A Season of Heartcrafted Giving Part 1: Christmas Cards for Seniors

 

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the first in a special series of posts sharing a project that has been very close to my heart over the last few months. This spring, I set myself a quiet goal to create a collection of handmade greeting cards for the Homemade Cards for Seniors Card Drive. This project holds a deeply personal meaning for me, as it honours the living memory of my late Mum, who passed away in June last year at age 94, and whose own nursing home was brightened by this exact volunteer organisation. Crafting these has been a beautiful, restorative journey—completed entirely at my own gentle pace, using some of my absolute favourite independent brands of cardmaking supplies. Over the next few weeks, I’m looking forward to sharing these designs with you, beginning today with a few favourite layouts that brought me so much peace and creative joy to assemble.

So far, I have made 40 Christmas Cards and hope to make some more.

The idea behind this volunteer organisation it is that you make cards that will be donated to senior members in our community:  Meals on Wheels programs, retirement villages, nursing homes, aged care facilities, hospitals and government hostels.

They have four themes a year:  Easter, Thinking of You, Birthday and Christmas.

You can make as many cards as you want - even just one is fine.  And there has already been over 150,000 cards donated over the last two years.  Isn't that incredible?!

You can find more information at the Homemade Cards for Seniors Facebook Page HERE.  There is an email address listed there so you can contact them to find out your nearest collection point.

So today I am sharing Part 1 of the cards I have made.

These Shaker Cards came in a kit by Queen & Co. (USA) called Happy Holly Days which I bought many years ago and it is a great kit because it comes with stamps, dies, designer paper, pre-cut foam, pre-cut acetate, glitter cardstock and the shaker elements.  It looks complicated but because it's a kit, the process is so much quicker.  I thought it would be fun for someone to have an interactive card that they can shake.

I did make multiples of each style of shaker and it was really fun.  

I used lots of Retired Designer Papers instead of what was in the kit and opted to use Glitter Paper/Cardstock from my stash so that it matched the papers.  

For these first two cards, the designer papers are by My Mind's Eye - Sugar Plum which was released 2016.  The Green Glitter Paper is by American Crafts.  I used shaker elements from the kit as well as some matching ones from my stash.

Both the sentiments are by Uniquely Creative from one of their cut-a-part sheets and were popped up on scraps of White Cardstock.  I added tiny Red Molossi Rhinestones to the 2nd card.  The cuff on the stocking was first diecut from White Cardstock then a second time from White Felt which I glued together.  This made it easier to glue onto the top of the stocking as I was afraid some glue would ooze onto the acetate if I just glued on the felt.

The cardstock is by Kaisercraft - Rose.

The shiny Red Star on the cuff is a from a roll of star ribbon that I have had for ages which I simply trimmed off and glued on using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Here is my 3rd card that I made using Kaisercraft Designer Papers called O'Christmas Tree which was released last year:

I thought the papers with the Gingerbread Man were such a perfect match to the main image.  The Dark Green Cardstock and Brown Cardstock is from my stash.

The sentiment is again from Uniquely Creative.

The white icing on the Gingerbread Man was done using dies that came with the Queen & Co. Kit and were glued on using Art Glitter Glue.

And now here is my 4th card:

This card also uses the O'Christmas Tree Designer Papers on the card base - and the papers underneath the tree are by Pebbles - Merry Little Christmas which was released in 2019.  I thought the tree paper was a great match to the main image.  I used some additional Green Shaker Elements from my stash.

The sentiment is from the Queen & Co. Kit and was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black Ink then diecut using a Lawn Fawn Everyday Sentiment Banners Die.  Even though I have had this die set for years, it is still readily available.  I added a tiny Red Molossi Rhinestone to each end, then popped the sentiment up on scraps of White Cardstock.

The star on the top of the tree was diecut from Gold Glitter Cardstock.

This card was the first one that I made before I realised how much quicker it would be to just use the Uniquely Creative Christmas Sentiment Sheets instead.  It sure made it faster because I was doing multiples of each assembly-line style.

