment of sentiments for various occasions, so you can probably start out with just one set. That will probably be cheaper than buying many individual stamps, but if you want to totally customize your collection, you can buy individuals. You may also want to branch out, (at least over time, after getting your initial set,) to several variations of the ones you use most, such as several types of birthday greetings, either in one “birthday” set or various single stamps. But perhaps you aren’t making cards. Do you still need word sayings? Probably. There are also stamps that say things used in albums, such as, Memories, Family, Summer Fun, etc. and other word stamps that are useful on your other paper projects. Look for sets or individual stamps that cover your paper crafting needs.

Single design, or decorative stamps are used to add a focal point. These are designs such as a flower, or a clock, or a suitcase, or a cake, or a person, … You will use these types of stamps on nearly all your work, and they’re the ones you will buy the most of. Again, you can buy singles or sets with several single designs that relate to each other. Many times a set will have several single designs and a sentiment or two that goes with them. Build your collection over time based on what you like and what is needed for the types of projects you do. Small mini sets can be picked up for $1, large sets may be $25 or more. But consider what you are getting in the set. (This and the following apply to Sentiments also.) For the number and size of stamps, as well as quality, it may be worth it to get a few more expensive sets, than many cheap sets/individuals. Besides, the big box craft stores have frequent sales marking stamps down 40-50%, or with a coupon for one item 40% off.

The last design type is background stamps. These are large stamps that cover a whole area, such as the entire front of a card. You may or may not choose to use background stamps. They are not as necessary as the other two types, but some people enjoy using them. Unless this is something you really enjoy using, you will probably only have a couple background stamps for occasional use, if any at all. Choose a couple of good multi-functional designs.

Kinds of Stamps

Papercrafting Supplies 201: Stamps ~ Me & My HouseThere are 3 basic kinds of stamps. Mounted rubber stamps are the traditional type. These are an etched piece of rubber that is mounted on a cushion on a wood block, usually with the design stamped on the top of the wood, making placement easier. Rubber stamps provide a crisp, clear impression, even with fine details. They can be used with nearly any type of ink, and are quite durable and will last a REALLY long time, a lifetime or much more.  They are really high quality stamps and only have a couple of cons. Since you can’t see through the wood mount, you can’t see exactly where your stamp will be. (There is a solution for that called a stamp jig.) Also as your collection grows, it will take up quite a bit of storage room. Also rubber stamps tend to cost more than the other options (because of their quality). Wood mounted rubber stamps are usually sold individually. Occasionally you’ll find a few mini’s in a set, and of course small alphabets come in a set.

Papercrafting Supplies 201: Stamps ~ Me & My House

More recently, the newer clear cling stamps have gained much popularity. These  can be made of photopolymer resin or (more commonly) vinyl, and they are unmounted. To use them you temporarily mount them to an acrylic block, that they cling to, while you ink and stamp with them. In fact you can mount several at once, to stamp a complete design, of sentiments and decorations in one stamping. Therefore they are super for getting everything lined up just as you want it. Then you clean them (see below), take them off the mount and return them to their package. I love clear cling stamps because you can see exactly where you are stamping your design, since they are see through, and because of their popularity there are a lot of great designs available. But clear stamps have their cons too, and their quality varies greatly.

Photopolymer stamps are better quality, sturdier, and closer to rubber in hardness and performance than vinyl stamps. They are usually made in the USA. Vinyl stamps are usually cheaper (in quality also), usually made in the Orient, and may not produce as sharp an image, tending to wobble more and to cause the ink to bead up. (But there is a wide variety of quality available.) Because they are more flexible than rubber, you need to only press lightly or your image may smear. But you do need to gently press evenly, all over the stamp, to transfer the image. Also a plus is, because clear stamps are flexible, you are able to bend them to do stamping around a curve, a fun technique. Most clear stamps come in sets, large or small, unless they are a background stamp in which case they may come individually.

