Happy Mail

| ullycatdesigns

happy Mail card envelop 1

Happy mail is when you get note from someone you haven’t heard from in a while. Happy mail is opening an envelope and getting good news.  Happy mail makes you smile.

I love getting interactive cards. Not only do they stand out as different, but they make me think that someone went to a lot of trouble to design and get the mechanics right on how it works. Concord & 9th’s new Mail Drop stamp and coordinating dies are happy mail for me.

happy Mail card envelop 2

I made this test card from the set as a birthday card, but the other phrases in the set allow for creativity and customization.  Getting the slit in the correct spot on both the envelope and the backing panel took several tries.  I recommend watching this video to get it right the first time.

Long Live Snail Mail!

Paris in Springtime

| ullycatdesigns

IMG_5767IMG_5742

What a romantic image of Paris !  When I received the two dies that I used on this card, I looked at the packaging images for ideas for colors and layout and then did some modification to the easel mechanism.

IMG_5763

Changing the frame from a hanging charm to a larger flat panel on an easel was as simple as using ½ inch wide, red-sticky-permanent double-sided tape to hold in place the rectangle piece that was cut out for the frame.  And adhering the flat panel to the easel.

57797289798__0923E463-C45B-4C12-95BB-A64D3D2307D1

Because the flat panel is larger than the original frame pull tab, I had to add an extension tab. I used clear removable tape to smooth over the catching point where the extension level changes. In order to be able to fit the card in an A2 envelope, I punched a hole and tied a ribbon to the tab as a pull grip.

Pull Here

But how does the card recipient know to pull the ribbon?  Read my last post on CRX.

IMG_5767

Paris Easel Card

Paris in the Springtime Die set from Die Cutting essentials  issue 49

Karen Burniston’s Pop It Ups for Elizabeth Craft Designs 1104-Hanging Charm Pull Tab die set

“Pull Here” stamp from Concord and Ninth’s Mail Drop Stamp Collection

 

CRX – Card Recipient Experience

| ullycatdesigns

You create the most delightful card that moves went you pull a slider or you create a box card that folds flat, and the recipient of the card gets it in the mail and has no idea how to make it work.  This is not the ideal card recipient experience (CRX) you want.

In the web designers world, they talk about User Experience (UX). For us in the not so digital field of card designers, we need to think about CRX or how we let our users know how to operate the card if the recipient is not use to receiving interactive cards.

Arrows indicating direction to pull a slider tab are common.  Including a diagram of how a box card should look when completed is simple enough. Or you can get creative and string a “pull here” tag on a thread that can be removed once used.

A great card is both beautiful to the eye of the beholder and easily explained if it involves moving parts.

Dies/Stamps Used:

You’re In My Thoughts Box of Flowers

Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop-Up

Build -A-Bouquet Stamp Collection for Papercrafter magazine issue 118 

Stamped in black ink and colored with Crayola Signature Brush & Detail Dual-ended Markers

Tea and Tulips Box of Flowers

Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop-Up

Stampin’ Up’s Tearoom Copper Vinyl Stickers

Stampin’ Up’s Tea Room Specialty Designer Series Paper

Tea Room Memories & More Card Pack.

Shaded Tulip Stamp & Layer set by Susan Bates for Papercraft Inspirations magazine, issue 182

CraftSmart and Hampton Art mini ink pads.

Paris Easel Card

Paris in the Springtime Die set from Die Cutting essentials  issue 49

Karen Burniston’s Pop It Ups for Elizabeth Craft Designs 1104-Hanging Charm Pull Tab die set

“Pull Here” stamp from Concord and Ninth’s Mail Drop Stamp Collection

Two Fish, One Fish

| ullycatdesigns

Fish bowl 4

Two fish, one fish, is that a cat I see?

This is meant as a fun card. Ever since I saw the Die-cutting essentials magazine issue 36 Underwater Friends die set, I have been planning to make some sort of interactive card with it.

Fish bowl 2 - Copy

Finding the Karen Burniston Pop It Ups’ Oval landscape Accordion -1108 die set by Elizabeth Craft Designs gave me the idea on how to proceed to tell a story through a card.

Fish bowl 1 - Copy

First there are two fish. Then there is one fish. then there is a cat’s face watching intently.

Fish bowl 5 - Copy

Did the cat do anything beyond watching? What do you think happened?

Fishbowl-envelope

The cat’s face has a slit at the top and bottom so that it can slip off the pivot points and be signed or a greeting added.  I used Grafix Dura-Lar .005 Clear Film, an archival polyester film to die cut 3 of the accordion sections. I then die cut 6 of the blue cardstock accordion sections and then all the fish and greenery pieces. I used a combination of Tombow Aqua Mono Liquid Glue for around the blue oval frames because I could easily clean-up any messes with a damp paper towel. I used Tombow Multi Mono Liquid Glue for adhering the blue frames to the clear film because it needed to be a strong adherence for a sturdy frame.

