This time I used one of the slimline digital die cuts that I bought from Heartfelt Creations. I also used more of the Iris Garden digital die cuts. I added a pearl to each of the four corners. Like most of my cards, this is a simple, fairly flat card that can be mailed without extra postage.
I have definitely had fun playing with Heartfelt Creations digital kits, and I love that they don't take up extra space in my craft room....well, not until I start cutting a bunch of card parts.
This is the second card made with their Iris Garden digital kit. I will be adding a sentiment eventually, but not until I decide who will be the recipient, and know what seems appropriate for that individual. It's just a good, generic card to send to a friend.
I used no special techniques, but I added a bit of dimension with foam tape. The card has 4 layers, not counting the blue/purple card stock base: background with birds/birdhouse, fence, yellow iris, and the blue iris.
I have been playing a bit more with the Heartfelt Creations digital card making files. This one is from their Iris Garden collection. It's not a standard size. I'll need to make a custom envelope.
The cut apart card base has a yellow printed scalloped shape and iris image, but I also had the die that cuts the scalloped shape, and printed a duplicate of the iris image in the center. I popped them with foam tape on top of the 2D card. I added the vase and iris fllowers, and popped them just where they extended beyond the scalloped shape. I also added Wink of Stella to the iris blooms inside the shape and in the vase, although the shimmer from Wink of Stella doesn't show in the photo.
I have been downloading, printing, and cutting a variety of Heartfelt Creations designs. I am delighted that they will continue to make their designs available, but in digital formal. The designs are print and cut files, but can also just be used as digital files. Anyway, I had a blast printing and cutting designs, but finally used them to make a card. It probably doesn't show, but I added a bit of Wink of Stella to add shimmer, which really looks lovely in person. There are 4 layers of papers/die cuts.
These images were from their Garden Lily Collection.
I have a stamp that I love, which I combined with Silhouette designs I'd bought for this tag. I have four more to make for the swap, but it's a start.
I belong to a card/scrapbook Facebook group that does swaps. I have not participated in this before, since I am fairly new and wanted to understand how it worked. I have decided to join at least one swap, which has a Star Wars theme.
I got this die at a convention, along with others, but this one seems to be the fastest and easiest to put together, since I have to make 4 for the swap:
On the 2 Peas Refugees card making message board, they encourage everyone to share their creations. This is something that I rarely do. Some of my cards are simple, some are not. Most are cards that I design based on what I have in my craft room. I do sometimes buy the latest and greatest from a few favorite card companies or at convention, but a lot of my stash is years old. I use whatever I like and feel like at the time. Sometimes I use a sketch, especially if I am doing a Queen & Co. challenge, since using a sketch is typically required for the challenges. The rest of the time, I usually just design my card based on what I plan to use. I often use the Queen & Co. Foundation dies with other companies' papers and products, but I don't like having to follow someone else's design, even though sketches can simplify card making. I've been card making and scrapbooking longer than most, and I learned to paper craft by designing my own layouts and cards. Are my designs always amazing? Hardly. However, I am pretty happy with some of the cards that I have created this quarter, and I decided to group them and post them in one place. Here are my January through March cards:
At Convention, Tall Mouse always has a bunch of $6 die sets. They're not huge dies, but not necessarily small either. I found a beehive/honey set among them at Convention last weekend, and used the set for this card. The honeycomb background is also die cut, with a background die that I bought from Tall Mouse at last week's convention. They went perfectly with an old BoBunny line of papers in my stash. The stamped sentiment inside the card is from an older Queen & Co. Gum Machine Shaker Set.
Both the front of the card and the inside of the card are shown next to each other here:
A week ago, I went to the Stamp and Scrapbook Convention in Irving, Texas. I mostly went for Tall Mouse dies, but I also found two fun die sets that I can use for card making. I used the first one to make a an envelope box card that can fold flat if you need to mail it:
I used the second die set to make this little flower cart that is also a box card. It has a hidden, covered magnet closure. It folds flat for mailing as well, although I will probably keep this one. Note: The flowers and cursive word were from the Scrappy Tails Floral Shop Add-on die set, and were not part of the Scrappy Boy Flower Cart die set..
