TRAMMED

We know you are always looking for that perfect man's card so here are a couple of ideas provided by Heather. The 3d images are from the Harafeld collection. Not only does this make very nice cards but being the local, i.e Launceston tram sheds, it could be a lovely souvenir card as well.
Heather has stretched the use of this sheet by making several cards from the same sheet.
The main card has a lovely grey patterned sheet as the background which is overlaid with a strip of striped ribbon  then a  die cut rectangle in black and another in red then the tram image which has been cut from the background and placed in the centre. A piece of ribbon runs down through the middle behind. A few die cut cogs are used as accents. The Regal shop has currently got metal cogs in so these would service very well and add some depth.
The second card has also used a nesting frame die to form the card itself and then just added layers in red to match the tram.
The third card just uses the left over greeting and some fancy paper and you still have a striking and effective card

POSTCARD GREETING CARD

It's sometimes hard to find traditional pictures to go onto "men's cards" but one source is postcards! 

Regal sell a range of Tasmanian postcards that feature scenery, fishing, trains etc as well as historic advertising that are perfect to add to your cards.

The first step in this card is to cut a large oval from thin blue card stuck to adhesive double sided Jac paper .

Peel of the backing and stick it to the front of the card.  Using removable tape, secure a smaller oval die in the middle of the blue one, and, with the card open, cut through all the layers on the front i.e. make a hole with a frame.

 The next step is to use this hole as a guide to stick some red paper/card to the inside panel.  Again, using removable tape, position a smaller oval die in the most appropriate place on a postcard.(Tassie people will probably recognise this picture of the West Coast Wilderness Railway).  Cut out your picture and stick it onto the red oval.  You can mount it on foam tape if you want for added dimension.

Z FOLD OVERLAPPING CARD

SITTING OPEN

TOP VIEW SHOWING FOLD

FOLDED FLAT

This is a very simple variation of Regal's three panel card, which is easier to show in pictures than to try and explain in brief......but as we have the pictures I'll give it my best shot!

Fold each of the side panels in turn over the middle panel, adding an additional fold, half way so that the edge of the panel lines up with the original fold (i.e. the edge of the card). The card edges (see the small picture at t he top) will look like they have a Z shaped fold, and the overall card will appear as a gatefold card.  Add any background papers at this stage.

Next, using a set of nesting dies (any will do, but I've used stitched circleds cut a shape that does not overhang the sides of the card (I've done this out of gloss red).  Using removable tape, centre a smaller die in the middle of the shape and run it through your die cutter so that there is a hole in the middle. Stick this shape half over the edge of the left hand folded panel of your card

Using the same die (or a smaller one) cut another shape.  I've used black gloss this time.  You could use the circle you've just cut out if you want although I think a contrast looks nice.  With your card folded shut, centre the smaller shape so that it sits inside the first shape, and stick it down.  It will be approximately half on and half off the folded edge of the right hand side.

Add whatever decorations take your fancy at this stage.

This card looks fine folded flat (see small picture above), and is easy to post like this, but it sits really nicely with a great three-dimensional effect (see large picture).  It could easily be adapted for any occasion.

STITCHED CARD

Regal Craft Cards make these nifty "stitched" cards already printed so that you can get straight to the fun part and decorate them.

Tania has selected black and gold as the dominant colour theme, which matches very well with the flax base card. and has put her nesting dies to good use to add the decoration.

These cards are a great way to use up all those little pieces of paper that you just can't bear to throw away, and can be modified to suit the interests of the receiptient of the card.  Someone who enjoyed sewing for instance could have a card with pins, needles, fabric scraps, buttons etc.  Someone who enjoyed woodwork might enjoy nails, washers, die-cut tools etc.

Why not buy a pack and have some fun!

SUSPENDED DIE-CUT CARD TO SUIT ANY OCCASION

DIE-CUT BUTTERFLIES

This will take you a little bit longer than five minutes - but not much.  It's more the technique than the card (which I found in Regal's Bargain Corner) I wanted to show this week.

 Just pick a singlefold card, cover the inside right-hand panel with paper (I used plain lime green but you could use patterned paper). 

Die-cut a hole or two in whatever shape takes your fancy .  (At risk of stating the obvious, I chose two sizes of circle).

Now choose dies, that just fit over the edges of the cut apertures, so that there is enough to glue to the front of the card, but so that most of the die is over the hole,  Cut them out, fix in space. 

The finished card has a lovely 3D effect when it is opened or displayed in this way.  I used butterflies but you could equally well use tools (hammer, saw etc) or flowers, or words or anything really, as long as they fit with the holes that you cut.  As a result, you could make a card like this for any occasion!

FATHER'S DAY TOOL BOX CARD

Following along from last week's Father's Day card is another example from Sharon.  She has used the same little die cut tools (Two different sets of dies are available in the Regal Craft Cards catalogue) mounted on strips of acetate to make this fun box card which would do equally well for Father's Day or a birthday. 

