January 2023 – Peridot Cards

Spellbinders Truly, Madly, Deeply Card Kit

January 26, 2023 Dawn

I decided I should get going on some Valentine cards, or at least something that had a “Love-ish” theme. I started by pulling out a Recollections paper pad that I’m trying to use up, but… the papers and colors (everything was pink and red) just weren’t working for me. So after a couple cards I switched gears and pulled out a Spellbinders card kit.

Yes, I gave in and ordered Spellbinders Colossal Cardmaking bundle – 7 card kits! By holding out a few more weeks, I was able to purchase the bundle at a reduced price. Yay! And since I know the kits come with a ton of ephemera I used the “extra” money to order a few paper pads (also on sale) that coordinated with some of the kits.

The January 2022 kit, titled Truly, Madly, Deeply, is a pretty pastel love-themed kit. While there are pinks, hearts and a few February 14th references, the bulk of the kit is not Valentine specific and can be used any time for any audience (kids, adults, masculine, feminine). This kit was one where I was able to purchase an extra paper pad. So for my first batch of cards I decided to just focus on the ephemera and use the stamps and dies with the second paper pad. As usual, I started by making one of the sample cards shown on the instruction sheet. I’m guessing you can tell that the sample is the card on the left. LOL. First off, the background paper isn’t layered and secondly, there is a lot of ephemera (9 pieces!) used on the card. I think it’s a beautiful card and the ephemera combination isn’t something I would have come up with. The second card is definitely my creation. It only uses 4 pieces of ephemera and a few sequins. Also, all the paper is matted. I like this card as well, it just has a “cleaner” look.

I used a couple card sketches for the next 2 cards. Other than the Love from Lizi peel-offs along the bottom, I followed the sketch fairly closely for the first card. There’s a chipboard sticker in the upper left corner and I dismantled one of the tag embellishments and used the glitter piece as a banner under the sentiment ephemera. Even with the peel-offs, the bottom of the card looked a bit bare. The paw print ephemera filled in some space and went with the paper theme. For the second card I focused on the ephemera (7 pieces). I think I picked out a mix of images that works well together in both color and theme. To make this card Valentine specific, I added the small “Feb 14” banner. To give the card a little dimension, I added some foam tape under a few of the ephemera pieces. The Spellbinders kit includes foam squares but I opted to use foam tape from my craft room that is a bit thinner to ensure the card can be mailed without requiring extra postage.

For the next set of cards I decided to skip some of the matting, like with the sample card. I choose paper combinations where the colors and prints provided good contrast. I continued practicing my use of ephemera and included at least 7 pieces on each card along with a few sequins. Both cards turned out well with enough ephemera for interest but not too much to make them over the top. I especially liked the ephemera collection on the card on the right. To me it felt most like the sample card.

At this point I had several 2×6 inch scraps of paper. Instead of saving them to the end of the paper pad I decided to find a sketch to use them now since I had already worked with some of the paper combinations. I ended up selecting a simple layout that would lend itself well to adding several pieces of ephemera. For both cards I went with the “more is more” approach and added more ephemera and embellishments than the sketch indicated. I quite like how they both turned out, with the card on the right being one of my favorites.

I have discovered that using ephemera requires a different mind set. I wouldn’t describe my style as clean and simple, but I do think it has a more streamlined, linear look. Figuring out how and where to add ephemera so that it doesn’t look contrived and overdone is definitely a skill requiring practice.

As I worked through about half of the paper pad, I began to find it harder to work with the remaining paper and ephemera. Instead of “forcing” the process, I decided to put the kit away for now and can go back to it another time. Afterall, I still have 1 complete paper pad and even though I used multiple ephemera pieces on each card I still have most of the tag embellishments, glitter foam stickers, chipboard embellishments, sequins and about 1/2 of the die cuts left. And I haven’t even used the stamps and dies.

Recollections Classic Christmas 12×12 Paper Pad

January 19, 2023 Dawn

As I was sitting down to work on a new post, I found this Christmas card post that I didn’t get around to sharing in December. So, it’s a bit late but better late than never. And I plan to have a new non-Christmas themed post out soon.

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This batch of Christmas cards features Recollections Classic Christmas 12×12 paper pad. I think I picked it up last year during an after Christmas sale. It has the traditional red/green color and also includes a nice range for patterns including whimsical gifts and ornaments along with elegant florals and nature designs.

Since most of the cards I had made this season felt a bit more serious I decided to start with the fun gift and ornament patterns for something different. I also chose a layout that I think has a more casual look to it with the photo corner on the focal panel and arrow shaped sentiment panel. I used a red tone-on-tone paper for the background on both cards. For the card featuring the gift pattern I stuck with red for the matting and the metallic cardstock strip across the card. For the ornament pattern, the red just didn’t work and I switched the matting and strip to a bright Christmas green.

I really should do heat embossing more often. I think the “A very Merry Christmas” sentiment looks great embossed with gold embossing powder and matted on gold metallic cardstock. The gold sentiment and bits of gold foiling on the stocking are just enough to add a bit of interest and shine to the very traditional plaid and tone-on-tone foliage background prints.

The papers on the second card feature traditional red and green on a bright white background. Since both patterns are quite bold I thought a clean and simple background was needed. A white background was too stark and I didn’t like red or green. I decided to try kraft cardstock which I think gives the card a bit of a rustic feel. A red metallic cardstock strip and a “Season’s Greetings” sentiment finished the card.

The papers on the next 2 cards both feature poinsettias but have a very different feel. The wreath pattern on the first card has a traditional feel so I went with a more traditional design and sentiment. For the second card, since the paper is quite bold, I kept it very simple using a “Merry Christmas” cut apart included in the paper pad and a few Love from Lizi peel-off strips.

These 2 cards feature my favorite papers in the paper pad – the poinsettia floral and the winter birds. I’ve used this layout before and really like how it allows the pretty paper to be the star of the card. Both papers are paired with a plaid print – a muted tone-on-tone plaid with the poinsettia floral and a green/cream plaid with the winter birds. To add just a bit of interest to the bottom panel I added a couple Love from Lizi peel-offs on both cards. Gold metallic on one and a clear iridescent on the other. A holiday sentiment, matted and popped up, complete both cards.

I used the same layout for the next 2 cards but just switching up the papers, sentiment and ink colors give the cards a completely different feel. The first card uses more of the fun ornament paper this time paired it with a tone-on-tone pine tree design. For the small horizontal strip I used more of the Christmas green metallic cardstock and keeping with the green theme, the sentiment is stamped using a bright green ink.

For the 2nd card I went for a more formal feel. When I was working on the previous cards I flip flopped on which plaid paper to pair with the poinsettia floral print. I ended up choosing the muted plaid, but still wanted to try the poinsettia floral with the bolder green/cream plaid. I think this combination also worked well. To keep the feel more formal I used gold metallic cardstock for the small strip across the focal panel.

I’m getting a bit burnt out on Christmas cards so I think I’ll take a break and my next project will be something non-Christmas.