Doggie Dreams of Christmas

 

Lawn Fawn's Christmas Dreams stamp and die set have been used to make this greeting card

Lawn Fawn's stamp and die sets are really cool as they are usually made up of lots of little stamps that can be put together to make a picture for your card. This means you can pick and choose which pieces to use. For example the Christmas Dreams stamp set comes with both cat and dog but as we have a dog, I have chosen to use that stamp to personalise my card.

Last year I made a tag using the same stamp set - if you missed it, click here to see what I did.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Zig Zag Bear Trio Greeting Card

 

Layer up small images into a greeting card to give them presence

Sometimes you have small images that would look lost on a card. This card shows you how just layering them up with several layers of patterned papers really makes them stand out and they no longer look lost on the card. Also using a zigzag card base breaks down a larger card into 3 smaller sections.

I've used an old rubber stamp that I found when sorting out my craft desk, but this card would work with any small round image. If the images you have are square, then just replace the circle dies with square ones.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Circle Trio of Cats

 

Birthday card made with a trio of small circular cat images

Lili of the Valley sell digi stamps through Etsy and this is a great way of getting images for your cards. They sell coloured or black and white images that you can colour yourself. So for this card, I've used a trio of cats image that prints just black outlines and I can then colour to match or coordinate with backing papers. Once downloaded you can keep on your computer and print whenever required. I have made a card previously with one of their pre-coloured images - if you'd like to see it click here)

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Secret Message Gift card

 

Make a card with hidden compartment to hide some money or a message

This cool little card is all made from one die and provides a little pull out tab that you can write a message on, or in my case, I folded a piece of paper money as a gift and hid it in this part.

The bonus of making your own cards, is you can use scraps of decorative papers, old wrapping paper and orientate it to the particular occaision.  I've made this one into a birthday gift but it would be equally cool as a Christmas gift card.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Doodle Rose

 

Use Creative Expressions Doodle Rose Wreath die as a focal point for this pretty birthday card

This card shows how to use different parts of a die set to create the focal points of a card - the rest of the card is fairly plain but your eye is drawn by the white outlined wreath in the centre of the diamond.

 
Just be careful when colouring your green leaves that you do not colour too much into the wreath or your roses may also be green ! I didn't try it - but maybe glue the white outline to the pink wreath, then colour in your leaves.

 
Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Stripy Birthday

 

Make a stripy birthday card using border stamps

This is a really bright and cheery birthday card which has been made quite simply using border stamps with some bright coloured ink pads.

You can use any colour ink pads and any style of border stamps. I've used quite colourful ink pads but you could make it with a several tones of one colour. If you dont have border stamps, why not use strips of paper or ribbons?

If you are using stamps just make sure you clean and dry them properly otherwise you will mark your card when re using them.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Birthday Flower

 

Use Stampin Up's Paper Florist Die set to make a 3d flower to decorate a birthday card

This weeks card is a mixture of my favourite two items - decorative papers and a 3d element. I've used strips of decorative paper from the same paper pack, so they automatically coordinate but because I've used small strips, you can use up your offcuts.

The 3d flower element is made using some dies from Stampin Up's Paper Florist die set. It's quite easy to put together and the 3d element will make your card stand out from the rest of the pack :)

It's not a card to be posted though as it really wouldn't make its way through the postal system. However I am handing it to the recipient in a small gift bag instead of an envelope.

On a seperate note - how tidy is your crafting space?  If you are anything like me I tidy it and then as I make cards, it slowly builds with mess again.  It's got really bad recently so I made a concerted effort to have a thorough clear and clean - this included cleaning my cutting board (click here to be taken to my help page to find out how I did this).  I now have a really clear desk which really helps when you are trying to make cards!🤣   The self healing cutting mat has come up really clean too - got rid of all the gluey marks and ink stains.  I never thought I could clean the mat - I recommend you trying it if your mat was filthy like mine.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Magic Color Slider Birthday Card

 

Use Lawn Fawns Magic Color Slider Die and Critter Consert stamp and die set to create this fab interactive birthday card

I just love interactive cards and this one has been created using Lawn Fawns Magic Color Slider die set. Lawn Fawn makes it so easy to create a fab looking card. Your black and white image suddenly colours itself in when you pull the slider out :)

I have teamed the magic color slider die with Lawn Fawns Critter Concert stamp and die set to make this card but you can use any image as long as it fits within one of the window dies that comes with the set

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Good Luck Cat

 

Make a good luck card with a cat peeking from the inside of the card

My friend is starting a new job soon and I wanted to make her a card to celebrate. That's when I realised I didn't have any job type images! Oh well, she really loves cats so I am hoping she loves this card.

How cute is this card with a little cat peeking from the inside of the card!

