Saturday, September 28, 2013

Spitfire Father's Day card

Hello blogging friends From Millan.Net

Today I am sharing the card I gave to my husband for Father's Day which for Australians, was celebrated on September 1st.  I didn't realise until I started cardmaking that only Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea celebrate Father's Day on the 1st Sunday in September;  I just assumed that the rest of the world did too!  After some research, I discovered that over 90 countries including the UK and USA celebrate Father's Day in June - and in fact, Father's Day is also celebrated in other countries in other months of the year except for January and April - and for some countries, it's different each year depending on their calendar eg: Islamic, Iranian or Hindu.   Anyway, trivia lesson over and onto my card:



When I went to the Paperific Show the day before Father's Day (August 31st), I found some Spitfire Aeroplane Toppers which were just perfect for my husband as he has a family connection to Spitfires flown in World War 2 and he has a wealth of knowledge on the subject.  As is my usual procedure with masculine cards, I went for a simple layout and nothing tizzy.

Because I was making the card the night before Father's Day, if I had had my time again, I would have made the card base a little wider as by the time I added 2 layers underneath the topper, it was almost as wide as the designer paper on the card base.  But it was already 10pm when I went to put the Topper on the card and I didn't want to start again.

The designer paper is an old one by Kaisercraft - Squadron which I have had for quite a few years.  The one with the stars is called Sergeant and the light blue layer underneath the star paper is called Admiral.  The card base was made from kraft cardstock.   The pre-printed and diecut sentiment is by Docrafts from their Wellington Bear collection and was popped up on dimensionals.  I diecut a star from red glitter cardstock using a Memory Box star die from the Celestial Bodies die set and popped it up on dimensionals.  I thought adding the red star picked up on the red on the plane and just brightened the card a little plus it balanced out the ribbon and sentiment.  The topper is also up on dimensionals.

The bottom scalloped border was diecut using a My Favorite Things Dotted Scallop Border die:  I used the smallest border die in the set of 3.  It looks very similar to my Fiskars Threading Water border punch which is getting quite worn out but I have used it a gazillion times over the years and it has lasted very well.

Here is another picture at an angle so you can see the depth:



I trimmed the layers to either 1/16" or 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools.  The ribbon tails have had Fray Stop added to stop them from fraying.

On the page of Toppers, there were some really little pictures and I was wondering what on earth to use them for because they are really too small for a card front - and then the lightbulb went off and I popped it on the card inside:


I popped the little topper up on dimensionals and added a tiny little red glitter star in the top left-hand corner to mirror the card front which I punched using a Martha Snow Flurry edge punch ie: it is the leftover punchie from using the punch.  This particular edge punch has snowflakes and little stars on it which come in very handy as little embellishments.  If you are ever looking for a small embellishment for your cards, have a good look at your punches because some of the leftover punchies are just perfect for the job.  I suppose you could use the little topper on a gift tag as well now that I think about it - wish I had thought of that at the time and added it to the present - doh!

When my husband opened the card and he saw the Spitfire on the front, he had the biggest smile on his face:  that's what makes it all so worthwhile - maybe it was just a topper and my card wouldn't win a prize in a cardmaking challenge, but to my husband, it was much more than that and to see the appreciation in his eyes just made my heart glow!  

I think just by changing the sentiment, you could use this card for a birthday as well. 

Thanks for stopping by - have a fantastic weekend!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer paper:  Kaisercraft Squadron - Sergeant (star paper) and Admiral (light blue paper)

Accessories:  Ribbon, Fray Stop, Dimensionals, Perfect Layers Tools, Big Shot, My Favorite Things Die-namics Dotted Scallop border trio - smallest one, Star die from Memory Box Celestial Bodies, cardstock - navy blue, kraft, red glitter, diecut sentiment by Docrafts - Wellington Bear range, Diecut Topper by Craft Creations - Fighter Aircraft CDT019P

Punches:  Martha Stewart Snow Flurry edge punch

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Another masculine birthday card


Hi blogging friends From Millan.Net

Today I am sharing another masculine birthday card.  This one is for my brother-in-law's birthday and I picked a dog image because he is very much a dog-lover.  I have used this cute little Penny Black dog stamp countless times for masculine cards over the past couple of years:  there is just something so sweet about his little face and he is so quick and easy to colour.

