Anniversary

Dancing Skeletons

| ullycatdesigns

“Stepping out with my baby!” coons Fred Astaire in his top hat and tails. “Putting on the Ritz!” the monster in Young Frankenstein moans with his top hat and stick. These were the sights and sounds that serve as the theme of this wedding anniversary card for a couple married close to Halloween.

The card brief was for some interactivity that was spooky (but not too spooky) and included the word “BOO!” as well as “Happy 15th Anniversary.”

Cardbase: Starting with an orange 8 1/2-inches wide by 7-inches tall rectangle folded in half for a top-fold, slimline cardbase of 3 1/2 -inches tall by 8 1/2-inches wide. The front and back panels of the card base has mats cut using the three crosshatch dies from Karen Burniston’s Long Rectangles – Crosshatch die set and papers from Graphic 45. They are glued together and then glued to the cardbase. (I found placing weights – stamping blocks or cell phone – on the mats to keep them flat as the glue dried very helpful.) The inside has a piece of white computer paper cut to 6 3/4 -inches tall by 8 1/4 -inches wide and folded in half before being adhered to the cardbase with thin double-sided tape.

Card Front: Using the Creative Expressions Skeletons by Sue Wilson cut two each of the three skeletons dies from thick white cardstock and glued them together. Die cut just the hats/heads from black glitter cardstock. Fussy cut the hats from the heads and glue them in place. Cover one side of the wobbler springs with patterned paper to match the center mat of the card front. Glue the skeletons onto the patterned paper side of the spring and allow the glue to dry before gluing the springs to the card front.

Sentiments: The sentiments come from two different Karen Burniston die sets – Halloween Elements and Word Set 12 – Anniversary. The numbers are The Greetery’s Cake Pops Number Candles die set and fussy cut of their tabs and flame. The “th” superscript is from Karen Burniston’s Numbers set. (I cut two “Boo!” from black glitter and orange cardstock and offset them to create a shadow. For the anniversary greeting I used one layer of orange foil cardstock.)

Envelope: Karen Burniston’s jack-o-lantern border decorates the back flap of the envelope. It is cut in two pieces – the top orange and the bottom full outline from black glitter cardstock.

Thank you for reading this blog post. I hope this inspires you and makes you smile. Please like and leave comments 😊

Materials Used:

Dies

  • Creative Expressions – Craft Dies by Sue Wilson – Halloween Collection – Skeletons
  • Karen Burniston in cahoots with Riley and Company – Halloween Borders – 1247
  • Karen Burniston in cahoots with Riley and Company – Long rectangles – Crosshatch – 1151
  • Karen Burniston in cahoots with Riley and Company – Word Set 12 – Anniversary – 1137
  • Karen Burniston in cahoots with Riley and Company – Numbers – 1031
  • Karen Burniston in cahoots with Riley and Company – Halloween Elements – 1013
  • The Greetery – Wafer Thin Steel Dies – Cake Pops Number Candles

Papers

  • Graphic 45 – 8×8 Double-Sided Paper – Charmed Collection – If the Broomstick Fits
  • Graphic 45 – 8×8 Double-Sided Paper – Charmed Collection – Hey Pumpkin
  • Core’dinations – Black Glitter Cardstock – Black tie
  • Joy Craft Mirror Cardstock – Orange
  • Orange and White Cardstock
  • #10 Business Envelope – Kraft

Ink

  • Sharpie – Permanent Marker – Ultra Fine Tip – Black

Adhesives

  • Neutral PH Adhesive by LINECO
  • Fine-Tip Glue Bottle
  • Scor-Tape – Double-Sided Tape -1/8-Inch Wide

Tools

  • Die Cutting Machine
  • We R Memories – QuickStick
  • Scissors
  • Bone Folder

Miscellaneous

  • Riley & Company – Active Wobbles – Mini Action Springs

Celebrating 66 Years of Marriage!

| ullycatdesigns

Recently I had the honor of creating a pop-up card celebrating a couple’s 66th wedding anniversary. Since there are no special designations for the 66th anniversary, I decided to go with silver, gold and sapphire blue as colors and balloons, stars, hearts and streamers as elements. My inspiration for the card came from a 50th anniversary card by Nicky Foden using Karen Burniston‘s Heart Collage Pop-Up, Balloon Collage Add-Ons and other dies.

Before I began, I read through Nicky’s blog on her card and watched Karen Burniston’s video on making a triple heart collage slimline pop-up card. I learned that I would need to trim down the outer mechanisms’ arms that will stick out of the card and continually test the placement of items to avoid catch points. The mechanism I used is the from the Heart Collage Pop-Up die set.

Cardbase: I used a medium weight white cardstock rectangle measuring 8 3/4 x 7 3/4-inches. When folded in half, the card measures 3 3/8 x 8 3/4-inches. Using the largest two dies from the Long Rectangles – Crosshatch die set, I cut frames from gold glitter cardstock and a large white rectangle to cover the front of the card. The frames went on the front and back of the card. For the inside of the card, I followed the dimensions of the largest die, but used a paper cutter to cut two panels of gold dotted acetate. (The acetate was too thick for the die to cut well.) While the glitter cardstock and white cardstock could be adhered using glue, the acetate required double sided-tape. Measuring the inside of the glitter frame on the back of the card, I cut a piece of acetate to fit the opening.