Card Recipes

Cards #1 and #2:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  My Mind's Eye Sugarplum 6 x 6 inch Pad (2016)

Accessories:  Queen & Co. Happy Holly Days Kit, Big Shot, American Crafts Cricket (Green) Glitter Paper, Scraps of White Cardstock, Kaisercraft Rose Cardstock, Uniquely Creative White Card Base, White Felt, Red Star Ribbon, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Red Molossi Rhinestones, Green Shaker Elements (stash), Uniquely Creative Sentiment Sheet & matching Die

Card #3:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Kaisercraft O'Christmas Tree (2025)

Accessories:  Queen & Co. Happy Holly Days Kit, Big Shot, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Cardstock - Scraps of White + Brown + Dark Green, Uniquely Creative White Card Base, Uniquely Creative Sentiment Sheet & matching Die 

Card #4:

Stamps:  Sentiment from Queen & Co. Kit

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Kaisercraft O'Christmas Tree (2025)

Accessories:  Queen & Co. Happy Holly Days Kit, Big Shot, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Green Shaker Elements (stash), Green + Gold Glitter Cardstock, Cardstock - Scraps of White + Forest, Uniquely Creative White Card Base

Dies:  Star, Lawn Fawn Everyday Sentiment Banners LF1139

Cheery Lynn Designs Small Exotic Butterflies Bokeh Hello Card

 

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a bright and cheerful card using a tutorial from Splitcoaststampers called Watercolor Bokeh - see HERE for the tutorial.  It was alot of fun and I hope that you will give it a try.  No stamping on my card - it is ink-blending and diecutting.

I used the original Ranger Distress Ink Pads in the colours:  Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers, Blueprint Sketch and Wilted Violet - and pressed them onto my glass mat and sprayed them with water, then dabbed my Ranger Watercolour Cardstock into them.  I did several layers drying between each one with my Heat-gun.

To do the white circles, I diecut a Mylar Stencil Sheet using various sized circles  from my Lifestyle Nesting Circles Dies, then used an Ink Blending Tool to blend Hero Arts White Dye Ink through the circles to make the Bokeh pattern.  

The butterflies were diecut from White Glitter Cardstock using my Big Shot and Cheery Lynn Designs DL112AB Small Exotic Butterflies #1 Dies.  The dies are long-retired.  I used a finger dauber to add colour to the diecut butterflies using the same Distress Ink colours as I used for the background. It is hard to see the sparkle from the photo but it looks so pretty in real life.  I glued down just the centres so I could bend the wings up for some dimension.

The sentiment is by Impression Obsession - DIE174-W - Greeting Set - which I have had for years and is retired - and was diecut from the same White Glitter Cardstock.

I glued the panel to a Kaisercraft White Card Base then glued on matching Sequins from my stash using Art Glitter Glue which dries clear.

I think you could use this card for lots of different occasions.

I gave this card to my beautiful sister-in-law to brighten her day.

Finished size is 4-1/8 x 5-3/4 inches or 105 x 146mm.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  None

Ink:  Hero Arts White Dye Ink, Ranger Distress Inks - Wilted Violet, Blueprint Sketch, Peacock Feathers and Picked Raspberry

Designer Paper:  None

Accessories:  Big Shot, Finger Daubers, Ink Blending Tool, Mylar Stencil Sheet, Heat-gun, Glass Mat, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Sequins (stash), Ranger Watercolour Cardstock, White Glitter Cardstock, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Dies:  (All retired) Cheery Lynn Designs DL112AB Small Exotic Butterflies #1, Impression Obsession DIE174-W Greeting Set, Lifestyle Nesting Circles L-CC-001

Dancing Through Life Birthday Card

 

Hi everyone,

This was my Splitcoaststampers Fan Club Design Team Card for the March theme of Dancing Through Life.  I used the suggested inspiration of the song from Wicked - Dancing Through Life - by using pink and green on my card.  I also chose the main image because it reminds me of my niece who was a ballet dancer for over 15 years.  My niece has such grace and elegance about her and this image was just so perfect to make a card for her birthday.  She truly does dance through life.

Now that it is 6+ months since the challenge went live, I can share it online.

This particular type of card is called a Split Front Card which I saw alot online last year.   I thought it was really fun and something different to the norm.  It is actually really easy and I encourage you to give it a whirl.  You divide your card front into 3 even pieces.  My card is 6 inches long so the top and bottom panels are 2 inches and the centre image connects those panels.  Normally my cards are not 6 inches long but for ease of dividing my card front into 3, it was easier for me to do it that way.