 

 

 

Roses and Apple Blossoms for Mother

| ullycatdesigns

Flowers on Mother’s Day is a time-honored tradition. When combined with the new washi tape petals and leaves and craft papers from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London this Mother’s Day card is nostalgic.

The pop-up mechanism inside is made with Karen Burniston for Sizzix Platform, Circle & Ribbon 3-D Bigz die. The washi tape petals feel like real pressed flowers, so I decided to make it look like a pressed apple blossom complete with yellow sewing thread stamen.
I used a variety of double-sided tape to adhere the layers and Tombow aqua mono liquid glue to put the inside mechanism together. Foam tape was used to attach the sentiment doily which was cut out using the pop-up gatefold die from Papercraft inspirations issue 188.

 

Envelope Mothers Day card

I had been watching the PBS show Victoria and reading up on the show’s newsletter on-line and for once the pop-up ads had something, I might not have found otherwise – the V&A Collection of paper crafts. The V&A is the Victoria and Albert Museum in London which has one of the best textiles and graphics collections in the world for the 19thand early 20thcenturies. I purchased my supplies from Hobbycraft, but there are other UK suppliers of the collection.
Envelope was stamped with Hampton Arts ink pad and Inkadinkado 60-30380 Modern Flower Flourish stamp

Stampin’ Up Cards – Easter

| ullycatdesigns

img_5706.jpg

I went to a workshop this past week with Donna Butler, a Stampin’ Up demonstrator. I really enjoyed learning more about the proper way to stamp. I loved the feel of the cling stamps. They were soft and required a lighter touch than some of the stamps I have used before.

IMG_5707

Here is one of the cards we made using Donna’s designs. Each card is designed with an interior panel that can be removed if the card needs to be repurposed. Note the envelope is also stamped on the back flap.

IMG_5704-Risen 1

Donna’s list of supplies:

Stamp sets:

Cardstock:

Inks:

Stampin’ Write Markers/Blends:

Accessories:

 

 

Cat in the Window

| ullycatdesigns

IMG_5625

Cats pop-up everywhere and this card is no exception. The inspiration for this card comes from Juliet and Romeo the two cats who live with the recipient of this card.  The overstuffed chair is one that has been passed down in her family and a favorite of Romeo to curl up and sleep.

IMG_5621The chair is made from Karen Burniston’s 1071-Adirondack Chair with a custom fit slipcover cut from paper inside a large business envelop. The round blue pillow is cut from the front of the envelope and adhered to chair with foam tape. Romeo’s picture was supplied by his human companion and has a tab running thru the chair and attached to the floor. The afghan throw is from Echo Park’s A Perfect Summer by Lori Whitlock and is also attached to chair with foam tape. Wallpaper is from Colorbők’s Brights Photo Mats. The flooring is from Ms. Sparkle & Co. Paperie’s Woodgrain Neutral paper pad. The “Happy Birthday” was cut from black cardstock using Momenta Firefly’s Celebrate Happy Birthday die set 35516 R7. The floorboard molding on wallpaper was a scrap piece of white cardstock scored at the top and bottom edge.

IMG_5615

Front of card has Juliet looking out a window. The window, shutters, flowers and flowerbox are from Poppy Stamps Small Madison Window set no. 1137 and decorated with white gel pen. The window glass is cut from the glassine window of the large business envelope that was upcycled to slipcover chair.  The cat is cut from white cardstock using Karen Burniston’s 1024 – Cat die and then ink blended to get Juliet’s wolf-like grey fur. The “popping up to say” lettering comes from Karen Burniston’s 1027-Word Set 4- Just a Note. The letters were dotted with a black fine point felt tip pen.

See more chair cards below:

Other supplies used:

Stampin’ Up Cards – Get Well

| ullycatdesigns

I went to a workshop this past week with Donna Butler, a Stampin’ Up demonstrator. I really enjoyed learning more about the proper way to stamp. I loved the feel of the cling stamps. They were soft and required a lighter touch than some of the stamps I have used before.

IMG_5697

Here is one of the cards we made using Donna’s designs. Note that each card is designed with an interior panel that can be removed if the card needs to be repurposed, and each card’s envelope has a stamped envelope with coordinating images.

IMG_5699

Stamp sets:

Cardstock:

Inks:

Accessories:

Stampin’ Up Cards – Sympathy

| ullycatdesigns

Sympathy-2

I went to a workshop this past week with Donna Butler, a Stampin’ Up demonstrator.       I really enjoyed learning more about the proper way to stamp. And, I loved the feel of the cling stamps. They were soft and required a lighter touch than some of the clear polymer stamps I have been using.

Here is one of the cards we made using a design of Donna’s. Note that each of her cards are designed with an interior panel that can be removed if the card needs to be repurposed.

Sympathy inside

Donna’s list of supplies:

Stamp sets:

Cardstock:

Inks:

Blends:

Accessories: