Halloween means so many different things to different people, but my favorite person to make Halloween cards for is a cat lover, likes to see children in their Halloween costumes, but hates to dress-up for the day. So, this vintage pumpkin card is perfect for them.
Pop-up ball cards always remind me of the jack-in-the-box toy when you open them and something pops up to make you smile. This pop-up pumpkin card was designed for a baby’s first Halloween.
The card front pumpkin and easel base are a die set by Anna Griffin and the pop-up pumpkin inside is made using dies by Karen Burniston.
I often add a CRX slip that helps the card recipient know how to open the interactive card. (You can download the sheet with four slips on it. for free.)
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please like and leave comments
This is a card for the vintage train lover in your family. It has a steampunk meets art deco vibe.
Using a new die set by Anna Griffin, the Antique Train Slimeline Easel Dies, it came together quickly using just two types of cardstock, one sentiment die, a fine-tipped permanent marker and some gold glitter drops.
The die set cuts the easel base and the shadow outline of the train as two separate dies. I used a double-sided 180gsm weight cardstock from metal textures collection by Craft Consortium for these two pieces. The train is cut from Hunkydory’s oxidized metals collection of 220gsm mirror cardstock. Using the fine-tipped permanent marker to color the roofs and stacks of the mirror card train, I found I could also color a scrap of the mirror card and then cut the wheels and cow-catcher grate for added dimension.
After gluing the train to the gray shadow piece, I filled-in much of the void spaces on the train with the marker. With the train flat, I used some gold glitter glue or drops to create the wheel center caps.
The sentiment was cut three time – one in mirror cardstock and twice from thick black cardstock. The three layers were glued together and the words “Happy” and “Day” were colored with the black permanent marker.
To assemble the card, the easel base was folded on its score lines and glue placed on the long thin tab. The shadow backed train was then positioned over the card base centering the train within the card base’s outline. Pressure was applied to the tab to adhere the train back to the easel. The sentiment was glued on to the inside of the card once the position was established to have it hold the train in its open easel position.
The card fits into a #10 business envelope which has been stamped with VersaMark watermark ink using a bowler hat and sentiment “Hat’s off to you” stamps from Colorado Craft Company.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please like and leave comments 😊
Victorian mansions of Italianate design fit so well into the Currier and Ives world of 19th Century images of Christmas, suggesting the warm and good cheer to be found inside such homes.
This card was made with Anna Griffin dies and stamps as well as printed card base and envelope.
While the mansion is intended to be used as a Halloween haunted house, the tower and arched windows reminded me of numerous red brick houses in the Midwestern United States. I cut the house twice from red cardstock, once from cream colored cardstock, and once from slate gray cardstock. Using the detailed window dies, I cut just enough of the different windows to match the various windows on the house from cream cardstock. From one of the red houses, I cut the porch walls with stairs attached, pillars, porch roof and tower above. I adhered the tower with thin foam squares and the porch brick walls with thick foam squares onto the other red house. From the cream-colored house, I cut the top porch wall decorations, front steps, porch pillars and porch roof. These were glued onto the red house. From the slate gray house, I cut all the roof pieces including the porch roof. These were glued on to the base bouse. From the cream-colored house, I cut the eaves trim and tower fence railings. These railings and the top roof railings I colored with a gold metallic marker. The cream window frames were the last bits glued on to the house base.
Using the outline die of the Halloween house die, I cut a yellow patterned paper back for the house and glued the house onto it.
For the Christmas wreaths and evergreen trees, I used dies from the Holiday Home Ease Card dies. Tiny scraps of patterned and textured papers add life to these wee decorations.
To turn the beautifully foiled card base into a slider card, I measured the finished house and lightly traced around the shape to know here the slider easel needed to be cut into the card base. (See this earlier slider card blog for more details.) The slider arm was cut using the door outline die from the Slimline Door die set and trimmed to fit the card base. A small hole punch was used to have a place to tie a ribbon pull onto the slider card which is hidden when the card is closed. A thumb hole was cut through both layers of the closed card base at the card top in the center using a 1-inch hole punch.
Before assembling the card, the sentiments were stamped with watermark ink and heat embossed on a cream piece of paper for the “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” on to the top of the slider arm.
To assemble, the slider arm was glued to the backside of the lower tab of the slider easel. Next, using two layers of double-sided tape on the inside of the card base, along the two sides and bottom of the slider frame, the card was adhered shut.
