Anja Edges Blue Gatefold Card

This is another card I'm not really happy with. I got the bright idea of adding ribbon to the sides. Then I decided to put the ribbon over blue paper, and have the paper border the ribbon. It looked okay, so I mounted it onto the card. Then I stenciled the embossing with VersaMagic Aegean Blue. Then there was too much white between the design and the ribbon, so I decided to color it with the blue ink, but I was out of Fantastix for shading, and used blending stumps instead. They didn't blend very well. I also was beginning to wish I had mounted the ribbon onto white CS before mounting it onto blue so it would be brighter.

Next, I put blue paper inside so the lattice would show up better. That looked okay.

Next I was trying to figure out what to add for decoration, so I added a bow. It was still missing something, so I added blue half pearls.

Anyway, this is what I ended up with. I should have stuck with white on white, or white with pale pink or something.

Daffodil Gate Fold Card

I felt like coloring today, but wanted to color something new, so I dug out some of my dover books. I saw this design in the Art Nouveau Stained Glass Pattern Book, and decided to turn it into a gate fold card. It's not as pretty as I had hoped it would be. I traced the design, then transferred it onto some white Core'dinations Pearl Cardstock, then went over the transfer with a gold Gelyroll pen, and colored it with Copics. At first, I only colored the flowers and leaves, but it looked kind of boring, so I colored in the background with a pale purple.

Then I cut around the design, and tried to find something that would fit in the opening.I finally decided on this stamp from JustRite, and stamped it with VersaMark, embossed it with gold EP, and colored the bird with Copics.

Last, I used Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles to cut it out, and shaded it with Brilliance Lavender.

My Second Trifold inside a Gatefold Card

I really need to stop photographing my cards at night. It's so difficult to get them to look nice with the flash.

When looking at my recent cards the other day, I realized just how much I like opening my last card like this. It's sort of like opening a present, with the gift of another card inside. This paper is so glossy and heavy, and so elegant, so I decided to make another one.

This time for the front, I used a teal colored sheet with gold foil designs. It reminds me of a fancy garden gate, or a fancy door. I used the same Spellbinders die as I did on the last card, to cut the gate "handles" out of gold mirror card, and added teal pearls to the die cut, and gold ones to the corners.

This is the card open.

This is the first part of the trifold open.

This is the whole card open. The round tag was on another sheet from the same paper pack. I fussy cut around it and added it for a writing space.

We're going off the island today, so I'll visit you all tonight!

Trifold Inside a Gatefold Card

I decided to use some more of my Royal Garden paper from DCWV. (It's pink Jill)!

This paper has sort of an oriental look, and sort of persian look to it, and I love gatefold cards for both of those styles. I also thought that since this paper is very fancy, I would add a surprise element, so I put a trifold card inside.

This paper came with a sheet that could be cut into borders, and I thought the pretty pink and white border on the front would make great doors, so I used the pink and white theme, matted with gold all through the card.

For the front, I used a Spellbinders die to make the fancy door handle. I was so worried about getting it straight on the doors that I messed up the height, so it is a bit higher than it should be, but since the card was finished except for the door handle, and it was stuck down in good shape, it will have to stay that way. I added an identical die cut to the other side to add strength and make it look more finished when open.

I finished the front by adding a ton of pearls. I also made the front doors overlapping because it stays closed that way, and I also only wanted to use one solid die cut for the handle.

This is what you see when you open the front doors.

And this is the first part of the inside trifold open once.

Here it is fully open.

This is Your Day Gatefold Easel Card

I got another pretty paper stack called Antiquity at Hobby Lobby last week, and decided to use it to make a gatefold easel card.

All the die cuts are Spellbinders Labels Eight and Decorative Labels Eight. All the paper was shaded with either Distress Antique Linen, or Anna Griffin Cocoa, and the stamping was done with Anna Griffin Cocoa.

I finally got some new clear embossing powder. I had some of the very early powder, and it never really worked, but the new one is really nice. I used it to emboss all the sentiments, and they looked so shiny with it. With the old stuff, it just flattened out, and you couldn't tell I'd used it. I can't believe the difference in the new stamps, inks, and powders they make now, and the stuff from 15 or 20 years ago, when the only stamping stuff you could find was in kiosks at the malls. For years, I seldom stamped because I made so many duds. Now everything stamps so nicely!

The sentiments are all by Becca Feeken, and are made by JustRite for Becca's Kit Club. They were included in the November kit, and I thought they included a lot of nice sayings for anyone's special day.

I decided to do something different for the corners on this card. I cut and embossed the largest of the Decorative labels Eight, then I taped the second largest Plain Labels Eight in the center of the die cut, and cut the opening. The resulting frames were trimmed with scissors and added to the corners of the card.