I stamped the image using Versafine Onyx Black Ink onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock, then re-stamped the dress and hat onto Kaisercraft High Tea Designer Paper and fussy-cut them out using my awesome Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors.  I went around the edges of them using an Anko Pigment Black Brush Pen to hide any imperfections in my cutting then glued them down using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  I used a Lyra Sky Blue Watercolour Pencil to add some blue sky around the image and a Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker No. 421 Light Moss Green on the ground.  I used Albrecht-Dürer Watercolour Pencils - Light Flesh and Medium Flesh for the arms and legs.  I used a Zig No. 905 Cool Gray 3 to add a bit of shadow on the dress and on the LHS of the image.

I diecut the image using a Lifestyle Nesting Circle Die and my Big Shot, then layered that onto Kaisercraft High Tea - Cuppa - Designer Paper which is a lovely soft powder blue colour.  The Burgundy Scalloped Circle was diecut using a Lifestyle Nesting Scalloped Circles Die.

The rose designer paper on the top and bottom panels are from the Kaisercraft High Tea 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" Pad.  Isn't it pretty?!  The ribbon was attached in two separate elements and I glued the bow down using Helmar's Fabric Glue.  The sentiment is also from that same paper pad and was popped up on 1mm Dimensionals.  I punched some tiny pink hearts from a sheet of the Pink Designer Paper using my EK Success Arrows Border Punch - they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts.  I glued them on using Art Glitter Glue fitted with a fine nozzle.  I love this glue for adding just a tiny dot of glue.

Lastly, I added 3 x Kaisercraft Antique Rose Rhinestones around the sentiment then added Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush to the tiny hearts and the dress.  The dress looks so pretty and shimmery in real life.

Finished size is 4-1/8" x 6" or 105mm x 153mm.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Dancing Lady

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Kaisercraft High Tea 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" Pad + Kaisercraft High Tea - Cuppa 12" x 12" Sheet (from 2017 - retired)

Accessories:  Kaisercraft Trimmer, Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors, Stamping Platform, Kaisercraft Antique Rose Rhinestones SB403, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Helmar's Fabric Glue, 1mm Dimensionals, Zig Clean Clean Color Real Brush Markers #905 Cool Gray 3 + #421 Light Moss, Lyra Sky Blue Watercolour Pencil, Albrecht-Dürer Light Flesh + Medium Flesh Watercolour Pencils, #2 + #4 Round Paintbrushes, Anko Black Brush Pigment Pen, Pink Ribbon, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Cardstock - White + Burgundy (from stash) + Ranger Watercolor

Punches:  EK Success Arrows Border (retired)

Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Circles + Nesting Scalloped Circles (retired)

Stamp-It Australia Windward Nautical Masculine Card

 

Hi everyone,

EDITED TO ADD

Thank you Michael for choosing my card as a Design Team Favourite over at A Perfect Time to Craft.

*********************

I am still making my Nautical Cards in-between other projects that I am working on.  I just love making nautical themed cards for men and really enjoy the process so much - and here is what I made:

Challenges

This is also my card for the following challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the challenge:

• Splitcoaststampers - USEIT2026 - Use something old or neglected from your stash

• Crafty Catz - #719 - Anything Goes

• A Perfect Time to Craft - #9 September - Anything Goes

• Little Red Wagon - #875 - Use a Stamp

The main image is a very old Stamp-It Australia stamp called Windward which dates back to 1998.  I really miss Stamp-It Australia as they had such a large and diverse range of stamps.  They are still in business but no longer make stamps for cardmaking.

I stamped the ship using Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock.  The ship was coloured using a variety of mediums - Derwent Inktense Pencils, Lyra Watercolour Pencils and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.  

I extended the sea further down because it looked weird when I diecut it to have a blank area.  I added whitecaps to the ocean using a White Gel Pen and smeared it a little with my finger to help it blend in.

I went over some of the brown lines using a Brown Copic Multiliner - mostly on the body of the ship and the mast to darken up the wood and give it a little more definition.

I layered the main image onto American Crafts Kraft Cardstock then Kaisercraft Shadow Cardstock, then ink blended around the panel using Hero Arts Soft Sand Shadow Ink - as are all the layers on my card.

The designer papers are by Kaisercraft Sandy Toes which was first released in 2014 so are old.

The Navy Blue Grosgrain Ribbon I saved from an old gift bag that was being thrown out.  It was added in 2 separate elements because it is easier for me that way so that it sits nicely on the card.  I added some Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

The sentiment is from the back of the Sandy Toes Paper Pad and was popped up on scraps of white cardstock.