Mechanisms: Following Karen’s instructions on the placement of the mechanisms, I marked the locations with pencil on the inner fold. Making sure to line-up the pencil mark in the center hole of the mechanism and aligning the mechanism fold to the card fold, before I adhered one side of the mechanism to the card. Because of the acetate being used for the surface the mechanisms would adhered to, I used red backed super sticky double-sided tape. Once the mechanisms were in place and trained by opening and closing the card, I noted which arms stuck out of the card and trimmed them to fit inside the card.

Decorating: Die-cutting a number of balloons and stars from the Balloon Collage Add-Ons die set and ribbons with tiny hearts from the Border Blends – Trims, I hoped I had enough pieces to decorate the card. Watching Karen’s video one more time to see how the dimension pieces needed to be installed on the mechanisms, I stated with those balloons on the top arms. I worked from the tips of the arms and center mechanisms using balloons, testing for catch points before gluing in permanently. Next came stars and streamers (I cut the ribbon down into smaller streamers.) Finally the tiny hearts. I used double-sided tape to adhere anything to the front of the glitter cardstock or acetate on the cardbase.

Sentiment: To create the custom “Happy 66th Anniversary” sentiment on the front of the card, I used two die sets – Word Set 12- Anniversary and Numbers. The Numbers set comes with the “th” as well as “st”, “rd” and “nd”. For the label to write a personal message inside the card, I used white cardstock and my favorite crosshatch label die from the Rectangles and Labels – Crosshatch set.

Envelope: The back of the envelope is decorated with ribbon bits and tiny hearts all cut from the Border Blends – Trims die set.

Thank you for reading this blog post. I hope this inspires you and makes you smile. Please like and leave comments 😊

Materials Used:

Dies

Papers

  • Hot off the Press– 8 1/2 x 11-inches Foil Cardstock – Fireworks Blue Holographic
  • Hot off the Press– 8 1/2 x 11-inches Foil Cardstock – Stars Silver Holographic
  • American Crafts – WE R – 8 1/2 x 11-inch Acetate – Chevron Dot – Gold
  • Gold and Silver Foil Cardstock
  • Gold Glitter Cardstock
  • White Medium Weight Cardstock
  • #10 Business Envelope – Kraft

Adhesives

Tools

A Swinging Anniversary

| ullycatdesigns

Today we are making a 3-dimensional swing card using Karen Burniston dies from Dies R Us.

1. Cut two of each color using the swing die. Save the off-cut pieces for bench supports (I find the best piece is right below the bench , about 3/8 inches tall x 2 inches)

2. Trim off two roofs from darkest colour and the four posts from the lightest color. Cut the chains off the middle color. Cut bench support into two strips. (I save all the parts that I’m not using on this card to use on other cards.)

3. Cut words from each of the three colors.

4. Cut four stems from green and ten small flowers and center circles from flower dies.

5. Cut a 5 inch square and four small strips ¼ inches X 1 ¼ inches from sturdy green cardstock for the card base and post tabs.

6. Trim heart and scallop off one of the roof pieces. Glue roofs to yellow bases.

7. Glue heart and scallop trim together, being careful not to glue roofs.

8. Glue white posts ton fronts of yellow base posts.

9. Take one of yellow benches, snip the back at sides and fold down back to become bench seat. Trim of top of the bench as shown.

10. Cut the bench support strip into two side strips Fold ¼ on either end to form two tabs.

11. Trim tabs to fit the bench cut-outs. Glue tabs to lower side of back of seat piece as shown. Then glue other tabs to back bench piece.

12. Take 5 inches green square and fold in half, fold down one side to make a mountain fold, repeat on other side. Base should have two mountain folds in the shape of a “M.”

13. Glue small green support strips to inside of posts. Let dry and then glue posts to inside valley of base as shown in red circles.

14. Trim off top two loops on bench chains.

15. Cut two lengths of thread or embroidery floss. Thread one piece through the two chains on one side of bench. Repeat with other thread on opposite side of bench.

16. Tape threads to underside of roof making sure bench hangs evenly. (Red circles) Trim off tails of thread. Test swinging your bench. Smile.

17.Glue your words together offsetting at least one or both of the back colors. (Off-setting all three gives a blurred effect as shown, but off-setting just one makes the letters look 3D.)

18. Glue your flowers together and then onto the stems/bushes. Glue to base.

Hope this fun card has put a smile on your face and provided some inspiration for your crafting.

Want to see other swing cards I’ve made? Click here.

Thank you for reading this blog post. Please like and leave a comment. 😊

SUPPLIES Used from Dies R Us:

Additional Supplies Used:

  • Stampin’ Up Classic Stampin’ Pads – Early Espresso and Emerald Envy
  • Summer meadow stamp set from Cardmaking & Papercraft Issue 198, August 2019
  • Square envelope from my stash

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