The house was attached to the slider easel with foam pads on the front half of the easel. Ribbon was tied to the slider arm as well as a tiny tag saying “PULL” to ensure good CRX. (For more on good CRX see earlier blogs.)
Envelopes should never be left plain. They are the first hint as to what is inside. For this card I used a holly sprig stamped in dark green ink to set the Victorian mood of the card to come.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this blog post, please like it and follow the blog. 😊
Mothers deserve special cards. A basket full of roses using Anna Griffin’s new Basket Pop-Up kit and a few tea service pieces from an older Anna Griffin Favorite Tea Embellishments made the perfect card for this special mom.
The envelope was stamped with stamps from Anna Griffin’s Treasury of Stamps and Dies using Stampin’ Up Always Artichoke ink.
Other cards using stamps and papers from Anna Griffin include:
The corners, closing strap, buckle and tag, I used from the Karen Burniston’s Purse Pop-up die set. The tubes of paint are also part of the Spellbinder’s set.
I heat embossed the two different stamped sentiments using two colors of embossing powder.
Celebrating Mother with May flowers is a tradition. I was happy to see that Anna Griffin’s new teacup die set includes the ability to emboss flowers onto the edges and side of the cup and saucer.
This was my first try at using the new die set as well as some of Anna’s sentiment stamps. The teacup goes together easily following the enclosed instructions. I embossed the cup and saucer first using an embossing mat/plate and then die cut all the pieces.
By using a preprinted card base from a card kit by Punch Studio that has been in my stash for a while, along with some of the butterfly toppers and pink flatback gems, the front of the card came together quickly. The inside paper is from Graphic 45. I cut two pieces so as not to cover the fold and used a green marker to color the inside edges of the card as a border to the floral paper.
I ended up heat embossing the decorative border on the gold metallic sentiment base with clear embossing powder. I learned that the metallic card I used is heat sensitive and had a minor curling effect happen.
To fill the cup I used flower embellishments from Anna Griffin as well. This vintage teacup card is perfect for celebrating Mother’s Day.
When is an easel not an easel? When it is a flattened easel slider card. This card slides open to reveal two hidden messages.
Stamp images onto white cardstock using a dark brown ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder to set ink.
Using watercolor pencils color images and then use water and brush to blend colors. Let dry.
Rough cut images and glue to heavy cardstock. Let dry and then fussy cut out images.
Take one printed card front and on back side make lines 1 inch (25 mm) from all edges.
Using a blade knife and metal ruler, cut three lines in card front to form a door flap.
Using a score board, score door flap at ½ inch (12 mm), 2 ¼ inches (55 mm) and 5 inches (127 cm) from door flap bottom edge. Fold door flap with valley folds at ends and mountain fold in middle.
Cut second printed card front down to 6 1/2 inches (170 mm) x 4 3/8 inches (110 mm). make a cutting template for top by folding scrap paper the is 4 3/8 inches wide in half and cutting out design. Trace template on to top of card and cut out. Punch hole in center top for pull ribbon. Thread ribbon through punched hole and tie off ribbon. This is slider card.
Using a 1 inch (25 mm) wide circle punch, cut a half circle at top center edge. Place double-sided tear tape at edges on three sides of back of printed card with door flap leaving top edge with half circle untaped. Peel off backing tape and place a second layer of tape on top of first layer of tape. Place one layer of red backed double-sided tape on back of bottom tap of door flap.
Stamp sentiment on top half of slider card using stamp platform.
Peel off red backing on taped door flap tab. Place slider card face down on back side of door flap card so that it is inside the three taped edges and the ribbon pull is at the half circle end. Adhere taped edge of door flap to slider card. Turn over card front and test slider so easel comes up. Reposition or trim slider card to eliminate catchpoints.
Position 5 x 7 inches colored cardstock over back of printed card front. Peel off backing tape and line up one edge at a time until slider pocket is formed.
Using a stamp platform, place card with ease up revealing hidden space to be stamped. Stamp sentiment.
Decorate the slider easel by laying out stamped images on flatten card and playing with slider to see how and where to place double-sided sticky foam squares to one side of easel or other. Decorate card front frame edges with sticky backed gems, but do not block easel slider.
A simple sketch showing how the card functions may need to be included in the mailing envelope for good CRX (Card Receiver Experience).
Celebrating Mother with May flowers is a tradition. I was happy to see that Anna Griffin’s new teacup die set includes the ability to emboss flowers onto the edges and side of the cup and saucer.
Ully Cat's World 