The small window is cut using a square die but you do not want to cut the bottom of it.  Therefore you run it only part way through your die cutting machine.  I have an A4 die cutting machine so I can run my open card through the machine across the width of the cutting plate (my card has a left hand folded edge).  However if your machine is smaller than A4, please treat your card as a tent fold card (top folded edge).  Position your square die appropriately (as per below photo) and run through your machine with the back edge of the card first and still stop when the lower edge of the die is under the rollers.

Tent fold card ready to run through cutting machine

Tent fold card with square part cut out

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Gorjuss Cat

 

Use a Sandoro Gorjuss Girl stamp to create this birthday card

The best bit about making cards yourself is that you can adjust them to suit the recipient. So this weeks card is a birthday card for a friends daughter who has beautiful red hair.

She's also a cat lover - so this card is a win, win!

I often get people comment - "I can't colour in". Don't forget it is a hand made card - just try your best. It really doesn't matter - it's come from the heart and the recipient will love it. I personally love promarker pens as they are very forgiving. For example I colour the girls dress in cold grey 2 pen. It doesn't show the pen marks, it just blends into one colour. To make the image look less flat, take the same coloured pen and draw lines where shadows would be. In this image, I drew a line under her arms and around the outside of the cat head on her dress. It leaves a subtle shadow but does make the image look less flat.

(Please excuse the photo's this week - they are a little darker than normal.  I was having to work without a light as the electrician was updating the fuse board ! - how rude!)    

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Birthday Circles

 

Use nested circle dies to create this greeting card from coloured paper or card

I recently got a set of nested circle dies and had an idea of putting random circles onto a greeting card. It didn't quite turn out how I imagined but I am pleased with the result. It's really quite a chirpy card.

It's such a generic style card so could be used as a greeting for anyone. Also if you have square, rectangle or star shaped dies, you can use them to create a similar card.

    

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Rucksack Giftbag

 

Change a plain normal giftbag into a rucksack giftbag

I love giving gifts and it's even better if you can dress the gift up. This time the gift I had was hiking related so I decided to try and change a normal giftbag into a rucksack.

I started off with a shop bought giftbag but you could make one from scratch - just follow my instructions on this blog page here.

I decorated my bag with some circle images to represent sew on badges, but depending on your recipient and the colour of your gift bag, you could decorate your bag with anything from unicorns to flowers to rockets! (See photo at bottom of blog)

The front pocket is ideal for the greeting card 😁

  

Follow the below link to find out how the giftbag was made

Woof you anniversary

 

Use a Lili of the Valley downloaded digital image to make this circular anniversary card

I went to a craft fair this week and bought myself some stitched circle nesting dies. I needed to make an anniversary card so decided to use the circle dies to create frames for one central image. This is the card I came up with:

I've made some cards using Lili of the Valley digital downloads before and if you don't like colouring, you can purchase one of their full coloured images. This really makes it an easy card and after you have paid for the image and downloaded it, you can save it to your computer and use it many times.

I like digital images because it means I do not have to store paper decoupage sheets amongst my crafting supplies and can just print them as and when I need them - less storage and less creasing! Quite often you get several sizes or you can alter the size to make it suit what you need.

You can do the same frame idea with square, rectangle or heart nesting dies, just make sure the smaller one is used on the first layer that is glued to the image and the larger one on the second layer - just follow the steps below.

Some of my previous cards made using LOTV (Lili of the Valley) downloaded digital stamps can be found by clicking on these links - Fathers day easel card, Watch the Birdie card and Animal birthday cupcake card.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Potting Shed

 

Make a really cool 3 dimensional card using some images from a crafting magazine

In the Papercraft Essentials magazine out at the moment (issue 225), there is a luxury paper pad called potting shed. I loved the images and needed to make a gardening greeting card, so I bought the magazine and here is my card:

You get lots of different images within this pack which also includes some backing paper, so you can follow my make but adjust it to your tastes by including different images.  I've also got tons of images and papers left to make more cards :)

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Full of Surprises

 

A fun interactive card where the picture magically changes from a wrapped to an open present

Use Lawn Fawns Magic Picture Changer die to make this really cool interactive card. I've matched that with Lawn Fawns Birthday before 'n after stamp set where they have two pictures, one before and the other after. I choose to use the birthday present images.

I will also show you a technique where you can stamp just part of a long greeting.  Just keep reading to find out.