Since the papers and the frames were so busy, I decided to use only a few pearls for embellishments. The pearls were white, but I colored them with a Krylon pen and let them dry before attaching them to the card.

Creatables Anja Edges Gatefold Card

I made this with another of the beautiful dies I got from Joan's Gardens. To make the card, I started with a 12" long piece of CS, and cut the width to the length of the die, and scored it at 2" 4" 8" and 10". Then I die cut both edges, one with the wide part at the top, and the other with it at the bottom. Then I cut pieces of Anna Griffin DP to fit the parts of the card which weren't die cut, and applied those.

Next, I outlined the embossing on the die cuts with a Copic marker and used Pebbles Cream Chalk to color the parts of those sections which were closest to the fold. Next, I cut a Spellbinders die for the inside, and used the cream chalk while it was still inside the die. After I applied that to the inside of the card, I added three pearls to look like door knobs, and my card was finished. I may still add some flowers, but I'm not sure. The bottom photo was taken before I added the "doorknobs", but I didn't realize it until just now when I looked at it. That's what I get for deciding to add things after I think I'm done. :-)

Gatefold Card using Marianne Creatables

I feel really lucky to have been able to upload three photos today. The free download files were larger, and wouldn't upload.

This card uses a pearlescent blue CS from the linen closet stack and white pearl Core'dinations CS. All dies were Marianne Creatables except the leaves which were Spellbinders. I used stickles to outline the little roses I made from Creatables and attached the ones in the center with blue brads. The corner ones were attached with silicone glue. After I photographed this, I realized that I didn't add centers for the corner flowers, so I will add them now, either by placing a small pearl, or no holes beads, whichever I like better. The hydrangea inside is from K&Co.

Hot Off the Press Christmas Card 2

This is another card I made from my old Hot Off the Press paper. The pearls on the front really are even, it's just that I didn't crease the door enough, so it was open a bit on top and it looks like they didn't line up in the photograph. The ornaments were down one side of the paper, so I cut them out and arranged them inside. The second time I finished this card, (More on that later), I decided it needed more embellishment on the balls, so I added a bit of gold Stickles to them. Originally the very inside only had the Spellbinders shape outlined with a Pen Touch pen. Then I added the pearls and gold stickers, and thought it was finished.

Then, my new Just Rite stamps arrived, and of course I had to use them. The middle of one of the Christmas stamps had the exact same outline as the Nestability I had used inside, so I stamped it with clear embossing fluid. Then, the bad thing happened. I've always wanted one of those anti-static embossing powder things, but I've never seen them in stores, and when I've ordered on line, I've never seen them in the places I ordered from. I wasn't too worried, I haven't had a real problem before, so I merrily added superfine detail gold, and it stuck everywhere! The card itself was fine, I just brushed the excess off with a paintbrush, but I couldn't get it off the label. It was a mess. I managed to get it all off with a paint brush, but the label was an ugly brown color.
Anyway, I stamped and embossed on a new sheet of card stock, then cut out the label again. The gold was so beautiful, I decided to add it to the edges. That worked pretty well, but I never got it filled in completely. Luckily, it doesn't show up in person, but it does show up in the photographs. I carefully glued it on top of the old ruined label, and you can't tell that I goofed at all. That's when I decided the Christmas balls needed a little glitz to match the label, so I added the Stickles.

I have no idea why the embossing powder stuck to everything when I embossed directly to the card, but luckily it didn't when I made the new label!

Hot Off the Press Christmas Card

I bought this paper pack years ago from Hot Off the Press. They used to have a beautiful display of their products at our craft store. Unfortunately, most of the supplies I bought from them were for gifts for others. There were tons of things I wanted. Then, all of a sudden, the display was gone, and most of what I had wanted wasn't available anymore.

They still have beautiful things, but not the ones I wanted the most, and buying off their website isn't fun like it was when you could browse their products in the store.

I made this card by using a 12x12 piece of white linen textured card stock. I scored it in half horizontally, then at 3" and 9". I then cut out the top 3" sections, and cut diagonally down to 3" on the bottom 3" outside sections. I folded the top 6" square down, then folded the outside 3" sections in to the middle to make a gate fold.

The inside has the wisemen section of the paper mounted on gold mirror card, and more of the paper mounted on blue pearl paper for the side sections. I made the outer flaps to match the inner ones.

The rest of the paper was mounted under the top flap. When I folded the outside over the closed card, the two flaps didn't quite meet in the middle, so I added an Anna Griffin dimensional label to half of the front, which covers it up so you can't tell. If I make this card again, I will have to make the center about 5 and 7/8" rather than 6" so that won't happen again!

The front of the card needed something else, and the only thing I had that looked okay were the Queen & Co. pearls. I'm not really happy with them, but nothing else I tried worked. It really was a fun card to decorate in spite of not everything working out quite right.