The red hearts were diecut from Red Cardstock using an Impression Obsession Heart of Hearts Die which I've had for many years.  I love it because it diecuts lots of different hearts:

I added some Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush to the hearts plus the red flags on the ship as well as the whitecaps on the ocean.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" or 140mm x 140mm.

I think you could use this card for a Birthday or a Wedding Anniversary or Father's Day.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamp-It Australia Windward 1073G Self-Cling Rubber Stamp (1998 & retired)

Ink:  Versafine Vintage Sepia, Hero Arts Soft Sand Shadow

Designer Paper:  Kaisercraft Sandy Toes PP957 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" Pad (2014)

Accessories:  Big Shot, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, Derwent Inktense + Lyra Watercolour Pencils, #2 & #4 Round Paintbrushes, Copic Brown .005 Multiliner, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, White Gel Pen, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Navy Blue Grosgrain Ribbon, Fray Stop, Ink Blending Tool with Domed Pad, Cardstock - Kaisercraft Shadow + American Crafts Kraft + Scraps of White & Red, Ranger Watercolour Cardstock, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Dies:  Impression Obsession Heart of Hearts DIE052-I (retired), Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired)

Craft Creations Goldfinch in Cherry Diecut Decoupage Birthday Stepper Card

 

Hi everyone,

My cousin is turning 70 next month so I thought I would make her an extra-special card for her birthday:

Challenges

I am popping my card into the following challenges (click on the underlined link to take you to the challenge):

• Splitcoaststampers - Use it 2026 - Using old supplies to make a card

• The Creative Crafters - Challenge #103 - Anything Goes

• Splitcoaststampers - Free for All Friday F4A862 - Hobbies.  Mine is birds.  I have been very passionate about birds since I was a little girl & my drawing books were filled with birds.  We have many birds that visit our Australian garden and I spend alot of time with them.  Some even hop on my knee or let me sit beside them and we hang out together.  I am known as:   "The Bird Whisperer".

The main image plus the sentiment is by Craft Creations - Goldfinch in Cherry - and is diecut decoupage.  I ADORE using diecut decoupage images for my cards.  It is one of my most-favourite styles of card to make and I have made many over the years.  There is something magical about bringing a flat image to life and I just enjoy the process so much.

I popped the images out of the sheet and cleaned up the edges because you always get this white bit which really stands out if you don't trim it off.

I put the layers together using both 0.5 and 1 mm Doublesided Adhesive Foam Squares but I added a dot of Tombow Mono Multi Glue to give me a little bit of wiggle room to make sure I have the elements exactly where I want them.  This is something I learned to do a little while ago because if you just use the foam squares alone without the glue and stick it in the wrong spot, it can be problematic trying to get it up again without tearing it or leaving some of the foam square behind which can ruin the entire thing.

All the designer papers are by Graphic 45 - Botanical Tea - 8" x 8" pad which was first released in 2014.  Graphic 45 re-released a Keepsake Edition of Botanical Tea in August 2025 so if you are after these papers, you can still get them (yay!) but the Keepsake Edition has 12" x 12" papers not the 8" x 8".  I absolutely adore this collection - the colours make me very happy.  It really was just pure coincidence that they matched the main image so perfectly.

Once I had finished putting the picture together, I layered it onto pink then blue designer paper with 1/16" and 1/8" borders respectively.  These were trimmed using my We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides.

The Stepper Card was diecut from White Cardstock using my Big Shot with an Extended Platform and an old die from 2013 by Cheery Lynn Designs - Step Card #1.  I picked this die up at a Craft Show many years ago here in Australia when it was half price.  It was unique at the time but since then, a number of companies have released Stepper Card Dies - and of course, you can always just trim one out yourself without having a die.  Personally, I suck at measuring so a die just saves me the frustration and hassle of trying to do it myself.  This Cheery Lynn Die also comes with other dies to do the borders plus the card inside so it really is quick and easy to put the card together.

Here is a photo at an angle so you can see the layers on the main image:

Here is a photo of the card inside:

Sorry, it's not a great photo.  It is so hard to take a photo of white with the designer paper because if I brighten the white, the designer paper looks all washed out and nothing like what it really looks like in real life.  

The Green Cardstock was diecut using one of the dies from the Stepper Card Die Set and I just trimmed up the designer paper to fit.

