Monday, April 9, 2012

Fabulous Fifties


Have you ever wanted a birthday card that was youthful yet traditional? Well I've got a hint for you. Try making a card like this one.

I started off by selecting a fabulous designer paper from The Best of Brenda Walton paper collection by K&Company. The paper had a variety of beige, tan and white with words like 'happiness', 'memories', 'believe' and other inspirational words. I thought it would look nice when paired with plain mid and chocolate brown textured cardstock from the DCWV Cardstock Neutrals Stack.

Before starting, I decided that since the card would have a circle, I needed a square base card and cut one that was 5" x 5". I then cut a circle with the phrase, Oh Happy Day, on an inside circle from the Wild Card Cricut cartridge. After adhering the patterned paper on the front, I placed the circle and the phrase, Oh Happy Day, slightly off centre. I framed the inside circle and phrase with chocolate brown so it wound stand out. After that, I added "50" cut from the Gypsy Font cartridge. I chose a lovely chocolate satin ribbon for the front of the card but I thought a bow would be too much so I just slipped the ribbons though it's own loop and notched the ends.

Sometimes a typical and occasionally fussy card does not suit the upcoming event. In this case, my friend is a vibrant career woman who suited this type of card and not one with unnecessary frills. Simple said it all.


Monday, April 2, 2012

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail


Here's an example of two similar cards, one made for a little girl and one made for an adult. Just by changing the bunny on the front of the card it completely changed the feel of the card from a fun card to something a little more sophisticated. I added a cute carrot to the inside along with the sentiment, "Some bunny loves you".

First of all, I planned the card using my Gypsy. I made myself templates for all card sizes so I can try out images on different layers to see how they fit and so I can maximize my paper by cutting several images at the same time. You can now do similar things on the new Cricut Craftroom website. Although I am a member of the site, I haven't used it other than to play with different images. My iMac computer is in my office on the main floor but my Cricut Expression is in my craft room which is a converted bedroom on the second floor.

I started with a pastel tartan background paper and cut Happy Easter from the Phrases Cricut cartridge in dark purple and light mauve. The child's bunny was cut using the Create a Critter Cricut cartridge and the stylized bunny was cut from the Gypsy Wanderings Cricut cartridge. I added a green peppermint twine as a collar. The carrot that I added to the inside of the card was cut from the Just Because Cards Cricut cartridge.

I sent out a bunch of these cards to friends and relatives. It was a real production line. I wish you all a very Happy Easter!