The problem some (many?) clear cling stamps have is ink beading. The ink may not spread evenly over the whole stamp, but rather bead up on the stamp. That may be fine if you’re going for a distressed look, but not so nice if you want a crisp clear sentiment stamped. Different brands and qualities of clear stamps, as well as different inks used, are better or worse at beading. (Cheap stamps may also tear easily or break down over time. Never use acetone, bleach, or oil based inks with clear stamps. Solvent based inks, such as StazOn will also cause them to deteriorate.) Good quality clear stamps will serve you well for years, but perhaps not decades.

Back to beading. There are 3 ways you can reduce beading on your clear stamps. First, your clear stamps (especially vinyl ones) should be conditioned by washing them with mild soap and water before using, to get manufacturing residue off them. A second step, that some  recommend for all clear stamps and others only resort to if the washing doesn’t remove all the residue, is to go over them with a (good old pink pencil) eraser, then rinse, before using. Other crafters sand them lightly with an emory/manicure board, rather than using an eraser. (I’ve had to do this on some.) The third step some do (instead of the second for some, in addition to it for others) is to first “prime” clear stamps by inking with a pigment or VersaMark ink. Some just do this before using the stamp the first time, and leave the ink on the stamp to dry. Others stamp it into VersaMark before stamping it into a dye ink, each time. This leads us into, the types of ink you use also can make a difference. (I’ll talk about that in the post on Inks.) Others claim the only conditioning a clear cling stamp needs is stamping a few times onto scrap paper. With a little TLC, clear cling stamps can be a good choice, especially if you get photopolymer ones, but even vinyl (which you will find far many more of than any other kind) can be worth adding to your arsenal.

Papercrafting Supplies 201: Stamps ~ Me & My HouseThe third kind of stamps are unmounted or cling rubber stamps. These are kind of the best of both worlds. You get the sharp, crisp images and durability of a rubber stamp and the convenience and ease of a cling stamp. Unmounted rubber stamps are just like wood mount rubber stamps, without the wood. You put them onto an acrylic block when you want to use them, just like the clear cling stamps, making much less storage space needed. Although you still can’t see through the stamp itself, it is mounted to an acrylic block that you can see through, making placement easier, and allowing for mounting multiple stamps at once for a complete image. Although these stamps themselves (not the images they produce) don’t look as “cool” as the clear stamps (usually grey foam cushion), they really have the benefits of the other two kinds combined, making them an excellent choice. (Just a quick note about using multiple stamps on one mount. You need to be sure all the stamps are the same thickness. Clear cling and rubber cling are not the same, and some brands of clear cling may not be the same as other brands of clear cling. Doing a test stamp is always a good idea anyhow.)

My personal preference for stamps, if I can find similar stamps at close to similar prices, leans toward the photopolymer as a first choice. (I just really like that see through design.) Cling rubber is second. Although wood mount is what I began with, (all there was back then,) I really try to stay away from them because of the storage issue and placement issue. Although I’ve had my share of frustrations with vinyl stamps, and they probably come in as my least favorite; because they are the most plentiful, readily available and cheapest, I have the most of them.

Stamp Mounts

Papercrafting Supplies 201: Stamps ~ Me & My HouseYou will need an acrylic mounting block to use both your clear cling and unmounted rubber stamps. You can get thick block or thin blocks, plain blocks or blocks with grid lines, straight edged blocks or wavy edged (for finger grip). You can even get a stamp press that has foam corners that raise it off your work surface, suspending the stamp in mid-air. You just press it down, for even stamping and no shifting. I recommend either the stamp press, and/or thick blocks for getting a good hold on them, and ones printed with a grid for making it easier to line your stamp up straight. I also prefer the straight edged blocks to make it easier to line up straight with your paper edge, but that’s totally personal preference.

There are many different sizes of acrylic blocks. Your block needs to be larger than your stamp; but you have better control over it, if it is not too much larger. Therefore having a few different sizes is handy, at least a 2×6″ and a 4×6″. I’d probably add a 2 or 3″ square also. Another option is to get the Fiskars Stamp Press. It can be used with stamps of all sizes, yet you still get nice even pressure.