There are lots of templates on-line for box cards and you can change the size to fit whatever you would like to have popping out of them, and that is limited only by your imagination!

Sharon has covered the box with sticky-backed silver checkerplate paper, leaving gaps and adding split pins to give the impression of drawers.

The greeting sticker at the back is also available from Regal.

LAYERED HEART CARD

CARD FRONT

Here is a super simple card idea to use up some of those small paper scraps we all accumulate (or at least those of us who hate to throw things in the bin). Simply choose your favourite nesting die (or the one most appropriate to the occasion), and cut out each size with a different co ordinating colour and stack them.  This card has been made with a flat stack, but you could use foam dots to add dimension if you wanted, and/or ink the edges of each shape.

I've embossed the front of a smooth white singlefold card (PL2) from Regal craft cards, and added a greeting sticker, a pre-made bow and three little rhinestones to finish.

It could be a 5 minute make depending on how quickly you can die cut - remember if you're using the same brand of die you can cut more than one piece at a time.

If you add an insert you will have to allow a few minutes more.f  I found a once-loved and now hardly ever used hole punch in the drawer and used it to decorate a plain pale pink insert,which was secured to a slightly larger piece of paper in a darker shade.  Both pinks were the same colours as the plains used on the front of the card.

INSIDE THE CARD

SIMPLE ACCORDIAN CARD

CARD FRONT

This is a fun variation of a flag book.  I've basically scored and folded the central panel of a black three panel Regal craft card into an "accordian", and stuck simple die-cut flowers to either side of each fold.  It's important to remember that flowers on the front of the fold will tilt forward, whilst flowers on the back will tilt backwards so you have to position them so that they swing freely - a little practise run with removable tape is a good idea before you fix them more securely in place.

As there is so much going on inside the card, I've kept the front very simple - just some decorative paper that reflects the shape of the die, a couple of ribbons (the black one secured under the patterned panel to hide the ends) and a silver charm.

I guess you could use this card for a lot of different occasions, or you could just sit it on your shelf for a cheery decoration.

INSIDE THE CARD

FAIRY CARD

CARD FRONT

It's easy to focus on the front of a greeting card and forget that there are at least two panels inside and one on the back as well that all invite decoration.  Janet has gone one step further by using a three panel card and adding a variety of papers and elements from Kaiser;s "Fairy Garden" range to produce a really sweet fairy-themed card.

The largest die on the front is also from Kaiser - the "whimsical circle frame".  Other elements have been fussy cut and mounted with foam tape to add dimension.

This would obviously be a lovely birthday card or maybe a very special greeting from the tooth fairy?

INNER PANELS

LIVE LAUGH LOVE HEART CUT OUT CARD

HEART CUT OUT CARD WITH EMBOSSED BACKGROUND

Another one of Janet's pretty cards this week.  This example uses an ivory heart cut-out three panel card as a base.

It may be a little hard to see in the picture, but one of the stand-out features of the card is the background patterned paper, which has been embossed using a folder featuring fern leaves.  Die cut leaves in three different shades are on the left of the card and other embellishments are paper flowers, a printed greeting and enamel dots.

Janet has inked around the heart cut-out that surrounds a striped, unembossed  green background, with white ink, and around the greeting with a bright green, which she has also added to the flower centres

All the techniques used in the card are straightforward, but used in combination and with attention to detail has resulted in a very striking card, that attracted a lot of positive comment when it was on display.  You can make it, or a similar version too.

AUSTRALIANA DIES

SIMPLE CARDS WITH AUSTRALIAN DIES

Two very simple cards feature this week.  The first, with the die positioned on the inner panelbehind the oval cut-out has been made with the Ultimate Crafts "Small Grass Tree Tag" set which includes not only the grass but two oval nesting dies as well.

The second is also from the Australiana range and shows an example of how the Old Farm Card tag set can be used.  In this instance the set includes the wagon, a separate wheel, and two nesting tag dies.

At the time of writing, both die sets were available from Regal Craft Cards, which is where both the base cards were purchased.

A WORK OF ART

RECESSED FRONT OF ARTWORK

I've titled this post "A work of Art" which it is.  Janet has created the most lovely example of how a shaker card can be adapted to be so much more than the name suggests.

I am not even going to begin to describe all the different layers and techniques that she has incorporated into this card (which is really suited to display all year round, rather than just a quick single occasion appearance).  Take the time to look carefully and see what ideas you could incorporate into your own projects.

I haven't included a picture of the back panel, which is just as extensively decorated so better still, if you are able, come into Regal Craft Cards, where we have it on display and have a look for yourself! 

INSIDE VIEW

TWO MEN ON A FENCE

MULTI-USE TWO MEN ON A FENCE CARD

This is sort of a five and a bit minute "wonder" - it certainly won't take too long to make.

All you need is a base card from Regal Craft Cards and the Paper Roses die (which can also be ordered from them), a little white ink and some paper.