I also made this card for the following challenges:

The ABC Challenge - V for Very Cute
Splitcoaststampers - Ways to use it WT444 - Designer Paper



I stamped the image using Versafine Vintage Sepia ink onto KW Doggett Knight white smooth cardstock and coloured it with Prismacolor pencils and Odourless Mineral Spirits using paper stumps (Magic Coloured Pencil technique aka Gamsol Magic).   I added a teeny bit of Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue to the present and chalked around the image with blue chalk for the sky and brown/grey for the ground.

The sentiment is from the Penny Black clear set:  Sweet and Cute and was also stamped using Versafine Vintage Sepia ink.  I used my EK Success Arrows border punch to punch tiny little red hearts (they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts - so cute!).

The designer paper is by We R Memory Keepers:  Friends Furever.  I used my Perfect Layers Tools to trim the borders.  The widest border on the card base is 1/4" and all the others, apart from the sentiment panel, were trimmed to 1/8".  The sentiment panel is trimmed to just under 1/16".

Finished size is 5" x 5" or 127mm x 127mm.

Thanks for stopping by to have a peek at my card.

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black 'It's for you!' wood mount, sentiment from Penny Black 'Sweet and Cute' 30-153 clear set

Ink:  Versafine Vintage Sepia

Designer paper:  We R Memory Keepers - Friends Furever

Accessories:  Big Shot, Lifestyle Circle + Scalloped Circle dies, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, Kaisercraft chalks, Perfect Layers Tools, grosgrain ribbon, heart button from Jesse James Co. 'Dress it up' Country Hearts, beige sewing thread, Fray Stop, Prismacolor pencils, Odourless Mineral Spirits, paper stumps, cardstock - KW Doggett Knight white, Kaisercraft Brown, American Crafts kraft, red

Punches:  Fiskars Threading Water border, EK Success Arrows border

Friday, September 13, 2013

Memory Box Deer Trio - another Fan Club card


Hi blogging friends From Millan.Net

ETA:  I have had a couple of enquiries about the Cuttlebug Kars Snowflakes embossing folder.  I recently discovered that this folder is retired and the chances of finding one is very unlikely.  However, Sizzix has a folder set called Christmas Words and Dots set which is readily available which you could substitute.  Please see this link at Sizzix HERE for more information - and here is a picture of the set:


I made a 2nd card for the Splitcoaststampers Christmas Fan Club Challenge of silver - plus this is my entry for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge of Emboss it (heat and/or dry embossing) + the option of using Cuttlebug/Provocraft or Sizzix products (I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder).  I am also entering my card in the Crimbo Crackers Challenge 50 of Quick and Easy.


As you can see, I am still playing with my Memory Box Deer Trio die!  And again, I went for very clean and simple.  The beautiful sentiment is by Hero Arts from their Merry Christmas Tree clear set.  I rubbed my embossing buddy across the white cardstock then stamped the sentiment with Versamark Watermark ink and heat-set it using silver embossing powder. 

The background embossing is a Cuttlebug embossing folder - Kars Snowflake - a very pretty folder don't you think?  It is such a shame this folder is retired but at least you can substitute the Sizzix embossing folder instead.   I love how the embossing looks like falling snow.

The silver strip on the card bottom is silver glitter cardstock and was punched using an EK Success Scalloped Scallops border punch.  I diecut a My Favorite Things Die-namics snowflake, added a silver rhinestone to the centre and popped the snowflake up on dimensionals.

Lastly, I tied on some Darice Glitz silver cord and added some Fray Stop to the cut ends.