The surface you stamp on will also make a difference in how clear your stamping is (as well as how you ink your stamp). Some recommend stamping with a mouse pad (or special stamping mat, or even a magazine or a few layers of newspaper) under the paper for a clearer impression. Others say you should stamp on a hard surface. In general, the pad is more needed for the clear cling stamps, as they don’t have the cushion built-in that rubber stamps have. Experiment to see what works best for you. Whichever you do, be sure your surface is flat and stable.  As for inking, gently tap your stamp on your ink pad (or, many prefer, ink pad onto your stamp, especially for large shaded areas) a few times. You can also give a gentle twist, if you want. Do not press too hard or you can over ink your stamp and cause smudging.

One final note, on cleaning your stamps. Mild soap and water works great. Wood mount stamps, of course, should not be submerged in water. Many people use baby wipes, but be sure to get ones with no alcohol and no aloe in them, and no anti-bacterial wipes. I use my homemade wipes that are made with a mild soap and other gentle ingredients. A bit of glycerin (with your soap and water) in your cleaner (homemade wipes) can be helpful for reconditioning rubber stamps. There are also specialty stamp cleaners, if you want to spend the money for them.

Stamps are a fun and easy way to add some pizzaz to your paper crafting projects, and there are so many different designs available. Start looking at stamps and find ones you like, and I’ll be back soon to talk about Inks.

 

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Twist & Turn Card

I’ve finished the last (3) of the cards for a while. (One left for this year, at the very end of the year, and I’m not making it ahead of time, because she lives here and crafts with me.) 🙂  I can only share one today though, because the other two haven’t been given yet, and are both to people who may possibly see these posts. So stay tuned.

Today’s card was a fun one to make. It’s a twist and turn card, that is easy to do but creates a unique, fun shape and design. It just opens normally, (but people wonder and try to do differently.) 😉 I put tags in both pockets, but it is great for a gift card too. I’ve also seen it online with a large die cut on the front, rather than using it as a pocket.

Number Twist Card ~ from Me & My House

The base is a simple half-sheet of 8.5×11″ card stock, cut 4.25×11″. (I used Recollections Kraft from Michael’s.) Score on the diagonal. Lay so the length is horizontal, then fold left (large) side up and crease with bone folder. Then score in half vertically, fold and crease with your bone folder.

Need a visual?

Twist 'n Turn Card ~ from Me & My House

I matted all 4 sections with “pretty paper”. The lower mats are cut from 2 pieces, each 2×5.5″, cut on the diagonal from top left corner to lower right corner. If your paper does not have any directional pattern to it, you can use just one piece and use the 2 cuts, 1 for the front, one for the inside. My paper had direction, and I wanted 2 different designs, so 2 pieces. (And yes, I wanted the Bingo board to go sideways, so you could better see what it is.)

 

The upper mats are cut from 2 pieces, each 4.5×4″. The cut is made on the 4″ side at 2″ (the middle) of the left side down to the lower corner of the right side. You will use the top part of this piece. You can use plain (instead of patterned) paper or card stock on the inside if you’d like to put your sentiment there. I put my sentiments on the back of my tags.

I also chose to mat the left of the inside of the card. Typical you may not do that, but if you’re like me and want to, you’ll need a piece 5.5×4″ and will need to cut off the bottom and the right side at angles. (I don’t have measurements, I just marked and cut it to fit.) And I chose to make tags for the pockets. I believe they were 2.125×4.25″ and cut 1/2″ over and down on the diagonal–or maybe I had my Tonic Studios tag (angle) punch by then and used it. The mats for them were 1/4″ smaller in length and width.

Number Twist Card ~ from Me & My House

I matted each place with a different patterned paper, as my emphasis was numbers. The receiver and their family continually joke about age, so the sentiment on the back side of the tag in the front pocket was “It’s just a number! Happy 57th.” (The other tag has our signatures on the back.)

The papers I chose are from DCWV Heirlooms stack. Edges are inked in Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The embellishments are: Bingo number, brown buttons (in a glass bottle, so cute,) and Clock gemstone from Paper Studio. The stamps (on the left inside) are from 3 different sets, and stamped in Rich Cocoa from Memento. (I think. If not, they’re also Vintage Photo) Pocket watch: Stampabilities “Time & Travel” set, “Time” and clock: Fiskars “Journey” set, 36 and #25 with flowers in urn: Kaisercraft “36” edge stamp.