I've had my eye on the Jaded Blossom ticket booth dies for awhile. However, I found another, very similar booth die set on Amazon that was far less expensive. They look very similar, so I suspect it is a knock-off set, or perhaps the Chinese company that makes them for Jaded Blossom sells them on the side through Amazon. I got some additional dies to go with it. I played around with the booth tonight, and I found an older My Favorite Things stamp that went well with the Watermelon theme. The sentiment is Queen & Co.
I did the single card for this challenge, since I wanted to use scraps. The lemonade glass is one of the cut file converted to print and cut, shown in a recent post.
When we moved in 2016, I was elated to learn that I could attend Stamp & Scrapbook Conventions as many as 3 times each year here. Back in Virginia, there was only one convention per year. I did go to all three of the conventions here in 2017, but since then, I've been lucky to get to one per year, and a couple of years I got to none. Even though they are "in my area," they are a long enough drive that I have to plan well, and family needs have to come first. After COVID hit, the conventions stopped for awhile, and they have been slow to get going again. This year, there will be a total of three in my area again. I went to the Stamp & Scrapbook Expo yesterday. I could only stay for about two and a half hours, but it turned out to be time well spent.
The convention has definitely shrunk, but there were some fun vendors who attended. I found papers and dies that will help me scrapbook our Disney trips, and also generic dies for card making. I was very happy with what I found. I left before noon. I was out of both energy and money.
This afternoon, I got a simple card made with a couple of dies that I found at the convention:
Last summer, as I was preparing to teach a card class, I was getting very tired of cutting out a bunch of pieces, especially small ones. I still had one more card to create and prep kits for. The cut file that I wanted to use had far too many small pieces. I thought it would make a very nice print and cut file, so I searched online to see if there was a tutorial for converting a cut file to print and cut. There was, and it worked very well for me. For anyone who wants to try it, you can find it here:
How to Turn Cut Files into Print and Cut
I was very pleased with the results, but from then till now, I hadn't thought to use the process again until a post on the RefuPeas site got me thinking about it again. They were talking about ephemera, and one person seems to like Doodlebug designs. The Silhouette site has a lot of Doodlebug designs. They are older, but still cute, so I mentioned it as a potential way to save money. Ephemera packs can be pricey. All Silhouette files are on sale right now for half off, and once you buy the designs, you can use them as many times as you like. The problem: Doodlebug only had 2 that were print & cut, and the rest were tiny pieces needing to be glued together.
I was pretty sure that I had converted cut files to print & cut before, but it wasn't till late last night that I found the video that I had used, and I remembered when and why. So I decided to see if I remembered how I did it, and I did (mostly) succeed. I converted a cute little cat from a cut file to print and cut. I missed one step, but I fixed it as soon as I noticed. It was late, so I set the project aside for the night. This morning, I opened a variety of Doodlebug designs, turned them into cutting files, added them to the print & cut sheet, and here are the results:
After peeling off the card stock excess, this is what I was left with:
I made a Pot o' Gold card 3 years ago. I don't remember who I gave it to, so it was a good thing I had posted it here. There are a few differences from that one to this one. I added the Illumination to this version, and placed the hat differently. I also added a clover to the hat, but it's still essentially the same card. Unfortunately, the "gold" coins are thicker and do block some of the light from the illumination mechanism.
Left side is not lit up, right side is (glow is mostly at the bottom center of the card).
Queen & Co. has a challenge this month to create a card that lights up (using their Endless Illumination Kit, of course). I have been busy making card kits for a friend and finally got them done, so I had time to play with this kit that had been a bit intimidating. It was actually very easy. The hardest part was to figure out what dies to use that hadn't already been used by others. They have used the sun, camping lantern, and other Queen kits. I wanted to do the lighthouse from a kit they had a summer or two ago. I don't know if they will sell it again this summer, but it is a great kit (and of course, I love lighthouses).
The images below show the differences in the shaker card with the light off (left) and on (right). If you push it once, it flashes fast; twice, flashes fast, but not as fast; three times, solid light.