The white sentiment panel was diecut using a Spellbinders Labels 1 Small Nestabilities Die.  The sentiment is from the diecut decoupage set and was popped up on 1mm Doublesided Adhesive Foam Squares.  I wrote on the inside:  "A little bird told me you were having a special birthday" which I thought was fitting given that I had a bird on the front 😊

Finished size is 5-5/16" x 5-7/8" or 119mm x 105mm.

I decided not to put 70 on the card so it didn't shout at my cousin, HEY - YOU'RE 70.  Not everyone necessarily wants a number on their card (I certainly don't!) - well, unless your a kid of course, then it is mandatory to show your age!  

This card will be winging its way over to Western Australia - so the other side of the country to where I live.  I am allowing at least two weeks for it to get there as it goes by truck - a journey of just around 3500 kilometres/2170 miles - and whilst they say 4-7 days, you never can be 100% sure - and I want to make sure my cousin definitely gets my card in time for her birthday and not a week too late!

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Graphic 45 Botanical Tea 8" x 8" Pad

Accessories:  Big Shot with Extended Platform, Craft Creations DCD558 Goldfinch in Cherry Diecut Decoupage, 0.5 & 1mm Doublesided Adhesive Foam Squares, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, WRMK Perfect Layers Guides, Cardstock - White & Green

Dies:  Cheery Lynn Designs Step Card #1 B348 (retired), Spellbinder Labels 1 Small Nestabilities S4-308 (retired)

Vintage Tools Masculine Card

 

Hi everyone,

I originally made this card as my Splitcoaststampers Design Team Project for the February Fan Club Challenge CT0226 of 'Good People' - and one of the suggestions was to make a Thank You Card for people who help:

Now that it is 6 months since I shared this card in the Fan Club Gallery, I can share it here on my blog.

In case you don't know, the tool on the card is a wordworking plane which is used to flatten, reduce the thickness of and smooth wood surfaces by shaving off thin layers with a sharpened blade.  It transforms rough, uneven timber into straight, true, and refined pieces, essential for furniture making and joinery.  My late father's passion was working with wood and used this tool alot.  I used to love sitting with him in his workshop watching him work.  After he left school at Grade 8, he took himself off to Night School in the 1930s to learn cabinet-making and was very skilled.
 
I stamped the Plane and Sentiment using Dark Grey Ink onto White Cardstock.  I diecut the panel using a Lifestyle Nesting Circle Die then went around the edges using Dark Grey Ink.  I layered the main panel onto a grey piece of Kaisercraft Documented Designer Paper then diecut black cardstock using a Spellbinders Inverted Scalloped Circle Die and my Big Shot.  I popped the panel up a little using scrap pieces of Black Cardstock.
 
The top designer paper on the card base is from the Kaisercraft Documented Pad - and the bottom is by Mintay Garage from their Add-On Pack.  This Kaisercraft range is old and was released in 2017.
 
The Black Cardstock centre panel was dry embossed using a free embossing folder that came with a UK Cardmaking Magazine ages ago.  I sanded the panel using a Kaisercraft Sanding Tool - which I thought was in-keeping with the whole vibe of my card.
 
I added the 3/8" / 1 cm wide Black Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon in two separate elements because I find it easier for me that way.  
 
The card base is Dark Grey.
 
Lastly, I added 3 x Kaisercraft Black Pearls to the top RHS.
 
Finished size is:  4-1/4" x 5-15/16" or 118mm x 150mm.

I think you could use the card for a birthday as well - or just to tell someone how amazing they are.

 

Thanks for stopping by!
 
Jocelyn
 
 
Card Recipe:
 
Stamps:  Vintage Tools
 
Ink:  Dark Grey

Designer Paper:  Mintay Garage 6" x 8" Add-On Pack MT-GAG-11, Kaisercraft Documented 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" Pad (retired)
 
Accessories:  Ink Blending Tool + Domed Pad, Big Shot, Diamond Embossing Folder (free with magazine), Kaisercraft Sanding Tool, Kaisercraft Black Pearls BR211, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, 3/8"-1cm wide Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Cardstock - Black + White + Dark Grey 
 
Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired), Spellbinders Inverted Scalloped Circles S4-195 (retired)
 
 

Uniquely Creative Echoes of the Outback Female Birthday Card

 

Hi everyone,

I made a Birthday Card for my cousin - another August birthday - but at least my cousin is female so it gave me a break from doing masculine cards:

I used a sample card in Uniquely Creative's Echoes of the Outback Magazine as the basis for my card but changed it significantly so it does look quite alot different to the original one.