Hope you enjoy my fun little “Numbers” card. If you make (have made) a Twist and Turn card, I’d love to see it.

 

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Amazing Grace Card

There’s something about being constrained to letter writing, not texting, not emailing, but real paper, envelope and stamp letters. More time, thought, and prayer goes into the process. The same can be said when that time and thought goes into designing a special card that is uniquely for that person. Today I did both for someone special to me and my family (a relative.)

I designed and made this card today for a new believer. No embellishments, just printed out and stamped, because 1) it’s for a man, 2) situation.

Amazing Grace Card - from Me & My HouseAmazing Grace Card - from Me & My House

Cards can be just as meaningful whether they are elaborate like the one from yesterday or simple like this one.

 

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Victorian Card

Our daughter’s card was my design challenge this past week. I knew I had to use the buggy stamp set for the baby card. Grandma’s card came together pretty easily, although I did change it at the last. But I didn’t know at all what I was going to do for this one, except I wanted 2 things, a different fold to it and to make it Victorian-y–I had new tea pot and birdcage with bird stamps I knew were “her”.

Victorian Birthday Card - from Me & My House

I began with the double Z fold card foundation from a damask looking card stock (Old World collection from DCWV). (See scoring measurements at this post.) Next I began looking through my printable downloads, and decided rather than just matting the sections of the card, to add some elements instead. The card on a card and tags just grew from there.

Victorian Birthday Card - from Me & My House

The front has a card on the card, with a teapot (Michael’s–Timeless Traditions) and sentiment (Fiskars–Latte Love) stamped inside (and colored with my Copics). I also aged the paper with Antique Linen, (Tim Holtz Distress Ink). Pink ribbon and flat back pearls finish that part.

Victorian Birthday Card - from Me & My House

In the first opening, I cut out the tags from this printable, from Astrid’s Artistic Efforts, Freebie page. I stamped the birdcage, birds (Stampabilities–Vintage Outdoor), and sentiment (Inkadinkado–Birthday Wishes), and colored with Copics, added the key (7 Gypsies,) ribbons, flower (Paper Studio), and gems.

Victorian Birthday Card - from Me & My House

The next opening got 3 stamped and colored roses, a narrow side pocket (cut from printout) for 2 tags (also printouts), that I dressed up with some ribbon and pearls, then aged the backs with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, and signed.

Here’s the whole card opened out.

Victorian Birthday Card - from Me & My House

I loved working on this card, and probably could have continued dressing it up. But it was a card after all. 🙂

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Girly Cards

Yes, a few more cards this month–all girls–a new grandbabe, our daughter, and my dad’s wife.

These cards gave me a chance to use my new Copic markers (that I said I would never get) that I got at an insanely cheap price, so did.

Baby Girl Card - from Me & My House

Baby Girl Card inside - from Me & My HouseI love this old buggy stamp (TPC Here Comes Baby set) that I used for our new grandgirl’s card. I cut the frame with my large floral oval die in my Cuttlebug, then stamped the buggy and colored it with my Copics. Inside I used the dress, shoes, bow and “Bundle of Joy” stamps from the same set, coloring the dress, bow and shoes.  I printed the Welcome on another small floral oval die cut, and popped it up with a foam square. The rattle on the envelope is from the same stamp set and colored. I LOVE this card and how it turned out, and was OK with my first attempt at using the Copics.

Lady's Birthday Card - from Me & My House

Lady's Birthday Card inside - from Me & My HouseGrandma’s card was stamped with a large rose background stamp (InkadinkaClings Vintage Flora) and floral frame with sentiment (Inkadinkadoo Birthday Wishes). The corners were cut with a Fiskars fancy corner cutter (3 in 1 Corner Punch – Lace), and the popped up flower is a K & Company (Susan Winget Floral Layered Accents) die cut. I finished the outside with pink ribbon tied around the card, and flat back pearls. Inside the card I stamped another sentiment, and a smaller rose that I colored with my Copics.

The back of each card received the Handmade with Love stamp. 🙂

Check back tomorrow for our daughter’s Victorian card.

 

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Manly Cards

This past month has brought more adult male birthdays (and no children’s). With that, and a super busy schedule, it also brought simplicity to card making. Figuring much time and froufrou wouldn’t impress them, I sought for nice, but simple–and chose to use printables.

Somehow the picture of the first card must have gotten deleted, so I just have to tell you what I used, and you’ll have to click the link to see the paper. I used part of a free printable Steampunk Paper, with airships and gears, from AJ’s DigiShoppe. It was much the same construction as the card described and pictured below, and I used some brads in the center of some of the gears.

 

Simple Camera Card - from Me & My House

The second card was for a photography buff, so I chose this design–based off a printout from Gina’s Designs, Vintage Printable Set (click to see and download). Simple print out, with simple stamp. Inside, another printout, fussy-cut, with a couple more stamps. Yep that was it.

 

Inside Camera Card - from Me & My House

There are some great free downloadable printables out there. (Be sure to read the usage permissions.) Check out my Pinterest Board for many more sites and links.

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Papercrafting Supplies 101: Tools

I’ve been known to say papercrafting is my type of “art” because all you have to know how to do is cut and paste. That isn’t too far from the truth. So far in this series we’ve looked at paper, the key component in papercrafting, and adhesives, the pasting part. Today we’re going to look at the 3rd part of that equation, the cutting, and a handful of other basic tools for paper crafting.

Cutting is necessary for most paper crafts, and if you’re a lot better than I, perhaps you can do it with just a pair of scissors. But most everyone uses a more accurate and faster tool, a paper trimmer. Quick, straight and accurately measured cut lines from a paper trimmer make paper crafting easy. You’ll still want a good, sharp pair of scissors for more detailed (and more rough) cuts, but for most of your cuts, that are just straight lines, get a paper trimmer.

mspapertrimmerThe most common, and usually least expensive, type is the sliding blade trimmer. These trimmers have a small blade that slides up and down in a groove that lays over the paper. It can cut paper and cardstock, but not thicker materials, and usually not more than a couple layers at a time. Many of these trimmers are narrow and have a swing out arm for measuring larger cuts (up to 12×12″ paper). They are light weight and portable, fast and easy to use, and accurate. You can also make partial cuts with them, just part way down the paper, or even only in the middle of the paper, with the measurements down the length. Some of them come with a separate plastic “blade” that can be inserted when you only want to “score” (crease), not cut the paper, (or you can use a bone folder in the groove to make score lines also.) The blades on these trimmers need to be replaced, pretty often if you use them a lot. They will leave a ragged edge when they are getting dull. But blades are inexpensive and easy to replace–just always keep spares on hand. Some feel that the swing out arms don’t give real accurate measurements on larger pieces. (The one pictured, and that I own, has a pull out arm which I think is more accurate.) Most people start with sliding blade trimmer, and usually keep one on hand, even if they add and use the other types.

I own the the Martha Stewart trimmer pictured, and also a Fiskars, perhaps the most well known brand. My Fiskars is older and not as accurate, in my opinion. My Martha Stewart has both cutting and scoring blades, a full length slide out arm, and  a small magnifier on the blade holder that magnifies the measurements down the length of the blade guide. I really like the way it works, but its blade seem to dull faster than any of my other trimmers.

rt200nThe next type of paper trimmer is the Rotary Paper Trimmer. Many of these look much like the sliding blade trimmers but the blade is round and rolls down your paper along the guide. Rotary trimmers can be found with both the swing out measuring arm like most of the sliding blade trimmers, or full width. These trimmers usually cost a bit more than the sliding blade type, but are available in all price ranges. They are very accurate, cut very clean edges and can make very small cuts. This is what I use when I need to take off “just a sliver”. It somewhat bothers me that the entire bar area isn’t see through, like on the sliding blade trimmers, making it harder to cut narrow papers, in my opinion. Also with the round blade, it is harder to make accurate partial cuts, stopping at the exact spot you’d like. Be sure to get a rotary trimmer with plenty of measurement markings down the length by the blade (mine, not pictured, doesn’t). Rotary blades last longer than sliding blades, but cost a bit more to replace. Rotary trimmers also have a narrow cutting mat under the blade that has to be replaced occasionally, when it’s cut up. A bad cutting mat results in inaccurate cuts. Some of the rotary trimmers have optional blades that make various decorative cuts.