I've made one of these magic picture changing cards before - where a tray of flowers grow.  Click here if you missed this one

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Plant a Succulent

 

Use Lawn Fawns Succulent die set to make this birthday card

This die set by Lawn Fawn is such fun. There are lots of little dies within the set to make up your own plants - just mix and match the cut outs.  You can even add smiley faces to the pots if you wish :)

I needed a card for a gardener this week, so this seemed the perfect die to use.  It's such a versatile die set - for example, the leaves could be cut out of pink card, making it a flower instead of a leaf plant.  You could cut 4 cactus like plants and just stack them on each other making a far larger plant. In my example above, I made a floral/leaf arrangement in the centre of the card which doesn't need a pot.  So use your imagination, don't just follow the examples :)

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Pawsome Birthday

 

Make a cute birthday card for any of those dog lovers out there

I have used Lawn Fawns Furry and Bright stamp and die set to make this card. It's actually meant to be a Christmas themed stamp set but this just shows you, that you can use some of your stamp sets for many occaisions.

My originally version of this card turned out to be just brown and beige so I injected a little colour with some coloured gems and bows on the bones.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Topper Card

 

Make a birthday card using a bought topper

My friend gave me a bag lot of toppers and pre printed papers that she could no longer use. So I decided this weeks card would be made using one of these toppers. I don't know if you can get this particular topper any more, but I hope you can get inspiration from how this card has been made to make a card yourself using a topper from your own craft stash.

Toppers are not very expensive and I have seen them for sale at local craft fairs and a local shop called The Range. There are often 6 or more toppers on one sheet of A4 card and can be the same image or a sheet of different images. This is what makes them perfect for crafters and as the images are normally coloured - so no panicking about having to colour in a stamped image.

This card shows how you can use a stamp to create a background which allows a rather plain background to become patterned and to match the other features of your card.  In my example, I remembered having a lavender stamp in my stash so used this to match the image in the topper.

My mum made a card at the same time with the same topper - you can see her card at the bottom of this post. You will see how different the cards are and therefore how versatile toppers can be.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Easter Chicks

 

Use Stampin Up's Basket Bunch stamp and die set to create this chirpy Easter card

I have used stamps from the Basket Bunch Stampin Up stamp set to change plain papers into decorative papers. It's quite easy to do and means you can colour coordinate your papers and you do not have to have a stash of decorative papers to make your own cards.

This technique of stamping your own background papers can be done with any stamps, inks and plain papers/card. So do not limit yourself to this Easter card - you can make backgrounds of flowers, leaves, stars, characters - the list is only limited to the stamps in your stash!

I've used a stamping aid to stamp the lines of eggs that border the central white card. However it can be done without one of these, if you do not have one, just use your normal clear acrylic block and steady your hand!

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Anniversary in Bloom

 

Learn to make an anniversary card using 'Bloom and Grow' stamp set by Stampin Up

The Bloom and Grow stamp set by Stampin Up has 3 large floral stamps to choose from when making this card. I chose the rose one for my card but they would each work equally as well.

The stamps are quite detailed, so I was a little worried how to colour it in. However it was ok, just colour the leaves then work on each type of flower in turn and you'll soon have it coloured in !

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Camping, Toast to your BIrthday

 

Use Lawn Fawns camping stamp and die sets to make this greeting card for those who love the outdoors

We bought a campervan last year to get out and explore a little more. This love of the outside can be seen in this really cute card made using some stamp and die sets by Lawn Fawn.

This card does require a few stamp and die sets to make but I can invisage how many other uses the dies will have. The tent can be a childs play tent or for those going to a gig in the forest or maybe a moving away or new house card. The forest background can be used for star gazing cards or maybe scenery for picnic cards. As crafters we have to make sure stamp and die sets are multipurpose!

It was really fun building this scene up and because you make it yourself, you can change any of the colours or characters to reflect the recipients preferences

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Sending Smiles Shadow Box Card

 

Use Lawn Fawns Butterfly Kisses Flip-Flop stamp and die set to create this really cute card that will make the recipient smile!

The characters in Lawn Fawns stamp sets are so cute and always bring a smile to my face. They are easy to use, colour in and often come with matching dies to cut them out - what is there not to love about them? So this weeks card, I have used Lawn Fawn's Shadow Box die and matching Park add-on set to make the scenery for the little fox to chase the butterflies. The butterflies are stuck onto a bit of acetate so they look like they are really flying about :)

The shadow box die creates a 3d card that folds flat for posting. Once you've created the card and added background images, you can then add whichever little characters you like to your scene - for example your recipient might prefer birds, so stamp and add birds to the scene - some of them could even fly using a little bit of acetate just like the butterflies in my card.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Happy Mother's Day

 

Make this lovely Mother's day card using Lawn Fawns Reveal Wheel and Tulip add on die sets

This makes such a lovely , cute and interactive Mother's day card. Just turn the wheel and the little flower's face changes!

It can easily be changed for another occasion just by changing the greeting stamped at the top

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Birthday Squares

 

Use some decorative papers and a small amount of stamped items to make this greeting card

I love using decorative papers to make a greeting card, so this weeks card is using 4 pieces from the same paper pack - a great way to ensure they go with each other!