Finished size is 4-3/4" across and 4-1/2" deep or 120mm x 110mm if you are metric.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.  Have you started your Christmas cards yet?

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sentiment by Hero Arts Merry Christmas Tree clear set CL459

Ink:  Versamark Watermark

Designer paper:  Silver glitter cardstock

Accessories:  Big Shot, Memory Box Deer Trio die, My Favorite Things Die-namics Snowflake trio die set (I used the smallest die in the set), Cuttlebug Kars Snowflakes embossing folder (RETIRED), Darice Glitz silver metallic cord, Fray Stop, embossing buddy, silver embossing powder, heat-gun, dimensionals, Kaisercraft silver rhinestone, white cardstock

Punches:  EK Success Scalloped Scallops border

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Memory Box Deer Trio - Christmas Fan Club card


Hi blogging friendsFrom Millan.Net

This is my card for the Splitcoaststampers September Christmas Fan Club challenge of silver - plus the ABC Challenge of Unlimited (Anything Goes) and the Papertake Weekly Challenge of Anything Goes (plus the option of making a Christmas card/project).


I went for very clean and simple as you can see.  I absolutely LOVE the Memory Box Deer Trio die - it's so pretty don't you think?  I diecut the deer from silver glitter cardstock and left a large enough piece of the glitter cardstock so I had enough room on it to add my sentiment.  The ground underneath the deer is a little wavy in case you are thinking I cut it unevenly.   I used Ranger wonder tape to attach the glitter cardstock to my white cardstock as I find that normal doublesided tape doesn't adhere very well to the glitter cardstock.  The wonder tape is very sticky and works really well.

I used my embossing buddy to wipe across the sentiment panel then stamped the sentiment with Versamark Watermark ink and heat-set it using silver embossing powder.  I used my Perfect Layers Tools to cut a 1/16" border around the sentiment panel.

The left-hand side snowflake is the smallest snowflake die from the Snowflake Trio die set by My Favorite Things and the one on the right is a Cuttlebug die.  I added a silver rhinestone to the centres then popped the snowflakes up on dimensionals.

Lastly, I corner-punched the bottom of the card then tied on some silver cord.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.
 
Thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you again very soon.
 
Jocelyn
 
 
Card Recipe:
 
Stamps:  Sentiment from Hero Arts CL459 Merry Christmas Trees clear set
 
Ink:  Versamark Watermark
 
Designer Paper:  Silver glitter cardstock
 
Accessories:  Big Shot, Memory Box deer trio die, Cuttlebug Snowflake #2 die, My Favorite Things Snowflake trio die, Perfect Layers Tools, Darice Glitz silver metallic cord, Fray Stop, heat gun, silver embossing powder, embossing buddy, dimensionals, Kaisercraft silver rhinestones SB700, Ranger Inkssentials wonder tape. white cardstock
 
Punches:  Stampin' Up corner
 
 

Monday, September 2, 2013

Masculine cards - some simple ideas

Hi blogging friends From Millan.Net

I have been a busy little bee (read:  snowed under!) in my craft room making masculine birthday cards as well as sewing a cat costume for my daughter to wear to school at an event they were holding the other day.  Most of the men in my immediate and extended family have birthdays in August.  Throw in a few girlfriend's birthdays in August as well and boy, that sure fills up the month; not to mention Father's Day here in Australia yesterday (Sunday 2nd September).  Phew:  that's a lot of cards!!

Sometimes people ask me about making masculine birthday cards and how to approach the task - and I think alot of the time, it is just far easier to keep it simple and not overthink it.  After spending a few years approaching masculine cards with the viewpoint of "they are so hard" which meant I felt like I was defeated before I had even started, I took a step back this year and decided to have a really good look at what was actually hard about them.

I have spent quite a bit of time this year looking at masculine cards in the shops and they are, for the most part, simple eg:  a picture of a yacht and a sentiment; sometimes it just a sentiment - either that or they are just plain rude or vulgar which I don't see the point of and seems to defeat the whole reason behind sending a card!   You see the same sorts of cards with a bottle of wine, a golf club, a football or a sports car - nothing fancy but pleasant to look at.  Most men spend 30 seconds looking at a card - and most of that time is reading the inside and not looking at the front.

So how do I approach my masculine cards with a view to not making the process difficult?  

I really just use simple layouts that I know work and try to pick an image that isn't too detailed to colour or use a pre-coloured topper/paper tole/decoupage image.  I think that pre-coloured toppers or decoupage/paper tole images are just fantastic and make the process easier. There are so many toppers etc. available now that are just perfect for masculine cards whether they are a sport-loving man, a dog lover or a man who likes to read books.  Even just having a fairly large sentiment as the focal point can be enough - see THIS card that I made for our cousin's 90th birthday.   If you don't have a sentiment shaped like the one that I used, have a play on your computer eg: Microsoft Word, and print one on cardstock instead.
 
And I love to use kraft cardstock - it seems to shout MASCULINE to me - and you can brighten up the card with a small amount of a brighter colour so your card isn't too dull.

The two cards I am sharing today were for my husband's birthday and my brother-in-law's birthday - and use the Docrafts Wellington Bear images which I love so much. This first card was for my husband:


As you can see, it is a very simple layout - one of my "go-to layouts".  The image is diecut decoupage (paper tole) so all I had to do was pop out the pieces and put them together with dimensionals.  The sentiment is from the same pack and this is popped up on dimensionals.

I added a blue heart button to balance the sentiment and ribbon.  I sewed some blue sewing thread through the button as I don't like naked buttons on my cards then glued the button on using Crafter's Pick Incredibly tacky glue (LOVE this glue!).

I used my Perfect Layers Tools to trim the blue cardstock layers to 1/16" and the kraft cardstock layers to 1/8".  The ribbon has had Fray Stop added to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

The dotted designer paper is from the LOTV Country Gent pad and the striped paper is from the Wellington Bear pad.  As you can see, I added a layer of blue cardstock to brighten up the kraft cardstock a little.

Now, here is my 2nd card which I made for my brother-in-law:


As you can see, it is another very simple layout - one that I use alot and is another of my "go-to layouts".  I was actually putting the finishing touches to this card as my brother-in-law was chatting to my husband in the kitchen - talk about last minute!

The main image is a topper so no layering on this one.  I popped the sentiment up on dimensionals just to add a bit of interest. The side border was punched with my old favourite:  Fiskars Threading Water.  The 3 copper brads are by PrintBlocks.  As per the first card, I added Fray Stop to the cut ends of the ribbon.

The plaid designer paper is from the LOTV Country Gent pad and the striped paper from the Wellington Bear pad.  The layers are trimmed to 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools.

I hope my cards inspire you a little in your masculine card making.  You can check out my other Masculine cards HERE.  I have a couple of other masculine cards to share over the next few weeks:  watch this space!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!

Jocelyn


Card Recipes:

Card #1 -

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer paper:  Lili of the Valley Crab Apple Lane 'Country Gent' 8" x 8" pad, Docrafts Wellington Bear 6" x 6" pad

Accessories:  Docrafts Wellington Bear decoupage (paper tole) pack (incl. sentiment), dimensionals, blue heart button - Dress It Up Icecream Soda #2779, blue sewing thread, Crafter's Pick Incredibly tacky glue, brown stitched grosgrain ribbon, Fray Stop, Perfect Layers Tools, cardstock - kraft, blue

Card #2 -

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer paper:  Lili of the Valley Crab Apple Lane 'Country Gent' 8" x 8" pad, Docrafts Wellington Bear 6" x 6" pad

Accessories:  Docrafts Wellington Bear topper and sentiment, dimensionals, Print Blocks copper brads, Perfect Layers Tools, brown stitched grosgrain ribbon, Fray Stop, cardstock - kraft

Punches:  Stampin' Up corner punch, Fiskars Threading Water border

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