My rotary trimmer is a Carl brand (same brand as pictured). I love it’s accuracy and ability to make clean sliver cuts. I love that I can cut (at least) medium weight chipboard with it.
purplecowcombotrimmerThe least common paper trimmer is a guillotine type. This is the type of paper cutter used in offices and schools. It can cut through layers of paper and thicker cardboard and such, and you never have to change the blade. But some find it not as accurate for small, short cuts, or feel it takes up too much room, is too heavy to be a portable take-along, and potentially too dangerous. Others love it as their primary trimmer. It is limited to only making full cuts, from one end of the paper to the other. The one pictured is a combo trimmer that has a rotary trimmer on the other side. The 2 sides also can come apart. I don’t have a guillotine cutter.

timholtzscissors

Along with your paper trimmer, you will also want a good, sharp pair of scissors. To get started, a pair of 8″ basic paper/craft scissors will be fine. Later, you may want to add a pair of precision or specialty scissors, such as the Tonic Studios Tim Holtz non-stick short blade scissors, or Cutter Bee precision scissors. Some people also enjoy having various decorative edge scissors.

There will no doubt be times you will be glad to have an X-acto knife and mat, for cuts your trimmer can’t do, or do well. I also prefer to use my large rotary cutter (and a mat) for cutting thick materials, like chipboard.

In addition to cutters, you will also need measurers. A regular ruler is a necessity–I like my metal X-acto ruler, and perhaps not a necessity but very handy, a centering ruler. A centering ruler has 0 in the middle and then goes out both ways, and is very handy for lining up all the things you want to center on a page or project.

msscoringboardCutters and rulers are very familiar to you, but above I mentioned 2 things that may be unfamiliar to you, scoring and a bone folder. Scoring prepares paper for creating even and crisp folds, without the paper cracking. Although scoring can be done with some trimmers, or even a ruler and bone folder, most paper crafters use the fast, easy and most accurate way, a scoring board. A scoring board has narrow channels–for making straight crease lines on your paper to fold on, at measured distances for making all your lines quickly and accurately. You make these score lines with a bone folder, a tool with a blunt pointed end for scoring and smooth edges for making your folds crisp and sharp after you fold your scored lines, without marring your paper. The score boards I’ve seen all come with a bone folder. You can also buy bone folders separately, if you prefer a different style. Some people also use a stylus for creating their score lines on a scoring board.

I own the Martha Stewart Scoring Board pictured. I like that it has scoring channels every 1/8″, and the envelope tool for lining up your paper to make diagonal scores. It also has a compartment for storing your bone folder. Tip! I ran colored permanent markers down various channels at the measurements I use most often, to give me quick to find visual guides.

Our last tool today is a non-stick, heat resistant craft mat. It will protect your work surface from adhesives, heat and ink. These are different than cutting mats, and are usually made of silicone or teflon material. They work great for protecting your desk from the heat of glue guns or embossing heat guns, and wipe up clean from gluing/taping/mod podging and stamping/inking. I prefer silicone as it’s non-toxic.

These are the basic tools you’ll need for paper crafting. Other tools are specific to specific types of work you do in paper crafting. I will cover those as I cover their area of technique. So to get started, 5 basic tools are needed. You may even already have 2 or 3 of them. You’ll need a paper trimmer and scissors, a ruler, a scoring board and a craft mat, add that to you basic supplies of paper and adhesives and you’re ready to get paper crafting.

Now that we have the basics covered, I’ll be back with add-ons, for other techniques and embellishments you may want use, in the Papercrafting Supplies 201 series.

 

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Check out more DIY projects on Kathy’s blog at Teaching Good Things.

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