I've used a cake stamp from 'Piece of Cake' stamp set by Stamping Up which is small enough to fit into one of the squares. I do find making cards with this stamp set a little tricky normally as they are quite small images and can get lost on a large card. However this way works perfectly.

It doesn't have to be a stamped cake image - you could use decoupage images just cut down to squares or glue on buttons or other trims to decorate the card.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Dandy Day

 

Use Lawn Fawn's Dandy Day stamp and die sets to make this 'sending wishes' greeting card

These mice are so cute - I couldn't resist making another greeting card with them. This time, I have continued using the stamps on the inside of the card too.

I'll probably use it for a birthday card but the words are also suited to many other celebrations.

If you missed my previous cards made with this stamp set, click here for a birthday card and here for a mothers day card. It's great when you can find several uses for a stamp set :)

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Teacup Birthday

 

Use Lawn Fawns Stitched Teacup die set and some beautiful decorative papers to make this pretty greeting card

I'm using a teacup die again to make this weeks card but this time teaming it up with a decorative paper pack which makes colour and pattern matching so much easier.

It's a very decorative card but thats all down to the patterned paper rather than adding lots of toppers and layers. You can use the same layout theme but change the image in the circle to something that your recipient would really appreciate.

Ive made this into a birthday card but it would be lovely as an invite or to say thank you.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Butterfly Birthday

 

Make this stylish butterfly greeting card using Stampin Up's Butterfly Gala stamp and punch set

Sometimes the simplest cards have the most impact and I think this little butterfly card is just that

I've stamped butterflies but actually you could have any little stamped and die cut image and any patterned background paper

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Gleeful Garden

 

Use Lawn Fawns Gleeful Garden stamp and die set to create this really fun birthday card

Lawn Fawn's stamps are just so cute and it makes making your cards so easy. I've made this gardening based card to remind me of sunnier days.

There are lots of stamps within this set so you can alter the picture on the card quite easily by stamping more snails or flowers if you would prefer. Why not make a smaller card and use less stamps? A little snail climbing up the side of the large mushroom would make a fab small card or gift tag.

My card has a frame in the centre but i've placed some of the stamped images so they overflow this frame which I think makes the card look less plain.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Floral Teacup Birthday Card

 

Make this pretty greeting card of flowers in a cup by using Lawn Fawns Stitched Teacup die set

I've used a small die set by Lawn Fawn called Stitched Teacup and filled it with flowers to create this card.

You can use any teacup die or even cut one by hand and can choose any flowers or leaves to fill your cup. The beauty of making your own cards is that you can alter them to your recipients favourite colors etc.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made

Wrapping Paper Robin

 

Making a card from some really pretty wrapping paper

I know Christmas seems like ages ago now and we are already half way through January but I was tidying my desk and found some wrapping paper I had saved from Christmas. It was such pretty wrapping paper that I want to show you how to make a beautiful card quite quickly from it. This particular card is a Christmas card but you could make a similar card using birthday or celebration wrapping paper.

I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned - I like to get my Christmas cards made in January! I know it's early, but the time leading upto Christmas gets so manic and I'm still in Christmas mood in January so I get them done early. I make quite a few Christmas cards each year and I've left making them till October/ November time and run out of time and they never turn out how I would like them to as they are rushed. At least by making them in January, I can take a bit of time and if I need to order items such as card, there's no rush to find some.

Not only that, these cards are made from some wrapping paper I salvaged from Christmas - I need to use it now before it becomes all creased and crumpled !  Isn't it good to recycle?

I've also used a bit of the paper to cover the front of a notebook. This is a notebook that I use for tracking Christmas gifts. As I buy items, I mark it against the people I need to buy for and any ideas, I can also note down. I do buy gifts all year - not purposefully looking, but sometimes you just stumble across a perfect item for someone whilst on holiday for example. I therefore cover my little notebook in Christmassy paper so I don't get it lost amongst my other little notebooks.

I have made some cards using some birthday wrapping paper in the past - if you missed this click here to be taken to the page

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made:

Relaxing Birthday

 

Make this cool relaxing birthday card using a couple of stamp and die sets by Lawn Fawn

The thing I love about making your own cards and particularly stamping, is that you can mix stamp sets and colour in your own way to achieve a card that is specific to your recipient. It would be quite difficult to find that ideal card in the shops! The card below was made for a teddy loving, book reader, whose living room is a peachy colour.

This time last year, I made a little money box to collect coins, that the family find on the streets, for charity. Click here if you want to take another look at how it was made.

Anyway, we collected coins over the year and counted up what we had collected just after new years day. We collected £44.35 which we will be donating to cancer research. I've emptied the box and will be refilling this year with coins we find. I wasn't expecting to find quite so much as people are supposedly using more card transactions these days. But a brilliant donation for charity.

Follow the below link to find out how the card was made