I trimmed a sheet of 12" x 12" designer paper down to slightly smaller than my card front and dry embossed it using my Big Shot and Uniquely Creative Foliage Embossing Folder.  I ran my Kaisercraft Sanding Block over it to highlight the foliage.  I really love this embossing folder - one of my favourites.

The brown wooden ring is from the matching Creative Cuts and I glued on some Brown Check Designer Paper underneath from one of the 12" x 12" designer papers, then popped it up on Uniquely Creative Foam Mounts.

I added the Cockatoo on Foam Mounts as well.  The foliage on the bottom RHS is from the Creative Cuts and is several layers thick so has loads of dimension which you can see here in this photo:

The foliage on the top LHS is also from the Creative Cuts.  I glued the leaves down but left the tips so I could bend them up for dimension.  The flowers and two more leaves were popped up on Foam Mounts.  

The sentiment is from the Creative Cuts and was popped on a some scraps of White Cardstock.

I glued the entire panel onto Chocolate Cardstock, then glued the card front to a White Card Base.

Final touches were adding some Kaisercraft Pale Green Rhinestones using Art Glitter Glue.  They did come with glue dots but as these rhinestones are quite old, the glue dots aren't overly sticky and I didn't want them to fall off in the mail.

Finished size is 4-5/16" x 6" or 109mm x 152mm.

I really love how my card turned out and it was so much fun to layer up all the different elements.  My cousin lives in rural northern Victoria so I thought making a very Australian card would be perfect for her.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe (all products by Uniquely Creative unless otherwise stated):

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Echoes of the Outback 12" x 12" + Creative Cuts (April 2025)

Accessories:  Fussy-cutting Scissors, Foam Mounts, Foliage Embossing Folder UCE2024, Chocolate Cardstock, Big Shot, Kaisercraft Sanding Block, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Scraps of White Cardstock, Koala 1mm Foam Mounts, Kaisercraft Pale Green Rhinestones

Concord & 9th Greatest Hits Masculine Birthday Card

 

Hi everyone,

I still had my Concord & 9th Greatest Hits Dies (first released in 2023) out on my desk from making my husband's birthday card (see HERE) so thought I would use them again to make a card for my brother's birthday:

Challenges

This is also my card for the following challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the challenge:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - #8 August - Anything Goes

• The Neglected Stuff Challenge - August - Old Crafting Products you have in your Stash (mine is the designer papers from 2015 and the sentiment is from 2010)

• Splitcoaststampers - Use it 2026 - Using Old Supplies

This die set comes with a separate metal circle that makes the grooves in the records which makes them look like real records.  Isn't that cool?!  The record on the far right was popped up on some scraps of cardstock.

The inner coloured circles were diecut from the designer papers - Simple Stories - So Rad - which was released in 2015 so quite old.  The designer paper on the card base is also from the So Rad Paper Pad which was layered onto Kaisercraft Shadow Cardstock with a 1/8" border.

I diecut the blue stars from Doodlebug Bubble Blue Glitter Cardstock.  I wanted orange stars as well but I didn't have quite the right shade in my stash so made my own glitter cardstock.  I coloured some white cardstock with Ranger Carved Pumpkin Distress Oxide Ink, dried it with my heat-gun, then added Versamark Watermark Ink over the top.  I poured on some Clear Polysparkle Embossing Powder and heat-set it: voila, your own glitter cardstock.  You can't really see the sparkle in my photo but it is there in real life.  Note that if you don't have any sparkly clear embossing powder, you can make your own by adding some glitter to clear embossing powder.  When you heat-set it, it seals the glitter in.

The sentiment is from a stamp set by Taylored Expressions - You're my Hero - which was first released back in 2010 - so 16 years ago.  I stamped it using Stampin' Up Night of Navy Ink, layered the panel onto designer paper and trimmed it to 1/16" using my We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides, then popped it up a little on 1mm Mounts.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base.

Finished size is:  6-1/8" x 4-1/4" or 157mm x 118mm.

The card was nice and flat so went through the post with regular postage which was a bonus.  It costs $1.70 to post a letter nowadays in Australia - and if it is slightly thick, it costs $3.40 so if you post alot of cards, it really starts to add up.  Just over a year ago, it was still $1.50 - and the cost just seem to keep increasing and the postie only comes every 2nd day now as well.  Even parcels are very expensive to post now so I think twice before sending one.  I imagine it will all get privatised some day soon so who knows what it will cost then.........