On the RefuPeas message board, someone asked about organizing scraps. Mine have gotten out of hand over time, so I started working on organizing them a bit better. While organizing, I have also pulled some scraps and made a few cards, which I've posted previously. Tonight I finished a set of 4 cards, all identical to the one below. I used Queen & Co. Foundation dies, Queen & Co. Foundation Sketch #15 (slightly adapted, paper scraps, and Lemonade stamped images that were leftovers from the card class I taught last summer for my church's craft night. I also used the Sweet Summertime stamp phrase from the Queen & Co. Watermelon Shaped Card Kit.
I've been collecting Karen Burniston pop-up card dies for awhile but am not as good about actually using them. However, I've been planning to do this card for awhile. It is an almost blatant copy of the card she made in her video that demonstrated how to use the fence add-on set. I rarely copy someone else's card, but I definitely copied hers, with only very slight variations. I was mostly just trying to learn how to make it, but it turned out so cute that I decided to add a sister sentiment and send it to my only sister.
The photo below helps you to see the actual structure. It does fold down flat to 5 and 3/4 inches, to go into an envelope, but it doesn't fold flat the full length of the card. You can add as many panels as you like, though, so it can be very, very long if you want. (I didn't.)
This feels like it was almost a total cheat. I designed the card based on what I had in my stash. I used the fairy, firefly, and mushroom cottage cut aparts from the Heartfelt Creations Mushroom Cottage paper pad (one of my recent purchases from their Warehouse Sale). The green vine background patterned paper is from Jen Hadfield's Along the Way collection, Birds & Bees paper from 2018, and which was a Tuesday Morning find from a few years or so ago. I created the sentiment on my computer, using the Ink Free font. The yellow mat behind, and the yellow die cut frame were cut with Queen & Co. Foundation dies.
Heartfelt Creations (HC) announced last spring or summer that they would be winding down their business and closing their doors. I have loved their designs ever since I found them at a scrapbook/card making convention in Virginia many years ago. My crafty friends and I used to scrapbook together at the local scrapbook store (LSS), as well as attend conventions together. The LSS closed, and over time, many of us moved to other states. When I first moved to Texas, I went to every scrapbook/stamp convention that I could. In 2017, I went to at least 3 conventions that came to my area. I went alone. I couldn't find any other paper crafting enthusiasts to go with me, and while I taught a free card class in my home for over a year, none of those who came to my card nights were interested in conventions.
I have been to only one or two conventions since COVID, but Heartfelt Creations no longer attended by then. I have been taking advantage of Heartfelt Creations' online sales, but I haven't been making much using their products lately, so I decided to get out some of my HC dies and stamps and this simple Valentine card what I came up with:
These are dies that I've had for years. The patterned paper was a more recent acquisition. It is from their Sweet Pea collection. Anyway, it was fun to play with HC products again.
After making this card, I pulled out their Wildwood Cottage paper pad and stamps. That collection had some extremely cute fairies. I made a card with their fairies back in the fall which you can see here:
On Sunday, I decided to stamp and cut out a bunch of the Wildwood Cottage fairies ahead of time for future cards. That is when I realized that I didn't have the matching fairy die set, so I created a cut file with my Silhouette. Now I have a bunch of fairy die cuts, mushrooms, and flower pots to color and add to future cards. It's a very cute set. I don't know why I have neglected it so long.
Since they are having an ongoing warehouse sale, where the more you buy, the bigger the discount you get, I have recently added to my HC collection of paper pads, stamps, and dies. One of the most recent acquisitions was a Mushroom Cottage paper pad. I decided it looked even better in person than online, and placed another order to get what stamps and dies were still available to go with it, along with another paper pad. This set has a similar style to the Wildwood Cottage collection, and I think they will be cute together, although the paper pad for the two different fairy sets each have a different color palette. The stamps and dies, however, can definitely be used together.
Heartfelt Creations sells beautiful (as well as cute) products, but they won't be available much longer. I think I have probably placed my last order, but I have enough to last me for as long as I can craft. Still, it's always sad to say goodbye to a favorite company.
I used one of the sketches shown for Foundation Set #24 to create this card but added the fox, tree trunk,circle, etc. and eliminated the stamped phrase. I'll be stamping something on the inside of the card.
The patterned paper is an older one from my stash, bought at Tuesday Morning, so I assume it was discontinued long ago. It's from Simple Stories' Simple Vintage Great Escape line.