I put down the lightest green paper first and then lay the straight edges of darker green at an angle each side just slightly over the top, and trimmed to the edge of the card.  That way you don't have to measure or cut neatly!  I fussy cut a hill from dark navy cardstock, and die cut the men, stuck them in place and then sponged in some white clouds.  Technically "sponged", I actually used my index finger which I find worked just fine!

That's it.  You could easily add a greeting if you wanted, either on the bottom edge or in the sky space, and you could send the card for just about any occasion - everything from birthdays to greetings from Tasmania, to Fathers' Day.  Add a heart in the middle (the gender of the folks on the fence is not clear) for Valentine's or engagement, or stick down a couple of bunnies in the paddock and a tiny egg or two for Easter.  There's lots you could do with this basic design.

LAYERED DIE-CUTGREVILLEAS

CARD WITH DIECUT GREVILLEAS

I think that this is another one of those cards that looks much nicer "in the flesh" than on screen but.......

The die set is from Ultimate crafts (ULTI57478) and includes the two frames as well as the grevillea.  At the time of writing Regal still had some in the shop.  They are always happy to post any of their stock, even if it does not appear on the website.

I've cut three grevilleas from different pearlised metallic papers, added highlights with metallic pens and then mounted them on Kaiser papers.  Stickers, a ribbon strip, punched circles and a little pre-made bow were added.

Finishing touches were rounding the cornerS of the Regal Kraft base card, and inking the edges with sepia ink.

This is a floral card that isn't overly feminine so it would be suited to just about anyone, including frineds who live overseas as there aren't that many dies available that feature Australian flowers..

OVERLAPPED CARDS

FRONT OF CARD

FRONT PANEL LIFTED

I don't know if there is an "official" name for this style of card, but it basically involves one larger card and one smaller, with the back panel of the smaller card attached to the inner part of the larger one so that the fold is just over the edge, hence you need to open the smaller card to access the inside of the larger one!  if that doesn't make sense, hopefully the pictures will make it clearer.

The front panel of the larger card has been decorated with a die-cut background and greeting (both cut from gold mirror card), whilst the smaller card has been covered with washi, and embellished with a diecut flourish and a wooden flower, coloured with layers of embossing powder and attached with a white split pin.

This style of card is great for "surprises" - for example, a gift card could be attached to the front, but hidden under the smaller card.

HOLLY CHRISTMAS CARD

LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS CARD

OK, so if you are still making cards by this time of the year you are after something super quick to finish, and here it is!

Sharon has used a Regal holly cut-out card, put some patterned green paper underneath, and then added some gold greeting stickers and stars and a few red rhinestones and well....it's finished!

Unfortunately Regal will not be re opening until January 2nd but its an idea to keep in mind if you have to make a lot of cards next year, or if perhaps you'd just like to get the Christmas Cards out of the way in January.

Just think how proud of yourself you can feel for the rest of the year, especially in December when many more of us are in panic mode!

PATTERNED (DOUBLE) STAMPING WITH DIECUT FOAM

DOUBLE STAMPING

There is space underneath the main motif to add whatever greeting you want to this card - birthday. best wishes, "just a note" etc.  but the main point of it, as far as the blog goes, is to illustrate a couple of useful stamping techniques.

The large shape was cut from a foam sheet (which you can buy from Regal craft cards) using a nesting die and secured to an acrylic block with a little bit of double sided tape so that it could be used as a stamp.

You can just stamp in the ordinary way, in which case the result is a solid image of the diecut, but in this instance, for the bottom layer, the flower was inked up, and then an uninked (Darkroom Door) background stamp was pressed onto it. Instead of stamping the leaf pattern, it removed the pink ink from the diecut, which was then stamped onto the white background circle - patterned stamping!

The image of the inked diecut remains on the background stamp, so if you work quickly you can stamp a "negative" patterned image too!

I've made it sound a lot more complicated than it is.  You can use any solid stamp coupled with a relatively densely patterned one.  This technique appears under many different headings - often Kiss-stamping if you want to search for more info.

The base card is one of Regal Craft Cards newer cards -  Stonewash (PL27), which despite its name is a very on-trend shade of grey.

CARDS USING STENCILS AND DISTRESS INKS

STENCILLED BUTTERFLY CARD

Stencils are all the go at the moment.  There are lots of different designs available at Regal right now and so many different ways to use them.

Lee has made the butterfly card at the top, using a distress ink background, with flicked water features and added a die cut greeting.

I've done something very similar for the feather card, only I've stamped on a more sparsely coloured distress ink background using a misted acrylic stamping block, before stencilling on the spots.

The third card has used the same stencil through the Cuttlebug (any similar machine will work), using a rubber mat to emboss the light card.  (I cut the circle in the middle out first).  I then just lightly rubbed some ink over the top to emphasize the texture.

All three cards feature die cuts.  The big butterfly is layered for a 3d effect.  Lee had added a glitter tape border to the edge of her panel, and I've inked mine to make it stand out a little more from the background.

TWO MORE EXAMPLES OF STENCILLED BACKGROUNDS