Anyway, I did really enjoy having another play with this die set and I think it is such a great, well-thought-out set that you could use for any age or gender.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Taylored Expressions - You're my Hero (2010-retired)

Ink:  Stampin' Up Night of Navy, Ranger Distress Oxide Carved Pumpkin

Designer Paper:  Simple Stories - So Rad 6" x 6" Paper Pad #6522 (2015-retired)

Accessories:  Big Shot, Heat-gun, Polysparkle Embossing Powder, 1mm Mounts, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, WRMK Perfect Layers Guides, Doodlebug Bubble Blue Glitter Cardstock, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Cardstock - Kaisercraft Shadow + Black + White

Dies:  Concord & 9th Greatest Hits #11785 (2023)

Concord & 9th Greatest Hits - Taylored Expressions You're My Hero Masculine Birthday Card

 

Hi blogging friends,

EDITED TO ADD:  My card was selected as 3rd Prize Winner at the A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge.  Thank you so much!

EDITED TO ADD:  I just found out my card was one of the Design Team Picks at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  Thank you so much!

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My Craft Room has been a hive of activity making masculine cards for all the August birthdays.  And today, I am sharing a Birthday Card that I made for my husband:

Challenges

This is also my card for the following challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the challenge -

• A Perfect Time to Craft - #8 August - Anything Goes

• Tic Tac Toe - TTTC298 - I chose the diagonal top left to right bottom - Sparkle (my sparkly stars), Free, Markers (I used my Zig watercolour markers)

Because my husband is very musical and plays guitar in two bands, I wanted to make a card that celebrated his musicality.

Last year, I bought a die set by Concord and 9th called Greatest Hits and it is a fabulous set.  The record sleeve, records and stars are all from that set.  I love how the set has a die that embosses the rings on the record to make it look like a real one!  The record sleeve was diecut from a sheet of designer paper by Simple Stories - So Rad which was first released in 2015.   I used designer paper for the coloured circles on the records.

The sentiment is from an old Taylored Expressions Stamp Set called You're my Hero which was first released in 2010.  I stamped it using Stampin' Up Night of Navy Ink.  I glued on a strip of designer paper along the bottom of the sleeve because it looked a little bare.

The guitar is also from this same Taylored Expressions Set.  I stamped it onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black Ink and coloured it using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and a Zig Blender Pen.  The guitar body and neck are separate stamps in the set so you have the option of mixing and matching the guitar body that you want as there are four different guitar bodies to choose from.  Once I had coloured my images, I diecut them using the matching dies which are called Rock On, then glued the neck to the guitar.  I added some Silver Posca Pen to the tuner pegs on the guitar neck, then added Glossy Accents to the entire guitar to make it look all shiny like a real guitar.  I did add 1mm mounts to the guitar to pop it up a little.

The designer paper on the card base is also from the So Rad Paper Pad and was layered onto Kaisercraft Shadow Cardstock.

The Gold Guitar Pick on the record sleeve was diecut using a Hunkdory Moonstone Rock 'n Roll Guitar Die.  I bought this die set last year but it was first released in 2023.  I love how it embossed the detail on the pick.  I popped it up on a 1.5 mm mount.

The Orange Glitter Stars were diecut from glittered foam using the 3 stars in the Concord and 9th Die Set.  I don't know where this orange glittered foam came from but found it in my stash of glittered cardstock when I was looking for something that matched the designer papers.

I had so much fun making this card and enjoyed co-ordinating elements from the different brands.  

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is:  4-1/4" x 6-1/8" or 117mm x 156mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Taylored Expressions You're My Hero (2010 - retired)

Ink:  Stampin' Up Night of Navy, Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Simple Stories So Rad 6 x 6 inch Pad #6522 (2015 - retired)

Accessories:   Big Shot, Orange Glitter Foam, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, Zig Blender Pen, Glossy Accents, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, 1mm + 1.5mm Mounts, Silver Posca Pen, Stamping Platform, Ranger Watercolour Cardstock, Gold Foil Cardstock, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Cardstock - Kaisercraft Shadow + Black + White

Dies:  Taylored Expressions Rock On TE260 (2010 - retired), Concord and 9th Greatest Hits #11785, Hunkydory Moonstone Rock 'n Roll Guitar