I do not have any affiliation with Queen & Co., other than as an overly enthusiastic customer. I just got their new Woodland Critters Kit yesterday, and started this card last night. I finished it this morning. The background paper is from an older Queen & Co. paper pad, the Vintage Truck Sweater Weather paper pad. I don't know if they still carry it or not, but I loved the plaid background. I also used Foundation #9 plant dies to supplement, and since it was a squirrel, I wanted him to be holding the acorn. I think this is going to be an absolute favorite kit for me. I did not use a sketch this time.
As a side note, I know that as a crafter, I don't always remember where I have gotten ideas. The card that I posted yesterday was one of those, so this morning, I decided to add a watermark as Celine does, and when I use a sketch, I will add that info, too. I hope that other crafters will add a watermark with their name/sketch, too, so that I can give credit if I borrow the ideas of others. This site has so many cards posted that it's difficult to remember where we get ideas from.
A few months before my husband had the heart attack, he had to have back surgery for a disc that had completely disintegrated. I won't go into the gory details, but he had to learn to walk again, and he has had to have over two years of special therapy. He will finally be done relatively soon. The staff at the therapy clinic have been wonderful, so I made a card to give to them before his last visit. The therapy involves shots each time, so that is the reason I felt that a hypodermic needle shaker deserved a prominent place on the card.
I used the Queen & Co. Get Well kit, and one of the special border dies.
Almost 3 years ago, my husband had a heart attack and had to be life flighted by helicopter from one hospital to another. The circumstances of timing that put him in the hands of reportedly the best cardiologist in the area, can only be described as tender mercies from Heaven. The cardiologist later told us, "I didn't think we were going to be able to save him." My husband has an appointment with his cardiologist coming up, and I finally made a card to thank the doctor for not giving up on my husband.
I used the Queen & Co. Get Well Kit, although I typed the phrase on the computer, since the stamp said, "My superhero," and I needed it to be our superhero. Besides, my husband complained he couldn't read the stamped phrase. It was a thicker font.
It's a simple card design, but I did it as a shaker. I don't do shakers often. Since we will be giving it to the doctor in person, instead mailing it, I figured I would do the shaker. The post office has managed to destroy some of my dimensional cards in the past, so if I am going to mail a card, I keep it as flat as I can.
I used Queen & Co. sketch #186, and papers/stamp set from Queen & Co.'s Thinking of You kit. I made it before the new release last night, but didn't have time to post it till today, and in the meantime, someone else has posted a card using the same papers and stamp set. Now I look like a copy cat, but I'm going to share it anyway. In the future, I'll post my projects more promptly.
The front of the card says, "Don't be fooled, This may look like a card"
Inside it says, "But it is actually a HUG which has been cleverly transformed into paper form. Consider yourself hugged"
I used Sketch #58 and Happy Hearts paper pad, adapted slightly, but should be recognizable. The phrase stamped on the tag was from the Concessions Add-on.
For this one, I used the Holiday House, the Halloween House Add-On (roof), the Happy Hearts paper pad, the leftover heart cut out pieces from a Foundation 11 die, as well as from a Background Foundation die.
I used Sketch #2 but I swapped out the small banner from set 4 and used a different die from set 4. I used the Holiday House in place of the dies from Foundations 10 & 15. The sentiment will be inside the card.
I used the Happy Hearts paper pad.
I inked the area behind the windows. but this would have been ideal for one of the Illumination light sets. Unfortunately, they sold out of the refills before I could order them.
For this one, I used Sketch #120, the Homemade Holiday kit, Foundation dies from sets 3, 8, 19, and 20. The plaid paper is from the Q&Co. Happy Hearts paper pad. The other papers were from my stash, long since discontinued, but the background is a Simple Stories paper. I created the phrase on my computer.
It's been awhile since I've had time to do any crafting. We traveled a lot for family events from late August to early December, then scrambled to get ready for Christmas.
Queen & Co. is having a challenge for Valentine cards using their sketches, so I decided to give the challenge a try. My card uses only Queen products, except for the colored card stock.
I used Queen & Co. Sketch #163, Love Letter set, Foundations 9, 10, Backdrop die set, and patterned papers from the Sweet Shop paper pad. The stamped phrase is from the Concessions Add-On set.
